Songs for the Atlas Lions of Morocco

What music do young Moroccans listen to at home and in the diaspora right now?

Street football in Marrakech, Morocco (Neil Faz, via Flickr CC).

Despite high hopes, Morocco’s Atlas Lions crashed out of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, but that didn’t prevent young Moroccans from bumping and grooving to radio pop. It also gives a sense of what young Moroccans are listening to at home and in the diaspora.

First up is the internationally renowned and veteran Algerian crooner Khaled, known for hits like “Aicha” and “Didi.” In late 2012, Khaled released a new album with a new single, “Hiya Hiya,” which features American rapper Pit Bull.

Then there’s Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” We hoped our national team would “shine bright like a diamond” at this year’s AFCON tournament. Rihanna’s melancholic song reflects our dashed hopes of football glory. Alas, Morocco may be more successful at next year’s World Cup.

Tombée pour elle” (English: Fell for her), is an R&B song by Booba, a Half Senegalese and half French artist who has been rapping since the mid-1990s.

Yes, Britney Spears & Will.i.am’s “Scream and Shout.” Moroccan music fans have not given up on Britney Spears despite her troubles. She is teaming up with Will. I.Am (from the Black Eyed Peas), this Gangnam Style-like hit is ruling Morocco’s airwaves and club scene.

Moroccan rap artists Fnaire and Soprano hail from the city of Marrakesh. Together, they perform what they coin as “traditional rap.” They mix traditional music (like Chaabi music) with hip-hop, infusing it with lyrics about social and political issues that resonate among Moroccan youth.

Further Reading

Energy for whom?

Behind the fanfare of the Africa Climate Summit, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline shows how neocolonial extraction still drives Africa’s energy future.

The sound of revolt

On his third album, Afro-Portuguese artist Scúru Fitchádu fuses ancestral wisdom with urban revolt, turning memory and militancy into a soundtrack for resistance.

O som da revolta

No seu terceiro álbum, o artista afro-português Scúru Fitchádu funde a sabedoria ancestral com a revolta urbana, transformando memória e militância em uma trilha sonora para a resistência.

Biya forever

As Cameroon nears its presidential elections, a disintegrated opposition paves the way for the world’s oldest leader to claim a fresh mandate.

From Cornell to conscience

Hounded out of the United States for his pro-Palestine activism, Momodou Taal insists that the struggle is global, drawing strength from Malcolm X, faith, and solidarity across borders.

After the uprising

Following two years of mass protest, Kenya stands at a crossroads. A new generation of organizers is confronting an old question: how do you turn revolt into lasting change? Sungu Oyoo joins the AIAC podcast to discuss the vision of Kenya’s radical left.

Redrawing liberation

From Gaza to Africa, colonial cartography has turned land into property and people into populations to be managed. True liberation means dismantling this order, not redrawing its lines.

Who deserves the city?

Colonial urbanism cast African neighborhoods as chaotic, unplanned, and undesirable. In postcolonial Dar es Salaam, that legacy still shapes who builds, who belongs, and what the middle class fears the city becoming.