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

Africa and the AI race

At summits and in speeches, African leaders promise to harness AI for development. But without investment in power, connectivity, and people, the continent risks replaying old failures in new code.

After the uprising

Years into Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, the rebellion faces internal fractures, waning support, and military pressure—raising the question of what future, if any, lies ahead for Ambazonian aspirations.

In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Binti, revisited

More than two decades after its release, Lady Jaydee’s debut album still resonates—offering a window into Tanzanian pop, gender politics, and the sound of a generation coming into its own.

The bones beneath our feet

A powerful new documentary follows Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi’s personal and political journey to recover her father’s remains—and to reckon with Kenya’s unfinished struggle for land, justice, and historical memory.

What comes after liberation?

In this wide-ranging conversation, the freedom fighter and former Constitutional Court justice Albie Sachs reflects on law, liberation, and the unfinished work of building a just South Africa.

The cost of care

In Africa’s migration economy, women’s labor fuels households abroad while their own needs are sidelined at home. What does freedom look like when care itself becomes a form of exile?

The memory keepers

A new documentary follows two women’s mission to decolonize Nairobi’s libraries, revealing how good intentions collide with bureaucracy, donor politics, and the ghosts of colonialism.

Making films against amnesia

The director of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ reflects on imperial violence, corporate warfare, and how cinema can disrupt the official record—and help us remember differently.