The Sounds of Sudan

2. Hiba Elgizouli - Bidaya (2019)

"Bidaya" is a soft and slow track where Hiba Elgizouli's voice reigns free and calls for better days. We highly recommend you to watch the music video: the visuals are absolutely stunning and highlights the beauty of Sudanese womanhood. 

3. The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr - Nile Waves (1980)

Don't get confused (like we did):  we're not talking about the German rock band Scorpions, but The Scorpions, a Sudanese jazz band founded in the 1960s. It's funky, it's groovy, and we can thank the label Habibi Funk Records for re-issuing The Scorpions' tracks. 

4. Alsarah (feat. Sufyvn, Flippter) - Farasha (2023)

We killed three birds with one store here, as this collaboration involves three Sudanese artists: Alsarah, a singer and songwriter who also created the band Alsarah & the Nubatones; Sufyvn, a producer of electronic music, and Flippter, a rapper. This cocktail of talented artists gave birth to this genre-blending track, which is dedicated to the strength and beauty of Sudanese women.

Sudan is going through one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, which has worsened since April 2023, when two rival factions of the government started a fight that escalated in a large-scale conflict and a civil war. Mass displacements, ethnic cleansing, weather shocks, food crisis, collapse of healthcare services, limitation of humanitarian aid... all these have unfortunately become parts of the daily life of the Sudanese population.

Highlighting the musical production of Sudan not only allows us to raise awareness about this crisis, but it also reminds us that every people from every country should be granted the right to live, to be safe and healthy, to love and to create. 

1. G-SALIH - Bouquets (Freestyle) (2022)

For those who are into old school rap, this track could be right up your alley. With a boom bap instrumental and a relentless but smooth delivery,  G-SALIH sets the bar pretty high and created one of our favourite rap tracks from Sudan.

5. Rasha - Azara Alhai (1997)

To conclude this selection, we picked another old school artist from Sudan, and yes, another woman: Rasha. She combined her personal background as a Sudanese Arabic with the cultural influences of South Sudan, or also Spain where she moved to, in order to create music that embraced folk, flamenco, reggae or pop sounds. 

And for more songs from Sudan...

We have curated a playlist just for you!