Is the Rise of Sudanese Rap Breaking Down Racist Stereotypes?
Sudanese rap is having a fantastic year, introducing the North African region to its unique sound and dialect, but are non-Sudanese really listening?
Sudan’s conflict has frequently been labeled “the forgotten war.”
Manyargue that the global public’s indifference to the conflict is due to anti-Blackness and, by extension, a lack of knowledge that prevents non-Sudanese people from empathizing with the country’s humanitarian crisis.
However, amidst mass displacement and unbearable loss, Sudanese music is currently having a regional breakthrough, connecting the ever-growing diaspora and tuning international listeners into the current historical moment.
“Sudanese music has been making a lot of noise in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, especially within the context of rap,” Dubai-based Sudanese culture writer and photographer Hala Kashif tells OkayAfrica. “Our artists headline shows and festivals across the region.”
Kashif’s work intimately documents the Sudanese music scene and its influence against the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) backdrop. “I was talking to Izzo who runs a music platform, and he told me that the reason why people are so intrigued by [Sudanese] music is because Sudan has been secluded for so long,” she explains, giving the U.S. sanctions on Sudan from the 1990s until 2017 as an example.
“We didn't really keep up with what the West was doing and that gave us our own time and pace to develop our own sound when it comes to rap,” she continues. “Izzo said, ‘We Sudan-ized rap.’”
Mazin Ahmed is a Sudanese visual artist and artist manager who works in the Egyptian music scene after relocating because of the war. “People often say, ‘Wow I didn’t think this was capable of coming out of Sudan,’” he says.Ahmed is cautious of the sudden hype, stressing that until recently, there was no interest in Sudanese culture beyond the revolution and war; he partly attributes it to successful marketing and predatory business interests. “Appreciation is cool, but we're also a prideful bunch and there's always a thin line between too much attention coming off as a bit forced, or charitable,” he says.
Yemeni Sudanese Ahmed AlBatul aka Dony, co-founder of Saudi-based music label Svnbirds, agrees that Sudanese music has long been underappreciated, but believes that it has become a gateway for non-Sudanese people to learn about and appreciate Sudanese culture.
“Opportunities are few in Sudan, it's not as well developed as other countries,” he says. “Especially when it comes to the music industry, it's very hard to come up. I always say it's mission impossible, but now we are competing with the biggest in the league.”
The pride of creating a thriving art scene out of limited resources rings through all conversations about the rise of Sudanese music. “I believe that the best creatives in the MENA region are in Sudan,” he says. “In every family, there are at least two to three people who are very invested in art.”
By now, Dony’s non-Sudanese friends frequently reach out to ask for translations of Sudanese rap lyrics. “I was speaking to Soulja about trying to write in a way where everyone can understand,” he shares. “But he said ‘Let them love it to a point where they want to understand what I’m saying.’ I now have friends who speak good Sudanese [Arabic] just because of music.”Egyptian musician and founder of Rap Shar3Black B echoes this sentiment. “I firmly believe that music, especially rap, holds immense power to shift narratives,” he says. “In Egypt, I've personally witnessed the rise of the Sudanese rap scene spark conversations around the challenges Sudanese people face. This has fostered more inclusivity within our culture.”
“The presence of Sudanese rappers in the music scene has not only allowed them to showcase their talent but also helped dismantle long-standing racist stereotypes,” he continues. “By embracing Sudanese music and identity, it challenges the narrative of 'otherness' and highlights the commonalities that unite us.”
Egyptian music journalist and public relations specialist Menna Shanab is more skeptical about imminent shifts in the industry, let alone society. Working on PR campaigns for Sudanese artists, she notices the obstacles they continue to face as opposed to other musicians in the region.
“Egypt is very racist. It seems that if Sudanese artists want to make it in Egypt, they have to collaborate with Egyptians,” she says. “They have to do double the work to be accepted in the Arab media sphere.”
Kashif shares Shanab’s sentiment. “I think the implicit bias is still very much there,” she says. “I don't think the exposure of non-Sudanese to Sudanese music has really changed the way that they perceive us or the way that they interact with our culture. I think there's still a lot more work to be done for that to be completely erased. We're literally just at the tip of the iceberg.”
Across the diaspora, Sudanese musicians are making themselves heard against all odds, whether that be a lack of infrastructural access or racist stereotypes. “In Saudi, the Sudanese community is carrying the music industry,” says Shanab.
In North Africa, they’re having a harder time breaking barriers, but Dony is optimistic. “We all know Egyptian culture through its entertainment industry,” he says. “And this is what we’re trying to do for Sudan, through music. Step by step, it will get the same light.”