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Today, the fourth of July, Tulsa based singer-songwriter Casii Stephan is releasing her new single “King in America.” With a hard White Stripes-type bassline and a voice reminiscent of Fiona Apple and Lorde, Stephan has created a fiery anthem of resistance and one against the notion of “kings” in the US. The song also features a verse from Damion Shade.
We caught up with Stephan to learn a bit more about the song and the history behind it. Stephan explained how the song was written just before the ‘No Kings’ protests in the US, more specifically around the inauguration of Donald Trump.
“I wrote it because I was in Ireland and the UK around the time of Trump’s inauguration and shortly after it. I was hearing how Americans are loud, bold, and brash. I came home and of course the executive orders were going out left and right, and a songwriter friend was saying they were ready to rise up and they had their pitchfork. Also my trans friends were being threatened and I couldn’t just skate by. I’m a straight white woman. This song is me saying ‘Pick on me. Don’t pick on them. Come after the majority.'”
We asked Stephan how the reception has been so far, of her new song as well as of her protest songs in general, and she mentioned that her most popular song to date is her cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs.’ Unfortunately, such a song is still very relevant today.
“I’ve done the mental work and preparation to know this is what I want to do and if people don’t like it, oh well. We’re at a crucial time. Things are just getting worse. If we don’t push back now, it gets harder as time goes by.“
Meanwhile, the debate continues, about whether art and activism should go hand in hand or somehow be seperated. Stephan adds that it depends on the artist. She doesn’t believe that the two can be separated, especially during times like these, but she acknowledges that some artists need to keep the politics out of their art.
To each their own. We’re all here to do different things. Some of us are healers. Some of us are entertainers. Some of us are here to create an atmosphere. It’s the artist’s job to figure that out.
Sudan’s civil war, ignited in April 2023 by a power struggle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has plunged the country into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Over 12 million people have been displaced, making Sudan the largest host of internally displaced persons globally. Famine conditions have been reported in parts of North Darfur, with over 600,000 individuals at risk of starvation. Cholera outbreaks and other diseases have surged due to the collapse of healthcare infrastructure.
Since the war started, Sudanese artists have taken up their instruments and created a wealth of music, protesting war, violence and oppression and singing their songs of unity, love and hope.
Here are only a few examples of Sudanese music released since the war started in 2023.
Sudanese Edits – Fresh Moses
Sudanese DJ, based out of Toronto, Canada, released this EP in January 2024. On the EP’s Bandcamp page she writes:
“Don’t forget to donate the Sudanese humanitarian crisis. sapa-usa.org
“As of January 2024, more than 20 million people are facing acute food insecurity. It is expected that 24.8 million people in Sudan, approximately half the population, will need humanitarian assistance in 2024” (disasterphilanthropy.org, 2024).”
1fINA2kHAIR3fEL4mAWT5wALHAYA – Baajin ุจุงุฌูุบ
This album was produced in 2024, during the conflict, with “very primitive tools,” both in Port Sudan and in Egypt, as well as while traversing the illegal immigrant route between the two. “It will take you on an adventure from Darfur to Khartoum around 1945 in search of money, and from Khartoum to Egypt in 2024 in search of safety. Disgust, sadness, fear, anticipation, obsession, gloom, the lover’s demon touch, and a brave decision to face all that on track number 4, ุงูุฌุฎููู ุงูุนุธูู jacnonzem.”
Ghany Ya Khartoum โ A.G Nimeri
A.G. Nimeri release Ghany Ya Khartoum in 2023. The lyrics to the song is a poem by Mahjoub Sharif and the title translates to “Sing, Khartoum.”
One Hand / Yad Wahda โ Wd Alzain
Sudanese reggae singer Wd Alzain calls for peace and for the war to end with his song One Hand. The song calls for all of Sudan to unite, irregardless of their various tribal and religious differences.
Samtan Ya Sawt Al Dana โ Mujtaba Alseddigand Mohammed Hamid
Released on 24 April 2023, Samtan Ya Sawt Al Dana calls for the sounds of โAl Danaโ (the bomb) to end, and an end to the war. The song is sung and written by Mohammed Hamid based on a poem by Mahmoud Aljaily, and composed by Mujtaba Alseddig.
Gomriea โ Hleem Taj Alser, featuring Awabtherapper
Popular Sudanese rapper Hleem Taj Alser released โGomrieaโ on 28 April 2023, featuring Awabtherapper. The description under the music video further explains the meaning of โGomreiaโ as well as โAzzaโ, which translates to โdearโ or โbelovedโ, and is a word Sudanese commonly use to refer to their country.
Ya Watani Balad Ahbabi โ Roaa Mohammed Naeem and Mafaz Bushra
Sudanese artists Roaa Mohammed Naeem and Mafaz Bushra released their cover of the Ya Watani Balad Ahbabi (my homeland, the country of my beloved) by the late Sayed Khalifa on 13 May 2023. The music video features grim images of destruction in Sudan due to ongoing war in the country with several Sudanese personalities signifying โStop the Warโ gestures with their hands.
Al Hissa Watan โ MISTA.D featuring A.G and Zeyo Mann
Al Hissa Watan is a politically charged song, featuring MISTA.D, A.G and Zeyo Mann with beats that uniquely bring together reggae, rap and jazz. “Al Hissa Watan” is a popular Sudanese and Arabic saying, which loosely translates to “The Lesson is Country”. The end of the music video, a man states “It is not our fight. This is a war between the kizan [Burhanโs regime] and Janjaweed [the RSF].”
5arab โ Hyper, featuring Cymona
Sudanese rapper hyper released โ5arabโ on 15 May 2023, which was produced, mixed and mastered by Cymona. Part of the lyrics loosely translate to “We seek refuge in God/And to God we complain/A plane and a tank in the heart of the city/Because of chairs, a mother slept sadly/Their ambitions are personal, and their grudges are buried deep”
Fotty Wen โ Radi
Sudanese rapper Radi released โFotty Wenโ on 19 May 2023, featuring various clips of the two warlords wreaking havoc in Sudan: Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Al Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the former de facto deputy ruler of Sudan who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Dreams of Homeland / Ahlam Watan โ Ahmed Amin
Sudanese singer Ahmed Amin previously released his anti-war hit Civil, Freedom & Peace during the Sudanese Revolution in 2019. Now, he has returned with a new song, Dreams of Homeland, which was released on 3 June 2023, and composed and arranged himself.
Tatheer โ Sharara
Sudanese rapper Sharara released the militant protest song โTatheerโ on 3 June 2023. On the song’s YouTube page Sharara writes: “Victorious, God willing, there will be no militia ruling the country. Whether life is long or short, truth will triumph over falsehood. The sun of Sudan will rise again. We have a share in life. We will fight injustice even if it costs us our lives. We will sacrifice ourselves for you, my homeland. I will die free in my homeland and I do not accept a life of humiliation. May God have mercy on all the martyrs of tonight.”
Refugees โ Osman Nawawe
Osman Nawawe released โRefugeesโ on 8 June 2023, as an ode to Sudan and the Sudanese people who were forced to leave their homeland due to the war.
N7na Bkheer โ Mohammed Alkinani
N7na Bkheer translates to โWe Are Fineโ, which is the optimistic and positive message the song aims to deliver. The song’s YoutTube page states:
“Our battle is against war, against weapons, against killing, against rape, against looting, against displacement and homelessness.
We will build it, and we dream of it every day. A vast homeland A homeland that accommodates everyone.”
Ma Taktuluna โ Sheikh Altareeqa, featuring Roaa Mohammed Naeem
Sudanese rapper Ameen Al Hindi, better known as Sheikh Altareeqa, released his new single Ma Taktuluna (Donโt Kill Us), featuring Sudanese singer Roaa Mohammed Naeem on 21 June 2023.
My Sister โ Ahmed Amin
Ahmed Amin released another song โMy Sisterโ on 26 June 2023 as an ode to young girls and women who have been violated during the war in Sudan. Nearly 90 cases of rape have been reported since the war began 15 April 2023, some as young as 13 years old.
On April 28th, peach|melba will release Worst Trimester, a song first featured on the iconic queer Netflix minidoc Sperm Donors Wanted.
With blistering lyrics delivered at a rapped pace, the riot grrrl duo explore the gender politics of pregnancy, in their trademark style of both members singing every word together over minimalist bass guitar and driving drums reminiscent of Beastie Boys and Lambrini Girls.
The LA / UK indie punk duo peach|melba write, record and mix everything themselves and say they โswear on your motherโs life to release a new song every six weeks until world peace has been fully achieved.โ
The band told us via email that the band actually formed because of the previously-mentioned documentary, which they were asked to do the music for.
“I had a heap of punk songs i’d written over the years that never fit any project and so I hired a friend of mine to help and this became the band which is now releasing songs every six weeks. I’ve been in several bands and it’s always had political messages and this one is no different. Actually I think this one is more stark than any of the other bands I’ve written for because the format is so direct for this band and the music is by far the most simple I’ve ever made.”
“Really one of the key roles my music has always played is alienating people that I dont want to spend time with and getting people into a room that I do want to spend time with. This is super political because I am trying to create space both physically and mentally that people can inhabit where they can speak about their dreams. And since we are living in a world that is mostly a few rich people’s imagination, this act is political as fuck.”
Follow peach|melba on Instagram and to catch their regular song releases, at least until the world is bit better of a place.
