By Boka Jr.
South Sudan’s music scene is more than just entertainment; it’s a reflection of real life, filled with songs that speak to the heart of the nation. In recent years, a wave of powerful tracks has gained millions of views on YouTube, not just for their beats, but for their bold and meaningful messages. These songs touch on social and political issues, promote peace, celebrate love, and highlight cultural pride. They also inspire with messages about hard work, unity, and survival in tough times.
What makes these songs stand out is how deeply they connect with everyday people. Artists are using their voices to speak on corruption, tribalism, unemployment, and the challenges facing youth. Others sing about love and loyalty, reminding listeners of what still holds value in difficult times. YouTube and other social platforms have played a big role in pushing these songs beyond village speakers and local events, helping them reach audiences across the world. With just a phone and an internet connection, fans share, comment, and keep the music alive. These viral hits are not just popular; they are powerful tools of awareness, hope, and identity, showing how music continues to unite and move South Sudan forward.
Here are some of South Sudan’s most impactful songs, each a testament to the nation’s diverse voices and vibrant music scene, presented in order of increasing popularity based on their YouTube views.
- Tuk De Ming — Rapper Hot-Dogg (890K Views)
Eight years ago, Rapper Hot-Dogg handed us Tuk De Ming, a lyrical time capsule back to the innocence of village life in Ruweng. This track weaves vivid imagery of childhood in the forests, freedom of days, beauty of nature, and a sense of being strongly rooted. Corner Stone Music produced it, it’s an Afro dance wrapped in nostalgia, a reminder of where we came from counts for a great deal. In a world running fast forward, a pause is invited by Tuk De Ming to respect where we came from and to hold on to the little things often let slip amidst urban chaos. With almost 900,000 views, it’s clear listeners cherish this walk down memory lane. Rapper Hot-Dogg’s storytelling takes us back, reminding us that where we came from gives us the strength to look at tomorrow.
10.Koc Aguec by Professor K (702K Views)
If you’ve ever had to write a “Bro, do you know someone?” text in search of a job or scholarship, then you know your jam is Koc Aguec. Professor K brings unadulterated truth about the travails of youth: unemployment, running after military ranks, corruption, and the tall tales we spin just to keep on surviving, only to be punished all the more. This is a looking glass held unto a people stuck in transition, who are working their way out of poverty and dead ends. This tune ain’t just about you, however, it’s a battle cry that intermingles frustration and comedy with tough love realities. Young people of South Sudan see their narrative played out here, nodding along in unison to each line. Professor K’s storytelling ability makes of Koc Aguec an unofficial survival soundtrack and a gentle criticism of a system that fails. Close to 700,000 views and counting, the message remains clear: that if you tell truth or lie, you will be fucked. .
- Sibu Sibu Gelbelia by Kimo Makem Malang (833K Views)
“Stop Tribalism!” That’s the unflinching, unapologetic refrain Kimo Makem Malang released the Sibu Sibu Gelbelia years ago when the tribalism in South Sudan was spreading like wildfire. No hedging—South Sudan is lovely, its youth vibrant and gifted, but tribalism? That’s the toxic connector holding everything back. The candid description cuts through the noise, calling for unity and peace. A wake-up call and dance floor anthem at the same time, it proves that the desire for harmony runs deep throughout the nation. Over 800,000 views prove that the craving for change is more than an idea. The song speaks to frustration with divisive politics and speaks to hope for a future where the nation’s vibrancy overtakes past grudges. Kimo’s voice is a megaphone for those tired of watching petty bickering thwart dreams. Sibu Sibu Gelbelia proves that a shield against division can be a beat and a truth, binding listeners with rhythm and reality.
- Arutha Alo Ganygany by Dingayai (1 Million Views)
Dingayai’s Arutha Alo Ganygany is like a marriage manual sung out loud for every bride preparing to enter family life. It dishes out wisdom with no fluff: respect your husband’s parents, steer clear of family drama, and care for kids and elders. Plus, he calls out the harsh reality of Juba’s prices dancing to the dollar’s tune, a hustle all too real. This track is loved for its honesty and practical advice wrapped in catchy rhythms. Over a million views show fans crave songs that tell it straight about life’s real challenges and responsibilities. Dingayai’s voice is a guiding light for tradition and survival in modern times, balancing cultural values with the economic realities every family knows. It’s a tune that’s as much about love as it is about respect and resilience.
7.Raan Path (Good Person) by Achol Chol Madut (1.1 Million Views)
Every now and then, the tune takes us to church. Achol Chol Madut’s Raan Path is a soothing, sentimental ballad in praise of leaders of clean hearts, of those who rise above tribalism to be leaders of honor. In honor of Machar Bol Yai, the song is a praise for truthful leadership and a testament that should mothers sing, villages heed. It is a soft, uplifting exhortation to value character above politics, love above division. With a million-plus plays, Raan Path succeeds because it delivers something valuable in these frenzied times: a sense of hope that true leaders are out here. In a loud world, it’s a beautiful silence, a soft entreaty for purity and unison set to melody. Achol’s singing is devotion and declaration, testament that leadership is not about power but the strength to stand for what’s right, beyond tribe or celebrity.
- Nyan Ming Bull by Diamond Man 100 (1.1 Million Views)
Romance is not dead, folks! Diamond Man 100’s Nyan Ming Bull is proof that love songs could still be at the top, even in a country where politics stand to steal the lime. This is a mellow, disco-infused ballad dedicated to that one special girl, flirtatious, loyal, and soaking in true affection. A rare gem you won’t find every day: a song that makes us realize that through all the hubbub, love and faithfulness still cut the mustard and snag hearts. Every playa out there, wake up! Devotion sells almost as well as a hot beat. Diamond Man 100 strikes the right note between sentimental saps and good beat, rendering a love note that gets stuck in the head and heart. A million views in, Nyan Ming Bull proves that during bad times, love’s tongue remains a very potent currency.
- JIENG by Nhial Tactician (1.1 Million Views)
Nhial Tactician’s JIENG is a unifying torch for pride for the Dinka people. This new anthem blesses tribes with reminders of collectively held wealth, faith, and respect and charges them with dwelling on shared bonds, not divides. It’s a motivational speech with a great beat, everyone putting aside their arguments and celebrating their shared cultural heritage. With a million-plus views, JIENG succeeds because it’s a hopeful, uplifting message, speaking of a people looking to leave past conflicts in the past and assert strength in numbers. Nhial Tactician’s voice is a uniter, a musical handshake calling for peace and respect. This is a highly personal yet deeply communal work of music that foments pride without arrogance and unison without effacement.
- Dhuengdu (Your Beauty) by Slatine Pro ft. Anyar Yol Mathiang (1.2 Million Views)
Sick of political drama and lectures on being social? Slatine Pro and Anyar Yol Mathiang’s Dhuengdu is your gentle escape for the soul. This calming serenade of a woman’s beauty is grandma’s soothing tea, soothing, calming, and ever timeless. You are reminded that romance prevails even amidst nature’s raging tempests. In its gentle tune and lyrical feelings, the love letter to womanhood is intimate and yet universal. In uncertain times, it’s a moment to pause, to bask in beauty aside from suffering, and be reminded by love that it is a constant. Having cleared a record of over a million views, the song is a testament that the people of South Sudan’s hearts still beat true to the gentle note of romance, a soothing melody to the din of everyday living.
- Kiir Must Stay by Bilpam Akec (1.3 Million Views)
Four years ago, Bilpam Akec created a musical bomb drop that’s still ringing in the ears of South Sudan. Kiir Must Stay is more than a track; it’s a full-bodied tribute to President Kiir’s fabled forgiving soul, paired with some razor-sharp roasting sessions for those opportune-hungry individuals (politicians) who came starved, fed their faces, and still complain about peace and say Kiir is not a good leader. It’s a lunatic mix of exaltation and roasting, all drenched in infectious beats that had the country listening. He says in the song that some people came with no belly, but they later built up, they came without buttocks, they became fat, but still complain about Kiir’s leadership. He says those people don’t know to appreciate. Think a song can campaign, criticize corruption, and celebrate spirits at the very same time? Bilpam Akec just proved to you. This song’s a class on keeping leaders on their toes without dulling the spirits. That’s why it hit 1.3 million views, because South Sudanese yearn for original voices, wrapped in beat and passion.
2, Akaba Tuiny by Mapia1 Dictionary (1.9 Million Views)
Mapia1 Dictionary didn’t drop a track; he opened a floodgate of revolution with Akaba Tuiny. This is an unvarnished roasting of those who feast on public coffers and trouble peace only to yelp like feral dogs when called out. This is loud, gritty, and unyielding, a demand for accountability in danceable time. Nearly 2 million views in, the people have spoken: South Sudan needs truth, no matter how loud or cringeworthy. Mapia1’s brassy lyrics wag a finger at greed and corruption at its very root, and by doing so, render Akaba Tuiny a protest and a party. This is a sound that doesn’t just entertain but asks for accountability and demonstrates that speaking truth to power can be cloaked in irresistible beats that mobilize feet and minds.
- Celebrate by Emmanuel Kembe (14 Years Ago, 3 Million Views)
No better way to end this playlist than with Emmanuel Kembe’s Celebrate, a powerful independence anthem that’s pure joy in song. Released 14 years ago, it still commands 3 million views because it’s more than a track, it’s a national toast. “The morning has come, the sun has risen, no one will cry again,” Kembe sings, calling elders to drum, lifting glasses of Marisa white wine, and inviting youth to guard their freedom fiercely. It’s a musical party that honors South Sudan’s hard-won independence, blending celebration with a call to responsibility. Celebrate reminds us that freedom is a gift and a task, a reason to dance, but also to build, protect, and dream. This anthem is a timeless reminder of the dawn of a nation and the unbreakable spirit that keeps it shining.