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In Morocco, Royalist Authorities Silence Critical Rap Lyrics

By
Rona Lorimer

Moroccan rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi, aka Mehdi Black Wind, was arrested this month on charges of defaming the king. The trumped-up charges reflect the monarchy’s trouble coping with the youth revolt expressed in last year’s GenZ 212 movement.

Protesters hold placards in support of Moroccan rapper El Mehdi Lyoubi, known professionally as Mehdi Black Wind, in front of the Ain Sebaa Court of First Instance where Lyoubi was appearing for a court hearing, in Casablanca on July 22, 2026.

Moroccan royalist authorities have long repressed dissent. The recent jailing of rapper Mehdi Black Wind points to a state crackdown on music that expresses youth grievances about deprivation and the spirit of last year’s GenZ 212 protests. (Abdel Majid Bziouat / AFP via Getty Images)

El Mahdi Lyoubi, aka Mehdi Black Wind, the Moroccan filmmaker and rapper, is currently being held in pretrial detention in Casablanca’s Oukacha prison, charged with defaming the king. His arrest has provoked international outrage, with multiple open letters signed by artists, filmmakers, and rappers, a viral social media campaign, and demonstrations in twelve cities calling for his immediate release.

Mehdi, a star of the Moroccan underground, is thought to be being singled out for the content of his music and for his support for last year’s GenZ 212 movement, the youth-led anti-government protests that erupted in Morocco in late September 2025. His arrest is part of a new wave of repression in the North African country.

Arrest

The filmmaker and rapper, who has lived in France since 2017, had flown to Morocco in late June to see his family and scout locations for his new documentary. But when he tried to head back via Rabat-Salé Airport on July 10, police told him that he was officially forbidden from leaving Morocco.

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