His music first gained attention through a trading network of mobile phones and memory cards in West Africa.

[6] His first album, Anar, was recorded in Sokoto, Nigeria, in 2008 and prominently featured autotuned vocals and influences from Hausa music.

[3][8][9] The album was not officially released at the time but the songs became popular across the Sahel when they went viral through mobile phone music trading networks.

[11] Some of the songs reached a global audience when Sahel Sounds released them on the Music from Saharan Cellphones: Volume 1 compilation.

Anar was released on vinyl in 2014 with a high price, due to "predatory business practices" from Sixt on Moctar's first European tour.

[21] The album received positive reviews from international publications including Rolling Stone,[22] Paste,[23] Pitchfork,[24] and The Guardian.

[26] He also had the starring role in the 2015 film Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai (Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red In It).

[31] Ever since his debut, Moctar's music is based on rock, more specifically the Tuareg-produced Tishoumaren, a variation of Desert blues.

[17] Moctar's album Ilana: The Creator contained fierce guitar solos, while Afrique Victime, though significantly similar, was more politically charged.

[38] During the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état, Moctar and his band were unable to return to Niger and launched a GoFundMe campaign on August 3, 2023 for funding to remain in the United States indefinitely.