Don’t you love it when some musical genre threatens to go mainstream? It’s particularly entertaining when an international musical style is poised to become the next big thing. It happens — look at reggae — but not often. So, along those lines, remember when raï threatened to break out?
At the turn of the last century, the port of Oran in Algeria (at the time, a colony of France) was a bustling locale, along the lines of New Orleans. Just like that American port city, Oran had its share of sailors, prostitutes and artists and it similarly fostered a new musical revolution. Taking elements from Morocco, Spain and France, musicians blended Berber, Bedouin and Spanish elements.
The resulting music ticked off the authorities over the years, whether conservative clerics or the colonial overlords, and the lyrics often had political overtones. In the Sixties, raï become westernized, with the addition of such elements as flamenco, blues, rock, jazz, and funk.
In 1967 the Algerian government banned raï. This sent the music underground for the next two decades, where it gained illicit popularity. The ban was lifted in 1985. In 1986, the first state-sanctioned raï festival was held in Algeria and raï took its place on the world music scene.
I first heard of raï back in the late Eighties, particularly Cheb Khaled, Le Roi du Raï (The King of Raï). Khaled had actually been forced out of Algeria by 1986, due to violence in the country, and moved to Paris. The song “Chebba” is taken from his 1989 album Kutche.
But raï never made it in the U.S. Then, in 2000, Sting had a big hit with the song “Desert Rose,” off the Brand New Day album, which featured Cheb Mami, known as “The Prince of Raï”. [Quick digression: Singers of traditional Chaabi music are called cheikh, which means "old." In contrast, raï singers are referred to as cheb, which literally means "young," but is more like "kid," much as we have Kid Ory, Kid Rock or Kid 'N Play.] But still, raï still didn’t make it in the U.S.
As raï continues to develop, one can now look to guys like Rachid Taha. Taha was born in Algeria, but moved to France at the age of ten. In the Eighties, he fronted a punk trio called Carte de Séjour (residence permit). Their first hit was an Arabic-toned cover of Charles Trenet’s classic song “Douce France” (“Sweet France”). Trenet, the French singer/songwriter best known for “La Mer”, represented the establishment and the song was a loving tribute to France written during WWII. The effect was much like Sid Vicious’ cover of Sinatra’s “My Way.”
Taha has also worked as a DJ, and his solo work combines the Arabic, punk and techno influences. It’s a little unfair to refer to Taha as a raï performer, and he would certainly object to that label, but raï is part of the mix. Here’s a song from his 2001 album Made in Medina.
- The word “raï” means “opinion,” but is used more along the lines of “Oh, yeah!” Hmm… You think Lil’ Jon could get in on this?
- Read some articles on Cheb Mami from 2000 and 2001.
- I took a little bit of a shot at Sting and his Brand New Day album back at the time.
- For an easy reference to the end of the French colonial period, check The Battle of Algiers, filmed in 1965 and released in late 1967.
- And Charles Boyer as Pepe le Moko never says “Come with me to the casbah” in the movie Algiers (1938).
Cheb Khaled – Chebba — BUY
Rachid Taha – Barra Barra — BUY
UPDATE: Over at Poplicks, Junichi was written a post about Arab musicians covering Western pop songs. He includes an MP3 of Rachid Taha’s “Rock the Kasbah,” a cover of the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah,” sung in Arabic and French.
3 Responses
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Cheb Mami Says:
cheb mami
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page… and have to say thanks. nice read.
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Cheb Khaled Says:
algeria and morocco
Interesting post. I came across this blog by accident, but it was a good accident. I have now bookmarked your blog for future use. Best wishes. Cheb Khaled Website Team.
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Yep Says:
Nice read… Rock the casbah.