Cheb Mami
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed better known by his stage name
Cheb Mami , (born in Saïda
, Algeria
on 1 January 1966) is an Algeria
n-born raï
singer. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic
, French
and sometimes, as on Layali, in Egyptian Arabic
.
As of July 2010, Mami was imprisoned in France, where he was found guilty of drugging and forcing a former romantic partner to undergo a failed abortion. A Parisian court found him guilty at trial and sentenced him to five years in prison. He was released in March 2011 on parole.
: غربة الواد), a populous quarter of Saïda (Arabic
: سعيدة), Algeria. Located 170 kilometres south of Oran
, the city of Saida is on the high mesas of southwestern Algeria. Cheb Mami grew up to a family of factory workers. He began singing and playing the accordion on Saida streets and by 1980 began performing at local weddings and ceremonies.
In 1982, the 16-year-old adolescent sang on the Alhan wa Chabab radio show, a singing competition organised by Radio Télevision Algérienne. He sang "El Marsam" (The Sanctuary) a classic of Oranese music from the 1920s. The audience was transfixed by the sheer emotion of his performance and by his concordant vocal intonations which captured perfectly the flavour of the song's title. The judges, who represented the government which refused to admit even the existence of raï, gave the first prize to the contestant that sang a cover version of a hit by the famous Egyptian diva
, Umm Kulthum, but were forced to acknowledge the standing ovation Mami received by awarding him second prize.
Cheb Mami was spotted by Boualem, the producer of the Oran label, Disco Maghreb, and the cassette waltz began.
, funk
, salsa
, reggae
, hip hop
and Algerian rhythms, while integrating touches of his idols Stevie Wonder
, Otis Redding
and French rapper MC Solaar
.
Cheb Mami made his first official public appearance at the First Oran Raï Festival in 1985, which marked the official recognition of the genre by the Algerian authorities.
He was in military service for two years in Algeria but was an entertainer on army bases. After that, in May 1989, Mami returned to Paris at the Olympia, rejuvenating raï music. He began making recordings and performing in cabarets in the Paris suburb of Barbès. He also toured the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Scandinavia and England.
Mami's music is a blend of Mediterranean and Western influences including Turkish, Flamenco
and Greek music as well as Latin music. His voice is tinged with Andalusia
n accents, and his music is an amalgamation of the traditional and the modern styles of singing and creation of music.
In 1999, Mami topped the French pop charts with a groundbreaking duet with French rapper K-Mel, "Parisien du Nord". The song was an anthem against racism
that seamlessly made the transition between hip hop and raï, and introduced throngs of young new audiences to raï. This song explores the racist issues between Arabs and French and the challenges of identity.
As well as recording many straight raï songs, Cheb Mami has achieved crossover success with the hip-hop
remix of his track "Parisien du Nord" on his album Meli Meli and also with the backing vocals on Sting's hit "Desert Rose" and Youm Wara Youm the title track of which is a duet with Samira Said
.
, the Today Show, Jay Leno
, David Letterman
, the Grammy Awards telecast and even a live performance at the Super Bowl
".
Soon after his collaboration with Sting, Mami's released perhaps his most successful recording, the album Dellali, produced by former Chic
guitarist Nile Rodgers
. The album's lead single was "Le Raï C'est Chic", on which Sting returned the favor by providing backing vocals.
These successes fulfilled Mami's long-held dream of internationalising raï sounds, and has led him to be called the "Prince of Raï". Although Mami has been able to be recognized by mainstream media in the United States, Americans often equate his raï
music genre with rock in the US during the 1950s and 1960s. Americans believe raï to be "North African punk," a genre of music for the purpose of rebelling against the government and resembling the music of ‘young rockers’ in the US, when in reality this music plays a very different role in the life of the North African diasporic community in France. Although raï does include narratives of the various struggles of this community against "the Algerian state or against the forces of ‘tradition’", it is also the "music of the racialized Other" which chronicles struggles with racism and identity of North African people in France.
Mami was arrested in France several days before his trial; he was taken into custody by officials at a Paris airport as he arrived into the country from Algeria on June 29, 2009. The following July, a Paris court found him guilty of drugging and attempted forcible abortion, and sentenced him to five years in prison.
On 21 September 2010, his lawyers applied for conditional release, a request that was turned down on on 12 October 2010. Upon a second appeal however, the French court agreed for his conditional release on 23 March 2011.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Cheb Mami , (born in Saïda
Saida, Algeria
-Location:Saïda is located in northwestern Algeria, on the southern slopes of the Tell Atlas mountain range situated on the northern fringe of the High Plateaus...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
on 1 January 1966) is an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n-born raï
Raï
Raï is a form of folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s....
singer. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic
Algerian Arabic
Algerian Arabic is the variety or varieties of Arabic spoken in Algeria. In Algeria, as elsewhere, spoken Arabic differs from written Arabic; Algerian Arabic has a vocabulary mostly Arabic, with significant Berber substrates, and many new words and loanwords borrowed from French, Turkish and...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and sometimes, as on Layali, in Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
.
As of July 2010, Mami was imprisoned in France, where he was found guilty of drugging and forcing a former romantic partner to undergo a failed abortion. A Parisian court found him guilty at trial and sentenced him to five years in prison. He was released in March 2011 on parole.
Beginnings
Cheb Mami was born in Graba-el-wed (ArabicArabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: غربة الواد), a populous quarter of Saïda (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: سعيدة), Algeria. Located 170 kilometres south of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, the city of Saida is on the high mesas of southwestern Algeria. Cheb Mami grew up to a family of factory workers. He began singing and playing the accordion on Saida streets and by 1980 began performing at local weddings and ceremonies.
In 1982, the 16-year-old adolescent sang on the Alhan wa Chabab radio show, a singing competition organised by Radio Télevision Algérienne. He sang "El Marsam" (The Sanctuary) a classic of Oranese music from the 1920s. The audience was transfixed by the sheer emotion of his performance and by his concordant vocal intonations which captured perfectly the flavour of the song's title. The judges, who represented the government which refused to admit even the existence of raï, gave the first prize to the contestant that sang a cover version of a hit by the famous Egyptian diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, Umm Kulthum, but were forced to acknowledge the standing ovation Mami received by awarding him second prize.
Cheb Mami was spotted by Boualem, the producer of the Oran label, Disco Maghreb, and the cassette waltz began.
Career
It was in 1985 that Mami came to Paris and found his musical niche. Raï fused bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and Algerian rhythms, while integrating touches of his idols Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
and French rapper MC Solaar
MC Solaar
MC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....
.
Cheb Mami made his first official public appearance at the First Oran Raï Festival in 1985, which marked the official recognition of the genre by the Algerian authorities.
He was in military service for two years in Algeria but was an entertainer on army bases. After that, in May 1989, Mami returned to Paris at the Olympia, rejuvenating raï music. He began making recordings and performing in cabarets in the Paris suburb of Barbès. He also toured the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Scandinavia and England.
Mami's music is a blend of Mediterranean and Western influences including Turkish, Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
and Greek music as well as Latin music. His voice is tinged with Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n accents, and his music is an amalgamation of the traditional and the modern styles of singing and creation of music.
In 1999, Mami topped the French pop charts with a groundbreaking duet with French rapper K-Mel, "Parisien du Nord". The song was an anthem against racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
that seamlessly made the transition between hip hop and raï, and introduced throngs of young new audiences to raï. This song explores the racist issues between Arabs and French and the challenges of identity.
As well as recording many straight raï songs, Cheb Mami has achieved crossover success with the hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
remix of his track "Parisien du Nord" on his album Meli Meli and also with the backing vocals on Sting's hit "Desert Rose" and Youm Wara Youm the title track of which is a duet with Samira Said
Samira Said
Samira Said is an Egyptian-Moroccan singer.-Early career:Samira Said was born and raised in Rabat. She began singing at the age of 9 and she was discovered on a music program on Royal Moroccan TV, "Mawaheb," alongside another popular singer, Aziza Jalal, when she was 17. She was quickly...
.
Sting and international recognition
When Sting's album Brand New Day was released in 1999, the pair's duet, "Desert Rose", appeared on singles charts around the world, and led to television appearances on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, the Today Show, Jay Leno
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, the Grammy Awards telecast and even a live performance at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
".
Soon after his collaboration with Sting, Mami's released perhaps his most successful recording, the album Dellali, produced by former Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
guitarist Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
. The album's lead single was "Le Raï C'est Chic", on which Sting returned the favor by providing backing vocals.
These successes fulfilled Mami's long-held dream of internationalising raï sounds, and has led him to be called the "Prince of Raï". Although Mami has been able to be recognized by mainstream media in the United States, Americans often equate his raï
Raï
Raï is a form of folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s....
music genre with rock in the US during the 1950s and 1960s. Americans believe raï to be "North African punk," a genre of music for the purpose of rebelling against the government and resembling the music of ‘young rockers’ in the US, when in reality this music plays a very different role in the life of the North African diasporic community in France. Although raï does include narratives of the various struggles of this community against "the Algerian state or against the forces of ‘tradition’", it is also the "music of the racialized Other" which chronicles struggles with racism and identity of North African people in France.
Arrest, imprisonment and release
Mami was under an international arrest warrant after being indicted in October 2006 for "voluntary violence, sequestration and threats" against an ex-girlfriend, and failing to answer a court summons on May 14, 2007. He was accused of having tried to force Isabelle Simon, his former girlfriend and a magazine photographer, to have an abortion. During a trip to Algeria in the summer of 2005, the victim Isabelle Simon was locked in a house belonging to one of Mami's friends, where an abortive procedure was attempted on her. Back in France, however, she realized the fetus was still alive. Mami had accused his manager Michel Lecorre (a.k.a. Michel Levy) of organizing the abortion plan; Michel Levy was later sentenced to four years for plotting and organizing the assault.Mami was arrested in France several days before his trial; he was taken into custody by officials at a Paris airport as he arrived into the country from Algeria on June 29, 2009. The following July, a Paris court found him guilty of drugging and attempted forcible abortion, and sentenced him to five years in prison.
On 21 September 2010, his lawyers applied for conditional release, a request that was turned down on on 12 October 2010. Upon a second appeal however, the French court agreed for his conditional release on 23 March 2011.
Selected discography
- Prince of Raï (1989)
- Tracks: Ana Mazel Dertfik Confiance Douni El Bladi Lella Rani Ensaaf El Mektoub Ralia Mahboubit Galbi Tayo Tayo Adiani
- Let Me Raï (1991)
- Tracks: Yo Yo Haoulou Let Me Cry Douha Alia Fatma Rah Eddani Khalihoum Maandi Manimane Alache Alache
- Saida (1994)
- Tracks: H'babi Ma Ma Gaulbak K'ssah Hay Wadi Hay Galbi Bent Bareh Baida Ghi N'Ti Li Fet ghi Mnem Zouaji Alache Alache Trab
- Douni El Bladi (1996)
- Tracks: Douni el Bladi Dertfik Confiance Ralia Mahboubit Galbi Ana Mazel Lella Rai Saaf El Mektoub Tayo Tayo Adiani Ouach Etsalini Idha Enti Bitik Chedi Bentek Maniche Aadouk Ghebnouha Sehrane Ouahdi Alauni (Instrumental)
- Meli Meli (1999)
- Tracks: Meli Meli Alache Alik Bledi Rani Maak El Youm Fatma Hada Ch'h Hatachi Bekatni Cheikh Azwaw Parisien du Nord Marseillais du Nord Au Pays des Merveillus Azwaw Alternative
- Dellali (2001)
- Tracks: Raï C'est Chic Viens Habibi Madanite Rim Lachoua Yahamami Ana Oualache Ma Vie 2 fois Tzazae Zarartou Manazureh Machi Chaba Hoaulou Khalouni
- Lazrag Saani (2002)
- Tracks: Lazrag Saani Zazarkhatri Rouhi Douri Yalala Mani Sabar Madiriche Aliya Hay Delali Delali Mantzaoutchi Raikoum Rai Ma Salou Maana Derti Jauline Ana Khatini Hoaulou Sair Fer
- Du Sud au Nord (2003)
- Tracks: Des 2 Côtés feat. Mouss et Hakim / Parisien du Nord feat. K.mel / Madanite feat. Ziggy MarleyZiggy MarleyDavid "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
Desert Rose feat. Sting Cosi Celeste feat. ZuccheroZuccheroAdelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
Nagumo feat. Susheela RamanSusheela RamanSusheela Raman is an acclaimed British Tamil musician. Raman has released five albums since 2001. Her debut album Salt Rain was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2001.-Early years:...
Enfant d'esfrinque feat. CorneilleCorneille (singer)Cornelius Nyungura is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English...
Clando feat. 113 Youm Wara Youm feat. Samira SaidSamira SaidSamira Said is an Egyptian-Moroccan singer.-Early career:Samira Said was born and raised in Rabat. She began singing at the age of 9 and she was discovered on a music program on Royal Moroccan TV, "Mawaheb," alongside another popular singer, Aziza Jalal, when she was 17. She was quickly...
Fugitif feat. Tonton DavidTonton DavidTonton David is a French Reggae singer born in Réunion with a turbulent childhood in a suburb of Paris. He left his family at 14, and managed to make a career in music with powerful and political lyrics.-References:...
The Best Times of Our Lives feat. Aswad Koum Tara feat. Enrico MaciasEnrico MaciasGaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
Azwaw 2 feat. IdirIdirHamid Cheriet better known by his stage name Idir is an Algerian musician of Berber origin.- Biography :...
- Tracks: Des 2 Côtés feat. Mouss et Hakim / Parisien du Nord feat. K.mel / Madanite feat. Ziggy Marley
- Live au Grand Rex (2004)
- Tracks: Azwaw Parisien du Nord Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman Mamzareli Mazal Souvenir Aandi Desert Rose Koum Tara feat. Enrico MaciasEnrico MaciasGaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
Bledi - Mon pays Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero Alache Alik Meli Meli Des 2 Côtés feat. Mous et Hakim Haoulou Zarartou
- Tracks: Azwaw Parisien du Nord Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman Mamzareli Mazal Souvenir Aandi Desert Rose Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias
- Layali (2006)
- Tracks: Halili feat. ZahoZahoZehira known by her artistic name Zaho is an Algerian R&B singer living in Montréal, Canada.-Biography:...
Gualbi Gualbi Inshallah Tigi Tigi Gaiye bil Salama Ahla Layali Omrina Ajlissou Nos Couleurs feat. K.Maro Mama Dabia Ellie Beina Intaha Amshi Btraring Non c'sera non (Omri Omri) feat. Sween
- Tracks: Halili feat. Zaho
External links
- Official website of Cheb Mami (French/English/Arabic)
- Cheb Mami's lyrics English translation on Shawshara.com
- [www.zikooo.com/search/mp3/1/cheb-mami.html Télécharger Cheb Mami Mp3]