Cheb Mami

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Biography

Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed () better known by his stage name Cheb Mami (), (born in Saïda, Algeria|Saïda , Algeria on 1 January 1966) is an Algeria n-born raï singer. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic , French language|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.

Beginnings

was born in Graba-el-wed ( Arabic alphabet|Arabic : ???? ?????), a populous quarter of Saïda ( Arabic alphabet|Arabic : ?????), 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 Oran#Culture|Oran ese 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 (singer)|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 blues , funk , salsa music|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.

international recognition

When Sting's album Brand New Day (Sting 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 Live , the Today (NBC program)|Today Show , The Tonight Show|Jay Leno , Late Show with David Letterman|David Letterman , the Grammy Awards telecast and even a live performance at the Super Bowl ".Rosenberg, Dan. (2001). "Cheb Mami." Afropop Worldwide. Accessed on 19 March 2008 from http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/1032/Dellali

Soon after his collaboration with Sting, Mami's released perhaps his most successful recording, the album Dellali , produced by former Chic (band)|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.Rosenberg, Dan. (2001). "Cheb Mami." Afropop Worldwide. Accessed on 19 March 2008 from http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/1032/Dellali.

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.Gross, Joan, David McMurray, and Ted Swedenburg. "Arab Noise and Ramadan Nights: Rai, Rap, and Franco-Maghrebi Identities." Diaspora 3:1 (1994): 3- 39. 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. (in French) 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., Peoplestar.tv , Retrieved on 2008-10-16.

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 12 October 2010. (in French) Upon a second appeal however, the French court agreed for his conditional release on 23 March 2011. (in French)

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 Marley Desert Rose feat. Sting Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman Enfant d'esfrinque feat. Corneille (singer)|Corneille Clando feat. 113 Youm Wara Youm feat. Samira Said Fugitif feat. Tonton David The Best Times of Our Lives feat. Aswad (band)|Aswad Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias Azwaw 2 feat. Idir

Live au Grand Rex (2004)

*Tracks: Azwaw Parisien du Nord Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman Mamzareli Mazal Souvenir Aandi Desert Rose Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias Bledi - Mon pays Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero Alache Alik Meli Meli Des 2 Côtés feat. Mous et Hakim Haoulou Zarartou

Layali (2006)

*Tracks: Halili feat. Zaho 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

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