Cheb Mami
The traditional music of Algeria is combined with Spanish, Moroccan, French, and Arabic influences to create the dance-inspiring sounds of "the Prince of Rai," Cheb Mami (born Khelifati Mohamed). Cheb Mami's music was described in a press release from the ARK 21 record label, as "Arabic rock & roll retaining virtues of traditional music but infused with urban urgency." Reviewing his 1999 album, Meli Meli, CMJ New Music Report wrote, "As perhaps rai's most popular vocalist, Cheb Mami is one of the leaders of the pack, turning the genre into a futuristic dance/funk hybrid with the power to pack the dancefloors of North Africa, Paris, and New York."
A native of Saida, a small village in southwest Algeria, Cheb Mami has been attracting attention with his soulful singing since his early teens. In 1971, he placed second in a talent contest organized by Ihan Wa Chabab.
Despite recording several successful cassettes in the 1980s, he made little money from their sale. Frustrated by the music industry in his homeland, he soon began to consider alternatives. Although he served a stint in the Algerian military, he relocated to Paris, France, following his discharge in 1975. With the release of his first internationally-distributed album, The Prince of Rai, in 1989, Cheb Mami reached the upper echelon of rai music. Cheb Mami has continued to take the rai tradition to new heights. Meli Meli featured a song, "Parisian du Nord," performed with rap singer K-Mel of Alliance Ethnique and a remix of the title track, which featured help from Gordon Cyrus (Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack) and Soul II Soul's Simon Law.
The new millennium was a much more pivotal time for Mami, for his collaboration with Sting on his mainstream hit, "Desert Rose," marked the first duet with a Western singer and an Eastern artist. Mami's rai background was full-fledged at last, allowing him to release Dellali (2001) without much music-industry political restraint.
© Craig Harris /TiVo
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Nahkmek toujours ya taleb
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP on 12 aug. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Prince of Raï
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP on 13 apr. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Aala Zarga
Cheb Mami, Cheb Tahar, Zahouania
Divers - Released by Disco Maghreb on 5 apr. 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Of Cheb Mami
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 28 aug. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Manetzouatchi
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP - History on 29 jan. 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live au Bataclan (Live)
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP on 12 feb. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Good Times with Cheb Mami
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 10 jun. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Greatest Hits Cheb Mami
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 18 mrt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of Cheb Mami, Vol. 2
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 2 okt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cheb Mami - Le prince du raï
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 9 sep. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Pur Plaisir Avec Mami
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 13 feb. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les Rois du Raï
Cheb Hasni, Cheb Mami, Cheb Bilal
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP on 22 jul. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Le meilleur
Noord-Afrika - Released by MLP - History on 25 sep. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Cheb Mami Let Me Raï
Wereldmuziek - Released by Maghreb HITS on 13 feb. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo