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Cheb Hasni

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Cheb Hasni, whose real name was Hasni Chakroun, was an Algerian raï singer, born on 1 February 1968 in Oran into a working-class family. His father was a welder and his mother a housewife; he was one of seven children. He played football for the local club ASMO, but after an injury at fifteen he could not continue his sporting career. He had been interested in singing from an early age. His first real performance was at a wedding, where the Naoui brothers were playing and invited him to a well-known cabaret, La Guinguette.

Music and breakthrough

He then recorded with the raï singer Chaba Zahouania. In 1987 they released Beraka, a song provocative by Algerian standards, with lyrics about drunken sex. It made Hasni famous and at the same time controversial among critics and fundamentalists. He married in 1987 and had a son in 1989. His wife Melouka inspired many of his greatest hits, such as Tal Ghyabek ya ghzali and El Bayda mon amour. Baïda Mon Amour is among them. Albums from his time are El Baraka from 1986 and Dak El Mahroum from 1992.

Influence

Hasni was called the King of Sentimental Music, and le rossignol du raï, the nightingale of raï. His peak came in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he was popular throughout the Maghreb. He died on 29 September 1994, at the age of 26, and remains one of the most celebrated Algerian artists of the late twentieth century.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Baïda Mon Amour. Notice the soft, plaintive singing and how the accompaniment with synthesizer and rhythm forms a whole that is danceable yet sad.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsRaï