| Achraf Wassim |
Born Ahmad Khelifaty Muhammad – Saïda – Algeria 1966, Cheb Mami is an Algerian Raï singer-songwriter. He was forced to work at a young age because of his family’s financial conditions. 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 “Alhaan wa Shabaab” radio show, a singing competition organised by Radio Télevision Algérienne. He sang “Al-marsam i.e. 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 that captured perfectly the flavor 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, Om Kolthoum, but were forced to acknowledge the standing ovation Mami received by awarding him second prize.
Cheb Mami made his first official public appearance at the First Oran Raï Festival in 1985, along with Cheb Khaaled, which marked the official recognition of the genre by the Algerian authorities.
Mami’s debut album was “Douny el blaady”, followed by “Khalouny nbky wahdy i.e. Leave me crying alone (1990)”.
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 “Yowm wara yowm the title track of which is a duet with Sameera Sa’eed. His albums became a trademark “Prince of Raï”.
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