Raï, which literally means opinion, began to take shape in the 1930s when traditional Arab poetry, long used to pay homage to religious figures, began to recited musically in the less fortunate neighborhoods of Oran. Music was influenced from a history of intermingling between Spaniards, Jews, French, Africans, and Arabs. Prior to its independence, Algeria was populated and occupied by people from diverse backgrounds.

Raï was conceived from a collection of different genres that were popular in the towns and villages surrounding Oran. To explore this hypothesis, we return to the ground zero of Raï - Oran (Wahran), Algeria. It is the melody of the musical subaltern a compendium of artists whose sound differs in every which way except for the fact that they are not from the West (this genre is also marketed as world music). It is the soundtrack of artists who fought social stereotypes and religious conservatism to express love, desires, and an alternative world for youth.

Khaled Abdel Kader’s 2012 hit single, ‘C’est La Vie’, was streamed 95 million times on YouTube.įor many musicologists and historians, Raï is rebel music. While few know its origins, during the wedding season, millions of Arabs are heard belting verbatim Khaled’s Abdelkader or Rachid Taha’s remake of ‘Ya Rayah’.

Abu Dhabi: When the world thinks of Algeria, a few things come to mind: a long and violent war for independence, the vast oil and gas reserves of the Sahara, football superstars of Algerian origin, and, maybe most popularly, the trumpeting sounds of Raï music.

Youtube cheb khaled c la vie