Mohamed Khelifati (; born 11 July 1966), better known by his stage name Cheb Mami (), is an Algerians raï musician and singer-songwriter. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometimes in Mashriqi Arabic or in French. Internationally, he is known for contributing vocals to the 1999 Sting single "Desert Rose".
Early life
Cheb Mami was born in Graba-el-Wed, a populous quarter of Saïda, a city located 170 km south of
Oran, on the high mesas of northwestern Algeria.
Career
Early years and music styles adopted
Cheb Mami (
cheb is an honorific for
raï musicians) came to prominence in 1982, when, aged 16, he finished as runner-up in the televised Algerian talent show
Alhane wa chabab (melodies and youth).
He followed this by launching a career as a
raï singer, performing at weddings and releasing cassettes after he drew the attention of music producers.
In 1985, he moved to
Paris, France, where he performed at
raï festivals and met Michel Levy, who became his manager.
In 1987, he received his call-up for military service in Algeria just as he had potential concerts lined up, including a trip to Japan. He chose to serve rather than stay abroad and be unable to see his family. During his two years of service, he worked as an entertainer on army bases.
In May 1989, he returned to Paris and subsequently toured the United States, Germany, England, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain.
Cheb Mami's music is a blend of Mediterranean and Western influences, including flamenco, Greek and Turkish music, as well as Latin music, and his voice is tinged with accents.
International recognition
When Sting's 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 Show,
Jay Leno,
David Letterman, the
Grammy Awards telecast, and even a live performance at the
Super Bowl.
[Rosenberg, Dan. (2001). "Cheb Mami". Afropop Worldwide. Accessed 19 March 2008 from ]
Controversy
Arrest, imprisonment, and release
Cheb Mami was under an international arrest warrant after being indicted in October 2006 for "voluntary violence, sequestration, and threats" against an ex-wife, and failing to answer a court summons on 14 May 2007. He was accused of attempting to
Forced abortion, magazine photographer Isabelle Simon.
[ Afrik with El Watany: L'avocat de Michel Lévy répond à Cheb Mami (in French)] During a trip to Algeria in the summer of 2005, Simon was locked in a house belonging to one of Cheb Mami's friends, where an abortive procedure was attempted on her. Afterwards in France, she realized the fetus was still alive, and she later gave birth to a daughter. Cheb Mami had accused his manager Michel Levy of organizing the abortion plan; Levy was later sentenced to four years for plotting and organizing the assault.
[, Peoplestar.tv, Retrieved 16 October 2008.] Cheb Mami was arrested in France several days before his trial and taken into custody by officials at a Paris airport as he arrived in the country from Algeria on 22 June 2009.
In July 2009, 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.[ Le Parisien: Cheb Mami, la star du raï, reste en prison (in French)] Upon a second appeal however, the French court agreed for his conditional release on 23 March 2011.[ Le Figaro: Cheb Mami est en liberté conditionnelle (in French)]
Plagiarism
In July 2015, Cheb Mami and his production company EMI were ordered to pay a 200,000-euro fine to Algerian songwriter Rabah Zerradine, who performs under the name Cheb Rabah, for plagiarizing at least in part lyrics from several of his songs. The court ruled that Zerradine should be recognized as the sole author of four songs ("Le raï c'est chic", "Ma vie deux fois", "Mandanite", "Gualbi Gualbi") and as the original co-author of "Desert Rose", which achieved worldwide success in the early 2000s.
Selected discography
-
Manetzouatchi (1985)
-
Douni l'bladi (1986)
-
Ouach Etsalini (1986)
-
Le Prince du Raï (1989)
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Let Me Raï (1990)
-
Lazrag Saâni (1991)
-
Nahmek toujours ya taleb (1996)
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Meli Meli (1998)
-
Dimari with Cheba Zahouania (2000)
-
Dellali (2001)
-
Du Sud au Nord (2003)
-
Live au Grand Rex (2004)
-
Layali (2006)
