In 1999, the British star Sting released a song that opened with a voice few of his fans had heard before. It soared and curled over a Middle Eastern melody, singing in Arabic. The voice belonged to Cheb Mami, an Algerian singer known as the Prince of Rai. The song, Desert Rose, became a worldwide hit, and it introduced millions of listeners to rai, the popular music of western Algeria. For Mami, it was the high point of a career that began in the clubs and weddings of Oran.
Rai and early fame
Rai developed in and around Oran, in western Algeria. It mixed Bedouin folk singing with modern instruments and often spoke frankly about love, drinking and freedom. Many young rai singers took the title cheb, meaning “young.” Cheb Khaled and Cheb Hasni were among the best known. Cheb Mami was born Mohamed Khelifati in 1966 near Saida, in western Algeria.
As a teenager, he gained attention in a radio talent show and began performing widely. Like many rai artists, he moved to France, where a large Algerian community provided an audience.
Desert Rose and danger at home
He was admired for a high, ornamented voice with a wide range. Desert Rose appeared on Sting’s 1999 album Brand New Day. Mami sang in Arabic alongside Sting’s English verses. The two performed the song together on television and at major events, including the Grammy Awards. The success of Desert Rose followed Khaled’s international hit Didi earlier in the 1990s, helping to place rai on the global stage.
During Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s, rai singers faced threats. Cheb Hasni was killed in 1994.
Legal troubles and legacy
In 2009 a French court convicted Mami over an attack on a former girlfriend, and he was sentenced to prison. The case damaged his reputation. After his release, he returned to performing and recording. Desert Rose remains one of the most famous meetings of Western pop and North African music. Early rai used the gasba reed flute and the derbouka drum. Later producers added synthesisers, drum machines and electric guitar, giving the music its modern club sound.
Many people who know Desert Rose by heart have never heard of Cheb Mami. The song they love opens with his voice, singing in Arabic.
