Cheb Hasni

Cheb Hasni (Arabic: الشاب حسني‎), born Hasni Chakroun (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. He was popular across North Africa, having reached the height of his career in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was the son of a welder and grew up in a working-class family where he was one of seven children. Hasni is most well known for his love songs, but he also dealt with taboo subjects such as divorce and alcohol. He was murdered in 1994. Hasni's controversial lyrical content (particularly those on the 1987 hit song "El Berraka", which contained lyrics about drunken sexual intercourse) had drawn the ire of fanatic fundamentalists in Algeria and it is believed he was murdered as a result.[2]

Cheb Hasni
حسني شقرون
Background information
Birth nameHasni Chakroun
Born(1968-02-01)1 February 1968
Oran, Algeria
Died29 September 1994(1994-09-29) (aged 26)
Oran, Algeria
GenresRaï[1]
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1986–1994
Associated actsRachid Baba Ahmed

Early career

Born in Oran, Algeria, Cheb Hasni was interested in performing from an early age. In an interview published in the French newspaper Libération in 1992, Hasni recounted how "everyone knew me in our neighbourhood when I was a kid. I was always walking up the road with my school bag thrown off my shoulder, singing my head off".[3]

Hasni's first significant performance as a singer occurred when he attended a local wedding party, where the group led by the famous Naoui brothers was playing. Impressed by his voice, they invited him to perform on stage at a well-known cabaret, La Guinguette. The second major launching point in Hasni's career came shortly afterwards when a producer asked him to record with Raï performer Chaba Zahouania.

During the summer of 1987 the pair recorded a provocative song by Algerian standards, "Beraka" ("The Shack"), gaining them much attention. The subjects of his songs were controversial and made the song popular with Algerian youth, who contributed to the song's estimated sales of one million copies. The success of "Beraka" made Hasni famous, and a controversial subject with both critics and fanatic fundamentalists already concerned over the popularity of the Raï genre. Another major hit was "El Visa" a song about migration, which sold approximately 250,000 cassettes.

Fame

Like many other Raï artists based in Algeria, Cheb Hasni spent more time performing abroad (giving concerts everywhere from Paris, Marseilles, and Boston to Washington DC, Tunis, Casablanca, and Tokyo, to name a few cities) than at home, due to curfews and musical restrictions in Algeria at the time. Hasni's last concert in his native country was on 5 July 1993, when he performed to an audience of over 150,000 fans in Algiers at an event organised to celebrate Algerian independence.

Hasni became one of the most prolific artists on the Raï scene, recording around 100 cassettes during his career. His distinctive "Raï love" style soon inspired imitators, notably Cheb Nasro, who launched his career in 1988 with the hit "Pour te faire plaisir".


Albums and singles
  • 1986 : Barraka (feat Zehwania)
  • 1987 : Ila Ajbek Ezzine
  • 1987 : Issèlou aalik è oomri
  • 1987 : S'hab elbaroud
  • 1987 : Hè bouya, llila mè tefrèchi
  • 1988 : Nbellaa bèbi
  • 1988 : Ma dannitch netfèrkou
  • 1988 : Ssadda nass ellil
  • 1988 : Aadyèni bezzèf (Feat Noria)
  • 1988 : C'est fini aalik yè mehhenti
  • 1988 : Moul el cabaret (Feat Abd Elhakk)
  • 1988 : Netrajja f elhèbib
  • 1989 : Sid elkadi
  • 1989 : Bayda mon amour v1
  • 1989 : Moulèt essag ddrif
  • 1989 : Enroh maak laaziza
  • 1989 : Chchira lli nebriha dima ybènli khyèl'ha
  • 1990 : Adieu l'amour
  • 1990 : "Tèlbouni hetta f echchira"
  • 1990 : Saadek tzouwwejti
  • 1990 : Aalèch rani maadeb
  • 1990 : Chkoune irabbili weldi
  • 1990 : Èna barkèni, ènas kilouni
  • 1990 :Love me say
  • 1990 : Rah Ben Bella l essaddam (Single)
  • 1991 : J'ai mal au cœur
  • 1991 : Lmossiba kharja m e lycée
  • 1991 : Chlèrmek deggouni (Feat Zohra)
  • 1991 : Elli zahreh mè yendamchi (Single)
  • 1991 : Tout l' monde est là
  • 1991 : Wellah mè kount dèyrek passager
  • 1991 : Mon Premier Amour
  • 1991 : Dis moi ha zzarga
  • 1991 : Ssaraha raha
  • 1991 : Hdartou fiya ou goultou mèt (3 titres de hasni et 3 titres de nasro)
  • 1991 : Elli dlamni wellah mani msèmheh
  • 1991 : Charaatni
  • 1991 : Nediha meryoula
  • 1991 : C'est pas la peine
  • 1991 : Rabta lhenna
  • 1992 : Ghir dommage
  • 1992 : Tlabti lfrèk
  • 1992 : Oran la france
  • 1992 : Ghir mè tebkich
  • 1992 : Aakkar
  • 1992 : C'est fini
  • 1992 : Tal ryèbek yè rzèli
  • 1992 : Choufi oomri cha sra
  • 1993 : Rani khellithè lek èmèna
  • 1993 : Mè nnejemch eniich d eliicha
  • 1993 : C est la logique yè bent ennès
  • 1993 : Hebbitek mè s'elt ennès
  • 1993 : Dèymen enwassik
  • 1993 : Ki nchouf'ha yerkebni lhbèl
  • 1993 : Guaa ennsa
  • 1993 : Hekmet aalia rrab elaali (feat Zèhia)
  • 1993 : Mani mani
  • 1993 : Tebki wella mè tebkich
  • 1993 : Enfin lkit elli tefhemni
  • 1993 : Brit èna nchoufek
  • 1993 : Rani Mourak
  • 1993 : Nti sbèb rbinti
  • 1994 : Guaa errjèl elli kèyen
  • 1994 : Aeadouya megh'yar
  • 1994 : Ddèteh emmigré
  • 1994 : Khawwefni rjouaak
  • 1994 : Meddit aahdi, ça y'est c'est fini
  • 1994 : Saàdini (Feat Sorya Kinane, & Bouzid Abdelghani)
  • 1994 : Ma bkatch elhedda
  • 1994 : Aalèch yè aayniyya
  • 1994 : Rabbi ltof biya
  • 1994 : Iridoni bnèt ennès (Single)
  • 1994 : Aaayit ensaleh, aayit neddareb
  • 1994 : Srat biyya kassa
  • 1994 : Rani nèdem aalè liyyèm (december'94)
  • 1994 : Rani marra hna ou marra lhih (december'94)

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Death

Hasni's fame and controversial songs led to his receiving death threats from Islamic fundamentalist extremists. His primary residence remained in Oran, even though his family lived in the safer environment of France. On 29 September 1994, he was the first raï musician to be murdered, outside his parents' home in the Gambetta district of Oran.[4]

His death came amid other violent actions against notable North African performers. A few days before his death, the Kabyle singer Lounès Matoub was abducted by the GIA. The following year, on 15 February 1995, Raï producer Rachid Baba-Ahmed was assassinated in Oran.

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References
  1. Harris, Craig. "Cheb Hasni – Maghreb Soul: The Story 1986–1990". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. Lewis, John (16 June 2011). "Cheb Hasni's murder marks a backlash against rai stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. Cheb Hasni profile, RFIMusique.com. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  4. "Producer of Rai Music Killed in Algeria". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 107 (9): 48. 4 March 1995. ISSN 0006-2510.
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