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Khaled (musician)

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Khaled

Khaled Hadj Brahim (born 29 February 1960), better known as Khaled (Arabic: خالد), is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi-El-Houri in Oran Province of Algeria. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled (Arabic for "Young man Khaled") and has become probably the most internationally famous Algerian singer. His popularity has earned him the unofficial title "King of Raï".

Biography

Early years

At the age of fourteen Khaled formed his first band, "Les Cinq Etoiles" (French for "The Five Stars"), and began playing at wedding parties and local cabarets. He recorded his first solo single, "Trigue Lycée" ("Road to High School"), at age fourteen and soon became involved with the early-1980s changes in the Raï sound, incorporating western instruments and studio techniques.

Islamic fundamentalists' threats

Algerian Islamic fundamentalists were violently opposed to raï because of its sometimes irreverent tone and the fact that raï singers freely addressed issues considered taboo in Islam, like romantic love, drugs, and alcohol.

Singers like Khaled articulated socially progressive, more modern themes that many younger people identified with, a way of rebelling against the constraints of the older generations and more traditional Islam. As Khaled says himself, "in rai music, people can express themselves. We break taboos"[1]. This open embracing of taboo subjects in Islamic culture can be witnessed in the video of Khaled's hit song, "Didi", showing women provocatively dressed and dancing, both taboos in Islamic culture. [1]

However, due the nature of these lyrics, fundamentalists were infuriated when the Algerian government, in the wake of a hugely popular 1985 raï festival in Oran, officially declared it to be one of the country's native music styles. In response, fundamentalists sent death threats to some raï artists. The danger forced Khaled to move to Paris in 1986 (see 1986 in music). In 1994 these threats materialized when another Raï artist, Cheb Hasni, was murdered.

International audience

In 1992 (see 1992 in music), after dropping "Cheb" from his name, he released his self titled album Khaled, which established his reputation as a superstar in France and among maghrebian emigrants around the world. His audience has continued to expand throughout the 1990s, and he has collaborated with several hip hop artists. Khaled had achieved superstar status in France, his homeland Algeria and the Arab world. His signature song, Didi, became extremely popular in several countries, including Pakistan and India. However, his popularity in the US, the UK and other countries has been limited to a small but devoted cult following.

In 1999 he was joined by Rachid Taha and Faudel in a concert at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy for a concert known as 1,2,3 Soleils which was subsequently released as a live album.

On 12th July 2008 he appeared at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival, as part of the programme Liverpool: European Capital of Culture 2008

Lyrical Themes and Politics

Khaled's songs feature political lyrics in favour of emancipation of women and more democracy. The lyrics to Aicha, written by the singer songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, which was in the charts in many countries of Western Europe, are about a man's lament that his love Aïcha does not notice him, even though he offers her everything, even his life. In the end, Aïcha answers he should keep his treasure, that she's worth more and does not want to live in a cage, even a solid gold one, but equal rights and respect which form true love:

Elle a dit, garde tes trésors :She said, keep your treasures
Moi, je vaux mieux que tout ça :I'm worth more than all that
Des barreaux sont des barreaux même en or :Cages remain cages even though made of gold
Je veux les mêmes droits que toi :I want the same rights as you
Et du respect pour chaque jour :And respect for each day
Moi je ne veux que de l'amour :I don't want anything but love

Discography

This discography does not include a number of albums released on cassette in Algeria early in his career, and several bootleg/unofficial albums.

Studio albums

Live albums

Collections

  • 1991 Le Meilleur de Cheb Khaled
  • 1992 Le Meilleur de Cheb Khaled 2
  • 2005 Forever King
  • 2005 Spirit of Rai
  • 2005 Les Annees Rai
  • 2006 Salou Ala Nabi
  • 2006 Maghreb Soul - Cheb Khaled Story 1986-1990
  • 2006 Anajit Anajit
  • 2007 Best of

Singles

From Kutché (1988):

From Khaled (1992):

From N'ssi N'ssi (1993):

From Sahra (1996):

From Kenza (1999):

From Ya-Rayi (2004):

Not released in an album:

  • La terre a tremblé (2003)

From Indigènes (Days of Glory) - Movie (2006):

Soundtracks

  • 1997 The Fifth Element
    • Alech Taadi (Note: This song was featured in the film, but did not appear on the official soundtrack)
  • 2006 Indigènes (Days of Glory)
    • Ya Dzayer (2 Versions)
    • Mort De Messaoud
    • Nostalgie
    • Sur la tombe
    • El Babour
  • 2007 Taxi 4
    • Benthi (feat. Melissa Lesite)

Filmography

Bibliography

  • 1998 Khaled: Derrière le sourire

Awards

Below is a chronological list of awards won by Khaled

Trivia

  • Khaled and Don Was appeared on the "The Tonight Show" on February 4, 1993.
  • Khaled became very popular in Brazil in 1999 with his song "El Arbi", released 7 years before. The song was included in the soundtrack for the novela "Vila Madalena" (Globo TV Network).

References

  1. ^ Gross, Joan, David McMurray, and Ted Swedenburg. "Arab Noise and Ramadan Nights: Rai, Rap, and Franco-Maghrebi Identities." Diaspora 3:1 (1994): 3- 39. [Reprinted in The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, ed. by Jonathan Xavier and Renato Rosaldo, p. 16

[1] Gross, Joan, David McMurray, and Ted Swedenburg. "Arab Noise and Ramadan Nights: Rai, Rap, and Franco-Maghrebi Identities." Diaspora 3:1 (1994): 3- 39. [Reprinted in The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, ed. by Jonathan Xavier and Renato Rosaldo], p. 16

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