The Rough Guide to Rai

Rai began in western Algeria but came into its own in the harbour city of Oran during the 1920s. Its basis was in Arabic love poetry and Bedouin folk music and became akin to the blues, singing of alienation, poverty and forbidden sexual desires. Traditional rai started with women singers called Meddahs who sang more tibald lyrics performing mainly in cafes and bars. The genre became popular in the 1960s with the introduction of western instruments such as the trumpet, violin and lute by male artists called cheikhs. Artists such as Cheb Khale and Cheb Mami have become international starts despite the Algerian government's anti rai programme.
 
Rai began in western Algeria but came into its own in the harbour city of Oran during the 1920s. Its basis was in Arabic love poetry and Bedouin folk music and became akin to the blues, singing of alienation, poverty and forbidden sexual desires. Traditional rai started with women singers called Meddahs who sang more tibald lyrics performing mainly in cafes and bars. The genre became popular in the 1960s with the introduction of western instruments such as the trumpet, violin and lute by male artists called cheikhs. Artists such as Cheb Khale and Cheb Mami have become international starts despite the Algerian government's anti rai programme.