Mohamed Khelifati (in Arabic: محمد خليفاتي), said Cheb Mami, often nicknamed the rai prince, is a raï singer and Algerian actor, born on July 11, 1966 in Saïda. His duet with Sting for the title Desert Rose, in 1999, will allow him to discover raï all over the world, as he had always dreamed. In France, he is known for his Northern Paris duo with K-Mel in 1998.
He was sentenced in 2009 by the Criminal Court Bobigny to five years imprisonment for attempted forced abortion on his ex-companion.
Biography
Admiring female orchestras, the « meddahates », who animate baptisms and weddings, he becomes a ceremonial leader at the age of fourteen. Then, to support his family, having obtained a welding apprenticeship, he works in the neighborhood where he lives as an apprentice welder by singing all day in the workshop. Without ever forgetting his passion for music, he goes every weekend to Oran to sing in cabarets where an increasingly fervent audience awaits him. In 1982, he made a name for himself by his soft and high-pitched voice on a television program of Algerian Elhane oua chabab, where he played a classic, El Marsam, won the second prize of a contest on Algerian television by seducing the majority of viewers with a song in rai, a musical style then rejected by the Algerian power.
In 1982, Boualem Disco-Maghreb spotted him and he recorded with him about 10 cassettes, produced between 100,000 to 500,000 copies. He arrives in Paris in 1985 and participates in 1986 in raï festival in Bobigny, alongside Khaled, Fadela, Sahraoui, etc.
He was also the first to perform at the Olympia in 1986. Forced to return to Algeria to perform his two years of military service, he continues to transmit his passion by hosting shows in the barracks.
He released his first album Prince of Raï in 1989. He recorded in New York his 1990 album, Let Me Rai. In 1994, he achieved great success with the album Saïda, sold 100,000 copies in France, whose eponymous title is a tribute to his hometown and receives the double gold record award in Algeria and Morocco
In 1995, his melodies accompany Laetitia Masson’s film Having (or not). The following year, Cheb Mami released a new album Douni El Bladi. Cheb Mami played in Mahmoud Zemmouri’s 100% Arabica (1997), playing the role of Karim Bouderba’s student. He received the Miroir Prize of the Francophone Space in 1997.
In 1998, released the album Meli Meli, including the duet Parisien du Nord with the rapper K-Mel Alliance Ethnik group. The album will be reissued a year later with two new titles. He also participates in a very symbolic duet with the Algerian singer of Kabyle music, Idir in Azwaw 2, his duet with Yougo Ait Medjber was a great success especially the latter is one of the greatest singers and composers in Algeria.
In 2001, he released a new album Dellali. In 2002, he participated in the Solidays concert. The same year, he participated in the album Youm Wara Youm of Moroccan singer Samira Said.
In 2001, he made an appearance in the televised series Josephine, guardian angel, in which he plays the role of a center manager Emmaus [necessary clarification].
Cheb Mami also participates in the album « Opinion sur rue », released in November 2003 for the association « Un regard, un enfant » with Saian Supa Crew, Sinsemilia and others.
It is popular in the world [ref. necessary] thanks to his numerous duets with big popstars in his album Du Sud au Nord (2003). In particular, there are duets with Sting for Desert Rose, Zucchero for Cosi Celeste, Susheela Raman, Corneille, Sween for No c ‘sera no in 2006 and « Far » with Kenza Farah in 2011.
In 2003, he was knighted by the National Order of Merit on the proposal of the President of the French Republic at the time, Jacques Chirac, who wanted to reward « the talent of a very great artist who made discover raï in the whole world « . This distinction was withdrawn in September 2011.
In 2004, he made a Live at the Grand Rex in Paris, where he performed his greatest hits on stage. In 2006, he released the album Layali. Cheb Mami composed [evasive] a new album during his imprisonment which will be released very soon [When?]. Cheb Mami also helped Faudel take his first steps on stage in the early 1990s.
On May 27, 2013, Cheb Mami went on stage at El Nahdha in Rabat during the Mawazine Festival, and broke the Arab attendance record. 120,000 spectators who vibrated throughout the evening, the record of this international festival remains 150,000 who attended the show of superstar Rihanna during the first day. necessary]
In July 2015, he was sentenced, along with his production company, EMI, for plagiarism of works by Algerian author Rabah Zerradine (Cheb Rabah). The latter is thus recognized as author or co-author of Le rai c’est chic, Madanite, My life twice, Gualbi Gualbi and Desert rose2.
Cheb Mami case
In November 2005, a complaint was filed against Cheb Mami by a French press photographer specializing in raï, ex-companion of the singer she met during an interview in 2004. Pregnant singer, she reportedly refused abortion that he would have asked her several times. At the end of August 2005, at the instigation of Michel Lévy, Cheb Mami’s impresario, she was invited to Algeria. In fact, she was allegedly taken in charge by the local art director and driven to a bungalow where she was offered a refreshing drink that was found to contain drugs.
According to her, when she regained consciousness she was on a property in Cheb Mami, where she had been forcibly forced to lie on her stomach for an entire night by three women trying to trigger a forced abortion3. Two doctors reportedly attempted forced curettage4. In the morning, bloody and panting, she is released, put in a taxi and sent back to Paris. Shocked and injured, back in France, doctors note that the fetus is still viable. Learning the failure of forced abortion, Cheb Mami would have offered him a large sum of money in exchange for his silence on the ordeal she had suffered, and to have an abortion at his expense. In March 2006, she gives birth to a little girl.
Featuring a recording in which the singer screams: « You have no more baby: the blood, I saw it. It was like a piece of liver « 3, the judicial police arrested him on October 25, 2006 on the descent of a flight from Oran and he was incarcerated, for voluntary violence, kidnapping and threat, for 3 months and half in the prison of Health in Paris before being released on bail in exchange for a deposit of 200,000 euros and the confiscation of his passport. He avoids justice by fleeing to Algeria using outdated paper. On his return to France on June 29, 2009, he was arrested at Orly airport shortly after 7 pm and placed immediately in judicial detention5.
In an interview with the Daily of Oran 6, Cheb Mami said he was the victim of blackmail and the fierceness of the French media because he would be an « Arab star ». In giving his version, he recognizes the facts and says « the biggest mistake of my life is to have followed the bad advice of my Jewish manager », which will be readjusted, after a misunderstanding, at Release 7, declaring « I have been accused of anti-Semitism because, in the interview I gave to Oran Daily, it is stated that my manager and the photographer are Jewish. But it is not me who formulated it so, it is the journalist. It hurt me a lot. I have never been an anti-Semite. It had been twenty years since I worked in good agreement with Michel Lévy, a good part of the people who accompanied my career are Jewish. « .
In response to an interview with Cheb Mami’s daily newspaper El Watan, Mohamed Laribi, a lawyer for Cheb Mami’s manager, Michel Lévy, denounces the anti-Arab conspiracy strategy and asks Cheb Mami to take action.
On July 3, 2009, the Criminal Court Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis), sentenced him to five years in prison for attempted forced abortion on his ex-companion10.
On September 21, 2010, he applied for parole with the Melun11 sentencing court, which will be denied on October 12, 201012 and authorized on March 23, 2013.
Selective discography
albums
1986: Douni el Bladi.
Douni el Bladi • Dertfik trust • Ralia Mahboubit Galbi • Ana Mazel • Lella Rani Ensaaf el Mektoub • Tayo Tayo Adiani • Ouach Etsalini • Idha Enti Bikit • Chedi Bentek • Maniche Aadouk • Ghebnouha • Sehrane Ouahdi • Alaoui (Instrumental)
1989: Prince of Rai.
Ana Mazel • Dertfik Confidence • Douni El Bladi • Lella Rani Ensaaf El Mektoub • Ralia Mahboubit Galbi • Tayo Tayo Adiani
1990: Let Me Rai [archive].
Yo Yo • Haoulou • Let Me Cry • Douha Alia • Fatma • Rah Eddani • Khalihoum • Maandi • Manimane
1995: Saïda.
H’babi • Ma Ma • Gualbak K’ssah • Hay Wadi Hay Galbi • Bent Bareh • Baida • Ghi N’Ti • Li Fet Ghi Mnem • Zouaji • Alache Alache • Trab
1996: Douni El Bladi.
Douni el Bladi • Dertfik Confidence • Ralia Mahboubit Galbi • Ana Mazel • Lella Rai Saaf El Mektoub • Tayo Tayo Adiani • Ouach Etsalini • Idha Enti Bitik • Chedi Bentek • Maniche Aadouk • Ghebnouha • Sehrane Ouahdi • Alauni (Instrumental)
1998: Meli Meli.
Meli Meli Alache Alik Bledi Parisien du Nord feat. K-mel & Imhotep • Rani Maàk el Youm • H’rabti • Hada Ch’hal • Hatachi • Bekatni • Sheikh • Azwaw 2 • Parisian North [Remix] feat. K-mel & Imhotep • Northern Marseillais • In Wonderland • Azwaw [Alternative Mix]
2001: Dellali
Raï C’est Chic • Come Habibi • Madanite feat. Ziggy Marley • Rim Lachoua • Yahamami • Ana Oualache • My Life 2 Times • Tzazae • Zarartou • Mamazareh • Machi Chaba • Haoulou • Khalouni
2004: From South to North
Of 2 Cotes feat. Mouss and Hakim • Parisian North feat. K-mel & Imhotep Madanite feat. Ziggy Marley • Desert Rose feat. Sting • Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero • Nagumomo feat. Susheela Raman • African Child feat. Corneille • Clando feat. 113 • Youm Wara Youm feat. Samira Said • Fugitive feat. Tonton David • The Best Times Of Our Lives feat. Aswad • Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias • Azwaw 2 feat. Idir
2006: Live at the Grand Rex 2004
Azwaw • Parisian North • Nagumomo feat. Susheela Raman Mamazareh Mazal Aandi Souvenir Desert Rose Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias • Bledi – My Country • Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero • Alache Alik • Meli Meli • On Both sides feat. Mous and Hakim • Haoulou • Zarartou
2006: Layali
Halili feat. Elissa • Gualbi Gualbi • Leh Inshallah • Tigi Tigi • Sabran (ya Ghali) feat. Lix • Gaiye bil Salama • Ahla Layali Omrina • Ajlissou (Fil Makha) feat. Kadhem Saher • Our Colors feat. K-Maro • Mana Dabia • Ellie Beina Intaha • Alik Maina feat. Leslie • Amshi Btaring • Halili feat. Zaho • No C’sera No (Omri Omri) feat. Sween
Single
2002: Youm Wara Youm (featuring Samira Said)
Duo / Compilations
2006: Raïn’B Fever 2 (« No C’Sera No » in duet with Diam’s)
2011: Raïn’B Fever 4 (« Far » in trio with DJ Kore and Kenza Farah)
Collaboration
1999: Brand New Day by Sting – Chant on Desert Rose
