Cheb Khaled

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

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 Lycee" (Arabic for "The Road to School"), at age fourteen and soon became involved with the early-1980s changes in the raï sound, incorporating western instruments and studio techniques.

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

In 1992 , after dropping "Cheb" from his name, he released his self titled album Khaled, which established his reputation as a superstar in France and among Algerian emigrants around the world. His audience has continued to expand throughout the 1990s, and has collaborated with hip hop artists. In spite of his superstar status in France, and his homeland Algeria, his popularity in the US, UK and other countries has been limited to a small but devoted cult following. But his greatest hit song "Aïcha" seems to be known all over the world.