Cheb Hasni

Cheb Hasni, born Hasni Chakroun, was an Algerian raï singer. He was popular across the Maghreb, 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, sex and alcohol. He was murdered in 1994. Hasni's controversial lyrical content had drawn the ire of fanatic Islamist fundamentalists in Algeria and it is believed he was murdered as a result.