Hasni(1968-1994)

Cheb Hasni, whose real name is Hasni Chakroun, was born on February 1, 1968 in Gambetta, a popular suburb of Oran, the son of a welder and father of seven children. Young, he pushed his voice right out of school.

He was also a footballer, which he started at the age of 9 with ASMO. At 15, he was injured and remained hospitalized for several weeks. Back on the field, his weight had increased, and despite the encouragement of the coaches, he was unable to continue his sporting career.

Hasni reportedly performed for the first time at the club leader's brother's wedding. In the process, one of the wedding guests offers him to perform in the cabarets of Oran.

In 1986, Hasni Chakroun recorded his first cassette with Saint-Crépain editions. In 1987, he performed songs in duet with the raï singer Chaba Zahouania.

He married in 1987, at the age of 19, and had a child, whose name was Abdellah, born in 1989. His wife "Melouka", whose real name is Zahzouh Malika, was the main one. inspiration for years. of his greatest titles like "Tal Ghyabek ya ghzali" or "El Bayda mon amour".

Singer adored by young people in Algeria and around the world, Cheb Hasni likes to sing about sentimental love, while the stars of his time sing about divorces and adulteries. He becomes the most prolific and the biggest seller of cassettes in the country.

Coming from the second generation of raï, which appeared after 1985, the year of the first raï festival in Algeria, and of which cheb Hasni and his emulator cheb Nasro were the first representatives. Their music is labeled "Raï sentimental" or "Raï love" compared to the "vulgar" and harsh raï of their predecessors. More melodious, the genre is widely popularized through weddings, so much so that the bar and the cabaret are no longer essential spaces for the dissemination of the genre.

Hasni's lyricists succeeded Aziz Kourbali, Laàredj (brother of Hasni), Hasni (himself), Khaled Bendouda (1st lyricist of Hasni), Mohamed Nouna, Mekki Nouna, Ahmed Hamadi, Kader Jidar (Kader Sonacome), Houari Damache, Bousekrine Baby, etc. The musicians were Ali Bouabdellah, Noureddine Tiger, Hocine Cheriet, Hocine Nahal, Kouider Berkane, Mohamed Meghni, etc.

In 1990, prolific, he recorded 10 clips with a French company: "Dawrou El'auto V3", "Katba V1", "Bayda Mon Amour V1", "Ma Nssit'ha Ra Rahet Men Bali", "Mazel souvenir aandi" ,"Tebaatek Sahti Rchet V1", "It's over Alik Ya Mehanti V1", "Hada Mektoubi", "Dayek Dayek".

In 1992, he signed a contract with manager Nourredine Gafaïti (manager of Chaba Zahouania, Cheb Sahraoui and Chaba Fadela) and went on tour around the world with other stars.

In 1993, he extracted 5 songs from the album "Aaynik Ya Aaynik". The clips that were produced by ENTV are: "Fèrketi El-Echra", "Dawini B Dwèek", "Mazal Galbi M Elkiyya Ma Bra", "Guaa Ennssa".

Inducted King of "Raï love", Hasni has recorded more than 150 cassettes during his career, with at least six songs per audio tape.

At the height of his art, on September 29, 1994, Hasni was assassinated in his neighborhood of Oran (Gambetta) at the age of 26. The Armed Islamic Group (G.I.A) claims responsibility for the assassination, the news sets the whole country ablaze. and a huge crowd gathered in his neighborhood. The following year, on February 15, 1995, it was the turn of raï producer Rachid Baba Ahmed to be assassinated in the same context.

Every Algerian, wherever he is on earth, carries his memory with him, the memory of a time when Hasni presented some hope amidst the chaos of the "dark decade". He will leave behind him the image of a martyr, a man of the people, attached to his district of Oran and to Algeria that he will never want to leave us even under the threat of terrorism, and remains the idol of all a people. , Algeria but also the whole Maghreb and its diaspora.

He will be decorated with the medal of the Order of National Merit in the grade of "Achir" posthumously.