Cheb Hasni

Cheb Hasni (born Hasni Chekroun on February 1 1968 in Oran, Algeria, died September 29 1994) was a performer of Algerian Raï music. He is popular across North Africa, having reached the height of his career in the late 1980s an

Cheb Hasni (born Hasni Chekroun on February 1 1968 in Oran, Algeria, died September 29 1994) was a performer of Algerian Raï music. He is popular across North Africa, 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 and alcohol.

Cheb Hasni was interested in performing from an early age. In an interview published in the French newspaper Libération in 1992, Hasni recounted how "everyone knew me in our neighbourhood when I was a kid. I was always walking up the road with my school bag thrown off my shoulder, singing my head off." Hasni was also talented in football and a good student, but these traits were overshadowed by his musical interests.