Ali-Chérif Benaïssa, known as Cheb Aïssa, was born on March 1, 1972 in Saïda, western Algeria, the hometown of Cheb Mami, whose protégé he would become. He learned to sing from his grandmother, a meddahate (a traditional singer who performs exclusively for female audiences). When he started out in music, he distinguished himself by blending modern and traditional sounds, mixing trab, a form of rural raï, with more modern influences such as rock and funk. He opened his discography with the album Yak Yaado Min Yaadon, quickly followed by Chira France , released in 1997, which gave him wide exposure. He followed this up two years later with Nouara, produced by Yves Ndjock, Edouard Papazian and Alain Genty. This was followed by the single Vivre ma Vie, on which he invited rapper Fresh-K from Cheb Aissa's adopted hometown of Marseille. In 2002, he released Aïssa, Gouli and confirmed his status on the Raï scene the following year with Rani Mourak . After a recording hiatus, he made a comeback in 2011 with the opus Baraka, led by the singles Ya Rayah and Sidi Mansour.
