Messaoud Bellemou, born in 1946 in Aïn Témouchent, Algeria, is an Algerian musician widely considered a father and influencer of modern raï music. Coming from a family of farmers, Bellemou began playing the trumpet at age 10 and joined the local fanfare. He initially encountered traditional rural raï involving the gasba (flute) and percussion, but decided to replace the flute with the trumpet, modernizing the genre. From 1964, he began performing blues oranais. Bellemou's first recording was the 45-rpm single Sidi H'bibi in 1973. Subsequent releases featured lyrics that were considered too licentious and controversial for the time. He performed extensively in concerts until 1982. His work inspired popular raï artists such as Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami. Bellemou released albums such as Le roi de la trompette raï in 1996, Father of rai in 1999, and C'est pas ma faute in 1999.
