Raï is a popular music style that originated in Algeria in the 1930s, combining traditional Algerian folk music with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms. Raï literally means "opinion" but is colloquially used as an interjection along the lines of "oh, yeah!" Traditionally sung by men, at the turn of the 20th century, female singers became common. Raï musicians as early as the 1930s were singing about social issues which affected native populations.
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Raï is a popular music style that originated in Algeria in the 1930s, combining traditional Algerian folk music with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms. Raï literally means "opinion" but is colloquially used as an interjection along the lines of "oh, yeah!" Traditionally sung by men, at the turn of the 20th century, female singers became common. Raï musicians as early as the 1930s were singing about social issues which affected native populations. It became popular among young people who sought to modernize the traditional Islamic values and attitudes. Regional, secular, and religious drum patterns, melodies, and instruments were blended with Western electric instrumentation. Raï music today incorporates hip hop, reggae, funk, blues and with North African beats and rhythms.
