59 Golden Years of Algerian Singer and Activist Rachid Taha
The legendary Algerian singer and activist Rachid Taha's life filled with influential music and fervent activism. His distinctive fusion of rock and North African rhythms found a global audience, and his dedication to social and political causes elevated him to the status of a true cultural icon. Long after Taha's passing, his legacy still inspires and enthralls audiences.
In 1958, Rachid was born in Oran, Algeria. He and his family relocated to France when he was ten years old. His love and passion for music served as his inspiration for founding the band Carte de Séjour in 1980. The remaining members of the group were Djamel Dif, Mokhtar Amini, Mohamed Amini, Jallane Abdelhak, and Eric Vaquer. Numerous social and political issues, such as racism, emigration, and poverty, were discussed in their songs.
In 1984, they released Rhoromanie, their debut album. In 1986, they gave another rendition of "Douce France" by Charles Trenet. Rachid Taha launched a solo career in 1989, following the dissolution of the group. He became well-known all over the world after releasing the album Barbès in 1991. A follow-up self-titled album was released in 1993 in response. Taha released the albums Ole Ole, Diwan, and Made in the City between 1996 and 2000.
In 1998, he collaborated on the album 1, 2, 3 Soleils with Cheb Khaled and Cheb Faudel, which included the well-known songs "Abdelkader Ya Bouaalem" and "Ya Rayah." In 2004, he released the complex and incredibly imaginative album Tekitoi. The main character was portrayed by Rachid Taha in the 2008 Canal collection Ecrire Pour un Chanteur (Writing for a Singer), which included the short film Là Où Je Pense. The same year, he co-wrote "Arabécédaire" with Rodolphe Burger, and Rock the Kasbah, his autobiography, was published.
Rachid, who now resides in France, is still involved in the scene. He has a sizable following made up of individuals from numerous nations and ethnic groups. He is touring the entire world. In reality, the countries of the United States, Algeria, France, Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Vietnam, and Mexico were used to record his most recent album, Bonjour.
Taha had a Chiari malformation, which was discovered in 1987. "I'm sick of people assuming I'm inebriated when I'm on stage. While these are the Arnold Chiari disease symptoms. I'm falling over because I can't keep my balance. I'm hesitant. It causes a disturbance in the body.
Six days before his 60th birthday, on September 12, 2018, Taha passed away from a heart attack while he was sleeping. His longtime partner, Véronique Pré, and their son, Lyes, are still alive. On September 20, 2019, Je suis Africain, a posthumous album that had been completed before his passing,
