Rai was born in the west Algerian port of Oran, a place where Spanish, French, black American, and Arabic music styles have coexisted and mingled. Rai, which means "opinion," or idiomatically "Oh, yeah!," originated as a folk form among Bedouin shepherds, but as the older rural traditions were becoming irrelevant in modern Algeria, they were adapted and changed by the youth into a new form -- pop rai. With the help of producers Rachid and Fethi Baba Ahmed, young Algerians have added hard rock, funk, reggae, drum machines, and echo chambers to the style.
Other Styles in North African