Cheb Mami

Mohamed Khelifati, known as Cheb Mami, is an Algerian raï musician born on July 11, 1966, in Saïda, Algeria. He gained prominence in 1982 and later moved to Paris in 1985, launching his career as a raï singer. Cheb Mami achieved international fame through his collaboration with Sting on the 1999 hit "Desert Rose." His music merges Mediterranean and Western influences, including flamenco and Latin styles. However, his career faced significant setbacks due to legal issues, including an arrest over violence against an ex-wife and a subsequent prison sentence in 2009. In 2015, he was also found guilty of plagiarism, ordered to pay fines for borrowing lyrics from other artists.