Grab Gualou Hasni Met ("They Say Hasni Is Dead") here.
[Originally posted in 2010; reupped at 320kbps with cover embedded.]
Algerian rai superstar Cheb Hasni was born in Oran to working class parents in 1968 and assassinated 26-1/2 years later in 1994. Read more about him and grab another album here.
I found this CD--my favorite of Hasni's--in an Algerian bodega on Steinway Street in Queens years before I moved to this neighborhood.
"Do you have any Cheb Hasni?" I asked the guy behind the counter.
"You are Algerian?" he countered. It wasn't really a question.
"No, why?"
"Ah, you are French!" he spat triumphantly, as he dug through the piles of CDs behind him, pulling out the one you see above and setting it down on the counter.
"If I'm French, why are you speaking to me in English?" I asked.
He looked momentarily confused, then a sort of sly "gestalt of recognition" passed over his face. He smiled widely. "For you? Four dollars."
"How much are CDs normally?" I asked.
He waited a bit before answering. "Four dollars."
Hasni in the studio
Another Cheb Hasni album! Thanks... Sad he had to die so young. Still amazing how much music he already had produced by then. Woah! Nice likkle story of you buying the CD as well... ;-)
ReplyDeletewas looking for some good rai for a while. these are choice stuff. thank you
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ReplyDeleteGalou Hasni met, so sad but amazing song.
Could you reupload the file, Please !
Many thanks, Ziane.