( March 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Another major hit was "El Visa" a song about migration, which sold approximately 250,000 cassettes. The success of "Beraka" made Hasni famous, and a controversial subject with both critics and fanatic fundamentalists already concerned over the popularity of the Raï genre. The subjects of his songs were controversial and made the song popular with Algerian youth, who contributed to the song's estimated sales of one million copies. The second major launching point in Hasni's career came shortly afterwards when a producer asked him to record with Raï performer Chaba Zahouania.ĭuring the summer of 1987 the pair recorded a provocative song by Algerian standards, "Beraka" ("The Shack"), gaining them much attention. Impressed by his voice, they invited him to perform on stage at a well-known cabaret, La Guinguette. Hasni's first significant performance as a singer occurred when he attended a local wedding party, where the group led by the famous Naoui brothers was playing. I was always walking up the road with my school bag thrown off my shoulder, singing my head off". In an interview published in the French newspaper Libération in 1992, Hasni recounted how "everyone knew me in our neighbourhood when I was a kid. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.īorn in Oran, Algeria, Cheb Hasni was interested in performing from an early age. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. This section relies largely or entirely on a single source.