Rachid Taha

Algerian singer/songwriter Rachid Taha became an iconic revolutionary figure in his adopted French homeland due to his eclectic blend of native rai and chaabi influences, raw punk energy, and rebellious rock & roll attitude. Born in Sig, Mascara Province in Algeria in 1958, Taha emigrated to France with his family at the age of ten. While working in a heating factory in the '70s, he founded his own nightclub, Les Refoules, which played mash-ups of Arabic pop hits over tracks by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Kraftwerk. In 1980, he formed Maghreb punk outfit Carte de Sejour, who...