Many people know Khaled as the emblematic singer of rai music, but not the woman who helped to inspire him and the other world famous singers in the genre. In Algerian music, Cheikha Rimitti, also know as Saadia Bediaf, is considered to be a great singer, an early developer of rai. Today, she denounces singers who have "disfigured" the musical genre, making it more like rock under the name pop rai.
Rimitti was born in 1923 in the countryside near Oran, and now lives in Paris. Her hectic life is regulated by the rhythms of the night club. While her voice is ravaged by alcohol and tobacco, it has kept its tone and can still seduce fans. The strength of her voice is what originally helped the orphan gain a foothold in the music world. Her latest album, "N'ta Goudami" (You in Front of Me) incorporates electronic techniques into a traditional base. Some of the songs were composed with British guitarist Robert Fripp.
Rimitti sings about love and is moved by people who suffer contempt and hardship. The album also contains personal stories such as "Douani," the story of a car accident in Algiers in which three of her musicians died. She escaped with broken bones, the after-effects of which are still with her. This incident did not affect her artistic fervour, which is carried forward by a raucous, deep voice. Parisian Arab nightclubs continue to be the scene of her performances, which are especially enjoyed by those nostalgic for the 1950s and younger people seeking to see the difference between old and new rai.
Rimitti is engaged in a battle against the "chebs" (the new rai singers), whom she accuses of plagiarism. She admonishes Khaled for having used some of her tunes and the theme of her song "La Camel", which describes the pleasures of the flesh enjoyed by workers at the Arzew gas terminal in the 1960s.
She hired a lawyer to defend her copyrights and referred the matter to the French Sacem and Algerian National Office of Copyright and Related Rights. Accusations were also extended to other well-known Algeria rai singers such as Chabba Zahouania and Cheb Abdou.
"Rimitti is like a palm tree bearing dates. I am there and the youth have evaporated," she says. Rimitti last appeared at a 2 December concert at Cabaret Sauvage in Paris with her signature traditional dress, headscarf, conspicuous tattoos, pearl necklaces, golden jewellery and especially the warm, bewitching voice responsible for her popularity.