Cheikha Rimitti, who popularized a taboo-defying form of Algerian pop music called rai and sang boldly of sexuality, alcoholism and oppression, died May 15 in Paris of heart failure. She was 83. Two ...

The recent death of French Algerian superstar Rachid Taha brought to mind the musical genre called raï, so I decided to feature it this week by highlighting a few raï artists.… It’s not hard to ...