Abdel Kader Haiboui (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: عبد القادر هيباوي; born March 11, 1979), better known as Kader Japonais, (Arabic: كادير الجابوني or قادر جابوني) is a popular, award-winning Algerian

Raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed to ''sheikh'' (Ara ...

singer and production artist. He was born in the neighborhood of

Bab-El-Oued Bab El Oued is a neighbourhood in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, along the coast north of the city centre. As of 2008, the population of the commune of Bab El Oued was 64,732. History During the existence of French Algeria, Bab El Oued was ...

, Algiers, Algeria. He gained fame in the 2000s for singles such as"Jibou la Brigade" and again in the 2010s for popular singles like "Nti Sbabi" and "Waalach." He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometimes in French or Eastern Arabic dialects. His music blends raï with

chaabi Chaabi ( in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii meaning "folk", refers to different music genres in North Africa and the Middle East such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian Shaabi. Chaabi music just means 'music ...

Arabic pop Arabic pop music or Arab pop music is a subgenre of pop music and Arabic music. Arabic pop is mainly produced and originated in Cairo, Egypt; as Egyptian music genre is by far the most widespread within the region. Also Beirut, Lebanon, and Gul ...

and other musical styles of the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

. Kader's songs range from slow-paced sentimental

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...

s to fast-paced dance songs. Kader graduated with a law degree but could not find an avenue to practice, so he tended to singing to get himself out of dire poverty, according to his own account during some interviews. Japonais means ''Japanese'', and it was originally a nickname he gained notoriety for due to his eyes, which seem to have an

epicanthic fold An epicanthic fold or epicanthus is a skin fold of the upper eyelid that covers the inner corner (medial canthus) of the eye. However, variation occurs in the nature of this feature and the possession of "partial epicanthic folds" or "slight ...

perceived to be similar to

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

. Early in his career, Kader decided to keep this nickname and incorporate it to become his official stage name. At the age of 18, he performed in the nightclubs of Algiers, then in other Algeria towns such as Oran and

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

. Later he participated in the biggest international music festivals of the

, like those of

Timgad Timgad ( ar, تيمقاد, links=, lit=, translit=Tīmgād, known as Marciana Traiana Thamugadi) was a Roman city in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. The full name of the city was ''Colon ...

Sidi Bel Abbès Sidi Bel Abbès ( ar, سيدي بلعباس), also called Bel Abbès, is the capital (2005 pop. 200,000)''Sidi Bel Abbes'', lexicorient.com (Encyclopaedia of the Orient), internet article. of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya (2005 pop. 590,000), Alger ...

, Djemila, Alger, or in Morocco at the

Mawazine Mawazine ( ar, موازين, mawāzīn, meaning "rhythms of the world") is a Moroccan International music festival held annually in Rabat, Morocco, featuring many international and local music artists. The festival is presided over by Mounir Ma ...

festival in Rabat, Oujda, and Casablanca, in Tunisia at the Khiwa festival in Hammamet,

Kasserine Kasserine ( ar, القصرين, al-Qasrīn, Tunisian Arabic: ڨصرين ') is the capital city of the Kasserine Governorate, in west-central Tunisia. It is situated below Jebel ech Chambi ( جبل الشعانبي), Tunisia's highest mountain. ...

festival and the

World Festival of Black Arts The World Festival of Black Arts (French: Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres), also known as FESMAN, is a month-long culture and arts festival that takes place in Africa. The festival features poetry, sculpture, painting, music, cinema, theatre, f ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

. Outside of Africa, he got the acclaim of the French public during his annual performances at the

Zénith de Paris The zenith is the point in the sky that appears directly above the observer. Zenith or Zénith may also refer to: * Summit, a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it Automotive * Zenith Carbur ...

for la nuit du Raï and at the festival du Raï in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

as well as for the festival du Monde Arabe in Montreal.

Collaborations

Among the collaborations of Kader Japonais with other artists were those with Cheb Nasro,

Rim'K Abdelkrim Brahmi a.k.a. Rim'K (born 21 June 1978 in Paris, France) is an Algerian–French rapper. Rim'K was raised in the Parisian suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine. His family is originally from Barbacha in Algeria and is mentioned many times in his ...

of 113 (on "On reste fiers"),

Lartiste Youssef Akdim (Berber: ⵢⵓⵙⴻⴼ ⴰⵇⴷⵉⵎ, ar, يوسف أقديم, link=no; born 4 July 1985), better known as Lartiste (), is a French-Moroccan singer and rapper. Born in Imintanoute, Morocco, he emigrated to France at 7 ye ...

, DJ Hamida,

DJ Kayz DJ Kayz a French/Algerian DJ of kabylie origin born in Algeria, famous for his music mix series Oran Mix Party, Kabylifornie and the album series ''Paris Oran New York'' in three CDs (2013-2014-2015), collaborating with a great number of artists. ...

, DJ Kim, L'Algerino, Kayline, Zina Daoudia.

Singles

* Jibou la brigade ou zidou central * Nti Sbabi * Waalach * On reste fiers (with Rim-K) * Ehki ya zman

Albums

* 2001 : first album * 2006 : La brigade (Dounia) * 2008 : Mania (Dounia) * 2009 : Haba Haba (Dounia) * 2010 : Bafana Bafana (Dounia) * 2011 : Blèbik, Mamamia (Dounia) * 2012 Ndir El Courage, Adabek Nti Bizarre * 2013 : Djarhi ma bra' (Dounia) * 2014 : Bassik m"aya (Villa Prod) * 2015 : Mami Mami (Villa Prod) * 2016 : Hkaya (Villa Prod) * 2017 Raki Nedmana * 2018 : Holm (Villa Prod)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Japonais, Kader Living people Raï musicians Folk-pop singers 1979 births Musicians from Algiers 21st-century Algerian male singers