For the last episode of the season I have invited my partner Disco Atlas.
In this episode we will try to see how the Rai of the 90s that we have explored in the previous episodes influences contemporary music. To do this, we will start the program with some Rai productions from the early 2000s, distributed on the last cassette tapes, to see how it resolves in the Wayway genre.


The "WayWay" musical wave emerged in Algeria before spreading to eastern Morocco in the late 2010s. It's a music that some consider an "extension of Rai" and it has become a lifestyle for a wide segment of youth.


"WayWay" echoes the concerns of young people who feel lost in the neighboring countries, but some accuse it of “lack of maturity and promoting messages that do not respect the conservative culture of the country” because some of its songs touch on the issue of drug use, especially "Ecstasy," which is accused of being used by fans of this musical trend.


The emergence of "WayWay" music is associated with the beginning of "album piracy," as Rai singers or producers found it difficult to afford recording costs, which led some of them to dispense with most of the musicians and only rely on an "organ" player (keyboard), that had an impact on the quality of the musical product, and "WayWay" appeared as a "simple music product accompanied by unselective.


It was named after its frequent use of the phrase "way way" by its singers throughout the song. The first person to publicly sing this song was the son of the Oranian singer "Houari Benchnat," named "Mohamed Benchnat," who introduced it ten years ago. It has since spread rapidly and alarmingly due to its inclusion of vocabulary not commonly used in society.


We can talk about a whole culture emerging from this genre including outfits, haircuts and social practices.
The remarkable thing is that this type of music remained confined to nightclubs and some hotels for a few years, where patrons delighted in hearing those lyrics emanating from the throats of those who sang them, almost under the influence of alcohol.

Guest's IG: @disco_atlas