Rachid Taha

Rachid Taha has become a drunken institution, an aging punk who tilts at his Algerian brethren, the world music establishment and rock 'n' rollers equally -- all while making them dance. The guy exudes toughness: it drips off his venomous cover of "Rock the Casbah," pervades "Nokta" and even informs "Habina (We Love)." And no wonder -- he almost single-handedly rescued rai from its ticky-tacky synthesizers and reminded us that dance music could skewer racism. Meet France's native Algerian son, and learn why he looms so large over pop and world music.