Hoba Hoba Spirit

The Moroccan band Hoba Hoba Spirit calls its unique brand of world music "Hayha." A fusion of reggae, rock, and traditional Gnawa influences, that multi-layered sound was first developed in 1998, the year Hoba Hoba Spirit formed in Casablanca. Bandmates Reda Allali, Anouar Zehouani, Adil Hanine, Saad Bouidi, Othmane Hmimar, Abssamad Bourhim, and Mohamed Laâbidi named their band after a Bob Marley song and spent several years developing their craft before releasing their self-titled debut album, Hoba Hoba Spirit, in 2003. Blad Skizo followed in 2005. Trabando, the band's third LP, was released in 2007 and featured the popular single "Goulou Bazz," which found Hoba Hoba Spirit collaborating with the Moroccan rapper Bigg. Trabando won "Best Album" at the Mghrib Music Awards that same year, with Hoba Hoba Spirit also taking home awards for "Best Song" and "Best Fusion Artist." Trabando eventually went gold, confirming the band's place in the Moroccan mainstream. Continuing to record songs in the common dialect of Maghrebi Arabic, the band became a staple on the Moroccan festival circuit, regularly playing events like Mawazine and the Gnawa and World Music Festival. Hoba Hoba Spirit also continued to release albums at a prolific pace, with highlights including El Gouddam (2008), Kalakhnikov (2013), and Kamayanbaghi (2018).

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