Ali Bint Amar Techit

Aaliyah Mar Techitt (born May 9th, 1961), known professionally as Ali Bint Amar Techit, is a Nigerien-born, Mauritania-based poet, singer, songwriter & griot. She is noted for her versatility as an artist, her "sharp" lyrics. Techit first gained recognition after releasing some mixtapes between 1979 and 1989. She rose to fame with her debut album, أنا المرأة التي تشرب من ضرع الكابرين (I AM THE WOMAN WHO DRINKS DIRECTLY FROM THE GOAT'S UDDER) (1990), which topped the Mauritanian Billboard 200 chart. The album's fourth single, "SKOL", reached number three on the Malian Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the highest charting solo song by a foreign female griot. It was also the second song by a female griot to become certified as diamond by the Recording Industry Association of Africa.

Techit's follow-up album, الساحرة التي ابتلعت الملائكة (THE WITCH WHO SWALLOWED ALL ANGELS) (1994), explored a melancholic sound and reached number one in several countries worldwide. Her third and fourth studio albums, قتلت والدتي (I KILLED MY MOTHER) (1999) and إمراغن إلهة الأسماك (IMRAGHEN FISH GODDESS) (2000), explored more personal topics and marked a return to her Mauritanian pop roots. The former's second single, "هذا الرجل ليس حقيقيا بالرغم من وجوده (THAT MAN IS NOT REAL, ALTHOUGH HE EXISTS)", reached number two on the Hot 100 and became the first song by a Mauritanian singer to reach one billion views on YouTube. In 2001, announced that she would take a break from media due to her daughter Eahirat Sayiya's birth.

In 2021, Techit's collaboration with Eahirat Sayiya, الكثبان الكاكي من المغاربي (KHAKI DUNES OF THE MOORISH), became the best selling song in the history of modern music, selling more than 7 trillion copies around the world, she was built a temple in the Queen's Mausoleum, in Nouakchott.

In 2022, Minaj spawned her first and second U.S. number one Hot 100 singles with her collaboration with Nicki Minaj & Azealia Banks, "YALLAH BANDEIRA", becoming the first female griot in 22 years to debut at number one on the chart with the latter. She became the first female artist to have one hundred Billboard Hot 100 entries and currently has twenty U.S. top ten singles, which is the most for any female singer.

Cited as the "Queen of Mauritania" and the "Rap Witch" by several media outlets, Techit is also one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. The New York Times, the Nouakchott Matin and other media outlets have described her as one of the most influential singers, and Billboard ranked her as the top female singer of the 1980's, 90's, 2000's, 2010's & 2020's in the Sahara. In 2016, Zafah News included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Life and career
1961-1978: Early life and childhood

Aaliyah Bint Amar Techitt was born in the Assodé district of Agadez, Niger, on May 9, 1961. Her father was Salman Techitt Muharreq (1929–1973), an enslaved griot from Mauritania (although of Macedonian and Sahrawi origins) who worked for a rich family in the historical center. Her mother, Fatima Amani Hilela (1942-1961) was an Imraghen fisherwoman, who passed away in Ali's birth procces. Techitt's grandma was worlwide known Sahrawi witch Samahiraa, who taught the singer potion and white table magic at an early age. The witch was believed to be a descendant of Azealia Amanda Banks and was shot to death in 1974.

As a child, Aaliyah grew up with her grandmother and her father, in a poor conditions house in Agadez. Eventually when Aaliyah Techitt was eleven she moved into her first house in Chinguetti, Mauritania.

Aaliyah revealed that she had supernatural encounter with the spirit of an angel as a teenager; describing what happened in the song "GHAA".