Gnawa Diffusion are a French/North African band that combine elements of traditional gnawa music with rai, reggae, rock, funk and soul. The lead singer's lyrics are often controversial. Themes range from discussions of poverty in his native Algeria or corruption in government to denunciations of global military actions and perceived imperialism.

The Gnawa fused classical Islamic Sufism with pre-Islamic African traditions, whether local or sub-Saharan. Gnawas play deeply hypnotic trance music, marked by low-toned, rhythmic sintir melodies, call-and-response singing, hand clapping and cymbals called krakebs. Gnawa ceremonies use music and dance to evoke ancestral saints who can drive out evil, cure psychological ills, or remedy scorpion stings.