La Fouine is one of today’s top French rappers. His wide range includes everything from street anthems to highly melodic Hip Hop. Check out his top songs.
La Fouine is one of the today’s top French rap artists. The lanky rapper with the self-deprecating moniker (“la fouine” translates as “weasel”) is known for his highly melodic, American-style, French Hip Hop, and a flair for Pop and R&B hooks that appeal to the mainstream.
The son of a musician, La Fouine (born Laouni Mouhid) grew up listening to the French greats, like Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré. As a a kid, he attended a music conservatory where he studied music theory, singing, piano, saxophone, drums, and guitar. His younger brother is the rapper Canardo, who makes some of his beats.
The rapper draws inspiration from his life experience, including his troubled adolescence. He entered foster care at 15, and served four different prison stints between the ages of 16 and 21 for theft, drug trafficking, and other offenses before turning his life around.
He can do street anthems with the best of them, but he clearly knows the difference between depicting street life in the immigrant suburbs of Paris, and glorifying it. The influence of French rap pioneers NTM and the conscious rap group IAM has had a lingering effect on his music.
Debut Album: Bourré au son
His 2005 debut Bourré au son featured everything from tongue-twisting speed rapping, to uplifting singles like “L’Unité”, to funky songs with R&B hooks, like the Snoop Dogg-inspired “Quelque chose de spécial.”
Second Album: Aller-Retour
His gold-selling sophomore album once again offered something for everyone. While Aller-Retour spawned the hardcore singles “Reste en Chien” and “Banlieue Sale,” his R&B-laced songs were the ones that climbed the charts.
The top 20 hit “Tombé Pour Elle” featuring the R&B singer Amel Bent was one of the most popular songs on the album. Those who know their 90’s Hip Hop will instantly recognize the sample from Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents” (originally taken from jazz musician Lonnie Liston Smith):
“Qui Peut Me Stopper” (Who Can Stop Me) was another Top 20 hit from the album, and makes a great cut for a “get psyched” mix or workout playlist.
In 2008, the rapper released the first of his popular Capital du Crime compilation mixtapes. Since then, he’s put one out in every year when he didn’t release an official album.
Third Album: Mes repères
His 2009 platinum album Mes repères secured La Fouine’s place as one of France’s top rappers. The singles from this album didn’t chart as high, but that’s probably because he mostly skipped the radio singles in favor of grittier songs such as “Ça fait mal (Remix),” “Du Ferme,” and “Hamdoulah Ça Va.”
Fourth Album: La Fouine vs. Laouni
La Fouine vs Laouni
For his next feat, he released La Fouine vs. Laouni, a Jekyll-and-Hyde double album with one CD showcasing his rap persona, and the other, his real personality. The “La Fouine” disc (a.k.a. the first 13 songs on the digital album) is hardcore and all bravado, as you’d expect. You’ll find singles like “Caillera for Life” featuring American rapper The Game, “Passe-leur le Salam,” “Bafana Bafana (Remix)” and of course, the top 25 hit, “Veni, Vidi, Vici.”
On the Laouni disc, the rapper is solemn and introspective. This is where you’ll find songs with Pop appeal, like the mellow singles “Les Soleils de Minuit” and “D’où l’on vient,” and the Top 20 tribute song “Papa.” You’ll recognize the sample as Coldplay’s “Lost.”
The single “Toute la Night” appeared on the re-release of the album, where he made good use of a sample from the 90’s dance song “Rhythm of the Night” by Corona. La Fouine vs. Laouni went double-platinum and reached the number one spot.
Fifth Album: Drôle de parcours
Drôle de parcoursLa Fouine’s 2013 album, Drôle de parcours, has already outsold the previous one, going to number one on the French charts. The album checks all the boxes with street anthems (like the posse cut “Paname Boss”), club bangers, an ode to his daughter (“Fatima”), and radio-friendly singles with R&B hooks (“Ma meilleure” featuring Zaho, the top 20 single “J’avais pas les mots”). There’s also a bonus track featuring American rapper French Montana. (Both men are ethnic Moroccan.)
Here’s a single from the album called “Essaie Encore.” I love the piano on this.
Team BS
Team BSIn 2013, La Fouine formed a supergroup called Team BS (Banlieue Sale) made up of himself, Fababy, Sultan and the singer Sindy from the French reality show Popstars. The group has had 3 hit singles so far: “Team BS,” “Case Départ,” and “Fierté.”
Check out the video for “Case Départ”:
With five solo albums and this new group under his belt, La Fouine knows he has a formula that works. Expect him to be a fixture on the scene for a long time.
What’s your favorite La Fouine song? Leave a comment below.
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