Rap music didn’t really get going in France until the 90’s. MC Solaar was the first successful Hip Hop artist, putting French Rap in the mainstream and taking it worldwide. His jazzy, poetic, intellectual style was a good fit for the early 90’s. The gritty, hardcore lyrics of the seminal Rap duo Suprême NTM stood in stark contrast.
By the mid-to-late 90’s, rappers began emerging from the immigrant communities of France. 2Bal, the Afrocentric group IAM (“I am”) out of Marseilles, the Time Bomb Collective (including X-Men, Oxmo Puccino — who’s still around, and Lunatic — Booba’s former duo), and Ideal J (whose member Daddy Kerry is still active under the name “Kery James”) are among some of the acts considered to be the pioneers.
Back in the day, Female French rappers were few and far between, but Bams and Lady Laistee represented for the ladies, paving the way for Diam’s, Casey, and Keny Arcana in the 2000’s.
You can easily follow the evolution of French Rap — it’s everything that happened in the U.S., but on a time delay. As Robin from How I Met Your Mother would say, “The 80’s didn’t come to Canada until, like, ’93.” Seriously. Whichever year you think one of these videos was filmed in, subtract about 4 years from that. Their 1993 was our 1989.
Today, the aesthetics have caught to real time (thanks Internet!!), but much of the production and delivery still seems a carbon copy of American Rap. However, the stories portrayed in their lyrics are all their own.
My interest in Old School French Hip Hop began in Paris at a block party during Fete de la Musique 2010. When the DJ put on this song in the middle of his Old School set, the crowd erupted in cheers and started singing along. It was foreign to me, yet very familiar.
The song is “Respect,” by Alliance Ethnik, a Victoire de la Musique-winning French Rap group from the mid-90’s whose members were all descendants of French immigrants from various Francophone countries. This song has everything that epitomizes the Golden Era of Hip Hop music. A “posse”? Check. Positive lyrics? Check. Lyrical playfulness? Check. Vocals by Vinia Mojica? Check, check, check.
Alliance Ethnik’s album, Simple & Funky, was produced by Bob Power, who’s had his hand in many Rap classics, perhaps most notably A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight Marauders,” “The Low End Theory,” and “People’s Instinctive Travels,” as well as De La Soul’s “Buhloone Mind State.” You can’t get more Golden Era than that.
It’s nice to know that France has its own version of Old School. Journey with me back to the summer of ’95, and enjoy the video for “Respect.”
As for the other French Rappers from the 90’s, the main ones you need to know are the groups NTM and IAM, which Vice magazine calls “the N.W.A. and Public Enemy of France,” respectively. That’s pretty spot on. Here’s my full list of who’s who from the Old School:
Photo courtesy of groupe-iam.blogspot.com
IAM
The members of IAM adopted Egyptian names and themes and promoted conscious lyrics. The group, made up of Akhenaton, Imhotep, Kheops, Freeman, and Shurik’n, is considered one of the pioneers of French Rap. Their biggest hits include “Demain c’est loin,” “L’école du micro d’argent,” and “Petite Frere.”
The group won a Victorie de la Musique (French Grammy) for Best Group in 1995. With that (and MC Solaar’s win for Best Male Artist the same year), Hip Hop had finally arrived in France.
Supreme NTM
Suprême NTM was the hardcore duo made up of Joey Starr and Kool Shen. Two of their biggest hits were “Paris sous les bombes” and “Police,” but I’m featuring some of their mellower stuff like “That’s My People.”
La Brigade
The 12-member group La Brigade set their French lyrics to a soundtrack of underground, New York-style Hip Hop.
MC Solaar
The recognized godfather of the Rap movement in France, who went on to achieve international acclaim. His debut single, 1991’s “Bouge de Là,” was one of the first French Rap hits ever. With his street poet style, he became the first rapper to win a Victoire de la Musique. In addition to being named Best Male Artist in 1995, he won for Best Group (yes, Group!?) in 1992. Some of his other hits include “La belle et le bad boy,” and “Caroline.”
Fonky Family
Following in the footsteps of IAM, this rap group out of Marseilles was made up of 5 rappers (Le Rat Luciano, Don Choa, Sat, Fel, and Menzo), a producer (Pone), and DJ Djel. Their most notable recordings are the platinum albums Si Dieu veut… and Art de Rue, the Taxi soundtrack, and the gold EP Hors Série volume 1.
Here’s “Art de Rue,” featuring an 80’s-tastic sample of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.”
Oxmo Puccino
The genre-bending rapper Oxmo Puccino was perhaps his most hardcore on his very first album — but at the same time, his very first hit (“Mama Lova”) was an love song to mothers. His underground classic “Pucc Fiction” features fellow Time Bomb rapper Booba.
Here’s the full list:
- IAM
- Suprême NTM
- 2bal
- Fabe (I suggest “5h du Mat,” or anything by him)
- Bams (Female rapper)
- Mystik
- Busta Flex
- Doc Gyneco (ragga)
- Pit Baccardi
- Arsenik
- La Brigade
- Tout Simplement Noir
- Lunatic (Booba’s former group)
- Ideal J / Daddy Kery (known today as Kery James)
- MC Solaar
- Alliance Ethnik
- Lady Laistee
- Assassin
- Fonky Family
- Oxmo Puccino
French Rap Crews & Labels
- La Cliqua (including Daddy Lord C)
- Time Bomb
- Scred Connexion (Fabe, Mokless, etc.)
What’s your favorite French Rap song or artist from back in the day (or your favorite from the list here)? Leave a comment below:
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Thanks for the blog. I had been searching for the rap duo n i didnt know their name. I remember the vid but cudnt find them. Now, thanks to ur post, its ntm. They had this cool vid animated. Coolest vid.
maybe you need to add Mafia k1 Fry but its a good list
i love rfench rap the best rap after US rap
That’s a good recap of the 90’s indeed. Maybe you could’ve added Mafia K-1 Fry and Intouchable to the list, although they are probably too hardcore and therefore not mainstream enough for including in such a list.
Those are a couple of acts from the 90’s that I didn’t know about. Thanks for sharing, Danny.
I love french raps