'eep 'op?

August 17, 2006 9:31 AM

Recommend me some French hiphop and rap, s'il vous plait.

Listening to the soundtrack of this parkour video (relevant music starts at about 2:00) linked from the blue the other day has me wanting to listen to more, but I don't know where to start. I've browsed some of the previous threads about French music but they're either too involved in music that's good for practicing French comprehension (not my goal), or just general pop instead of hip-hop specifically.

What should I be listening to? Both French (and DOM) and Québecois is great. Merci en avance!

posted by mendel to society & culture (24 comments total)

I know the thread you mentioned already listed him, but you really can't call yourself a French hip-hop enthusiast without listening to MC Solaar. He's the ultimate French rapper last time I checked, though perhaps that has changed.

Anything on the soundtrack to L'Haine is wonderful as well.
posted by zoomorphic at 9:39 AM on August 17, 2006

Excusez-moi, that would be La Haine, and links to both MC Solaar and the La Haine soundtrack would be most useful.
posted by zoomorphic at 9:45 AM on August 17, 2006

saiam super crew. best french hiphop in my opinion. when I lived in paris they were very popular.
posted by milarepa at 9:46 AM on August 17, 2006

Some popular bands :
Suprême NTM
Sniper
Fonky Family
Diam's
IAM
.../...

Some good stuff:
this, this, this...
posted by rom1 at 9:47 AM on August 17, 2006

Agreed on MC Solaar - he's the obvious place to start. Prose Combat is as good as he's done.

Clotaire K - Lebanese is a few years old but still good - it's French and Arabic with a chunky middle eastern feel. Agressive and brilliant.
posted by patricio at 9:48 AM on August 17, 2006

Some song IDs from the parkour video.
posted by stungeye at 9:49 AM on August 17, 2006

MC Solaar is well known abroad but barely heard on French radio or TV channels!
posted by rom1 at 9:49 AM on August 17, 2006

Suprême NTM
posted by fire&wings at 9:56 AM on August 17, 2006

stungeye: Excellent! I didn't think to search here for parkour.

Everyone else: Also excellent! (But don't feel like you have to stop.)
posted by mendel at 9:57 AM on August 17, 2006

I like rom1's recommendations. Most of the members of IAM have released albums individually; check them out for some very high-quality material. My favorites are Freeman and Shurik'n; Akhenaton is pretty good as well.

For Quebec rap, my favorites are Sans Pression, Yvon Krevé (get the pun?), and Dubmatique.

If you're interested in French-Arabic culture, you might be interested in Rai music, which shows up occasionally on hip-hop albums.

Some of my favorite songs:

Freeman: Bladi, Le Palais de Justice
Muzion: La vi ti neg
Fonky Family: Le Retour du Shit Squad; Dans La Legende; Mystere et Suspense; L'Amour du Risque
Shurik'n: Samourai; Lettre
Sans Pression: L'Etage Souterrain, Territoire Hostile, Pouki Sa, Patnai a Vie
IAM: Petit Frere, Le Bareme
Faf Larage: La Cavale

Wyclef has some cool creole songs, like Sang Fezi.

Enjoy!
posted by lunchbox at 10:02 AM on August 17, 2006

DJ Cam
He's more of an instrumentalist but it's a cool hip hop vibe. Check out 'Mad Blunted Jazz' for starters.
posted by beatnik808 at 10:07 AM on August 17, 2006

I can't believe noone has said DJ Cam, though maybe because he's more trip-hop/D&B. Either way, a fucking genius.
posted by ChasFile at 10:08 AM on August 17, 2006

No links, but you can always google them

Fonky Family
Yvon Krevé
Sans Pression
Faf Larage
Shurik'N
Akhenaton
Le Rat Luciano
113
Doc Gynéco
Assassin
Arsenik
Oxmo Puccino
3^ième Oeil

Haven't listened to all of them. I used to be way into Fonky Family - French rap from France. Also, I really liked Yvon Krevé and Sans Pression (french canadian rappers). The rest I had some things from, but not that much. Assassin might be hard to find with google for obvious reasons -- the album I had was "Illégal Mixtape", so you can search for that.

A really good compilation album I had was Chroniques de Mars, with tunes from Faf, Shurik'N, K. Rhyme le Roi, Freeman, le Rat, Akhenaton, 3^ième Oeil, Don Choa, Boss One and others.

And now I have Don Choa - Vapeurs Toxiques stuck in my head. Guess I'll have to find the mp3 and listen to it.

Hope you enjoy whatever you get. Myself, I'm trying to get into japanese rap now, but it's hard to find much of that on the net... MP3s I mean :).
posted by splice at 10:13 AM on August 17, 2006

Anyone mention TTC yet?

Also, NTM is money.
posted by dead_ at 10:55 AM on August 17, 2006

Iron Sy - Résistant. I first heard it over the closing credits to Banlieue 13 (District B13 here in the states.)

The only way to describe it is French gangster rap. It is now one of my very favorite songs.
posted by quin at 10:56 AM on August 17, 2006

I can't believe nobody mentioned Lady Laistee.
posted by j.s.f. at 11:37 AM on August 17, 2006

[that's verlan for stylée]
posted by j.s.f. at 11:37 AM on August 17, 2006

For Quebecois hip hop, check out Loco Locass. Separatist rap in with lots of slang and wordplay. I have Manifestif - don't know about their more recent stuff.
posted by Dasein at 11:43 AM on August 17, 2006

I second the TTC recommendation. Their album "Ceci n'es pas un disc," c'est magnifique.
Ooh, also seconding Shurik'n and Akhenaton. You guys are too quick.
posted by killjoy at 12:39 PM on August 17, 2006

Great posts everyone. I have been trying to find French Hip-Hop for a few years! Thanks!!!
posted by birdlips at 12:58 PM on August 17, 2006

not really french (although a good deal of the lyrics are), the senegalese group daara j.
posted by chelseagirl at 2:05 PM on August 17, 2006

Taxi film score
Mix-tape.com MP3 section
posted by rom1 at 11:55 PM on August 17, 2006

Amazing response, everyone, thanks! My best-answer finger is about to fall off.
posted by mendel at 8:24 AM on August 19, 2006

Another vote for IAM.
posted by furtive at 8:48 PM on August 19, 2006