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A run down of some of the best of 90s French rap

_A _B _C _ D _E_ F_ G_ H _I_ J_ K_ L_ M _
_N _O_ P _Q_R _ S_ T _U _ V _W _X _ Y _Z _





  • 11:30 'Contre les Lois Racistes' 12". A massive protest track (11 mins 30 secs long) against racist laws being implemented in France, featuring loads of France's top rappers (Akhenaton & Freeman (IAM), Arco & Mystik, Assassin, Aze, Djoloff, Fabe, Kabal, Menelik, Ministere AMER, RadikalKicker, Jean-François Richet, RootsNeg', SLEO, SoldatsFadas, White & Spirit, Yazid), with beats reminiscent of Assassin releases, supplied by DJ Spirit.

  • 113 'Ni Barreaux, Ni Barrieres, Ni Frontieres' LP. Coming from the Mafia Cainfri crew (with Ideal J & Different Teep), 113 have come out with a superb, excellently produced (an all-French affair with Medhi, Logilo and Mysta.D delivering the goods) and very well presented album. Sorted.

  • 2 Squatt 'Survivre' EP. Undaground biznizz here. Dry, bare, well produced beats, good use of scratching, and some nice flows on top. Clever sampling too - there's a sitar in there somewhere! An EP of quality...

  • Lamifa presente 360 compil LP. A varied compilation, but with some high points (SLEO, for example). Give it a listen if you get the chance, but don't go and spend good money on it...

  • Afro Jazz 'Afrocalypse' LP, 'Afro Jazz' 12". A really good debut album from these Parisians. Excellent production (supplied, by the way, by Diamond D, Beatminerz and Buckwild among others), top vocals (with guest spots by (a bored sounding) ODB, Supreme NTM, Big Red from Raggasonic and others). There are a variety of styles from hardcore growly vocals and hard beats to more laid back tracks. The chanted choruses sometimes seem to go on a bit, but that's a minor point really. So a top album all in all - and a dead nice sleeve too!

  • Aggression Verbale 'Phoenix'/'Ambiance Monotone' 12". This taster of their forthcoming album leaves you wanting more, which I suppose is the point! There's nice heavy bass on both tracks, but apart from that the beats aren't alike. The first track has an original baroque-sounding accordion loop while the second track has more conventional backing. The lyrics and delivery aren't over-inspiring, but this is a good 12".

  • AK 700 'Chapitre 1' EP. This is a solid underground EP, laidback beats and not bad delivery by the rapper.

  • Akhenaton 'La Face B' & 'Bad Boys de Marseille' 12"s, 'Métèque et Mat' LP. These are both excellent 12"s, with remixes that really do something for them. 'La Face B' has remixes by Cut Killer and Pete Rock, both of which are excellent, and 'Bad Boys de Marseille' is virtually unrecognisable, with new vocals and entirely different beats. Value for money AND wicked hip hop. The album is also an excellent production - consistently good tracks, top production, intelligent lyrics (sometimes funny, but not like I'AM) that reveal a troubled soul behind the rapper who just 2 years previously was dancing 'Le Mia'.

  • Aktivist 'Stereotape' LP. This album is the kind of gem that doesn't come round that often... Excellent throughout, production, vocals, lyrics - the lot. On Hostile Records, this label is really building an impressive array of releases.

  • Alliance Ethnik 'Respect' 12". Not much to say about the A side really. Pretty commercial, but a great party record - excellent bouncy beats, deep bass, whiney synth - you know the scenario ... The B-side, however, is something else - 2 excellent remixes provided by none other than Prince Paul. Wicked.

  • Arsenal Records 'Le Vrai Hip-hop' compilation LP. I hardly need tell you that this LP is incredibly good. Featuring La Cliqua, Double Pact, Petit Boss ... La creme de la creme.

  • Arsenik 'Quelques Gouttes Suffisent...' LP. After their excellent appearance on the 'L'Art d'Utiliser son Savoir' compilation, I have to say I'm disappointed with this album. I was expecting a lot from it, but it seems that the slick production of 'Secteur A' got their first. Don't get me wrong - this is a good album - it's just that it could have been better. There are some tracks that remind us of what could have been (the title track and 'Ils M'appellent' for example), and the lyrics are pretty uncompromising throughout, but I find that there is too much singing, chart-oriented stuff.

  • 'L'Art d'Utiliser son Savoir' compilation LP. Patchy, but with moments of excellence, particularly the tracks by Ministere AMER and Arsenik.

  • Assassin 'L'odysée Suit son Cours' 'Shoota Babylon' & 'Ecrire Contre l'Oubli' 12"s. These guys have excellent, conscious lyrics and hard beats, with a few hints of reggae here and there. All three of the 12"s I've listed do actually have something in common, which is that they feature parts I-III of 'Le Undaground S'exprime', wicked seven to nine minute-long freestyles with more and lesser-known French rappers. They also all feature unreleased tracks, a feature of Assassin 12"s that makes them one of the best value bands around. Wicked.

  • Assassin 'L'Homicide Volontaire', 'Le Futur, que Nous Reserve-t-il?' LPs. Great albums. Sticking to their value-for-money principles, they released 'Le futur ...' in 2 volumes, each at half the normal price of an album. "L'Homicide Volontaire" was a change in direction. The beats have slowed down, and there is a much more noticeable ragga/reggae influence in the beats.

  • ATK 'Heptagone' LP. This album was eagerly anticipated on the underground, and this crew have delivered a real quality album. Variety in the beats is always a key ingredient to an album you can listen to again and again, and this album really does have a variety, without sounding disjointed. From classical music, to driving beats reminiscent of 80s US TV shows on the title track. The vocals are well delivered, flowing nicely over the well produced backing. A class album.

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  • Busta Flex 'Busta Flex' LP. Wicked album - Busta's freestyling background comes through strongly in his lyrics which are cleverly used and flow really well. The beats are superbly produced by Kool Shen, and there are top support slots filled by NTM, Zoxea & Oxmo Puccino. So a wicked debut from our Busta, following up his - in my opinion - even better 12" 'Kike avec mes Nike'.

  • Beat de Boul 'Dans la Sono' LP. This mini-album is the first fruit of the Sages Poetes de la Rue's new label 'Beat de Boule'. It's a compilation of groups from the same area of Paris. Mostly of a high standard, with smart production and good beats. Any new release from the Sages Pos is always most welcome...

  • Bastion compilation LP. Variable, as underground compilations often are, but there is real quality here, and alot of names to watch in the not too distant future.

  • Bouducon Production 'Bouducon Production' LP. Good fun stuff this, from Toulouse. Bouducon Productions are from the same stables and feature some of the same members as The Fabulous Troubadours.

  • La Brigade 'Le Ring' 12", 'Acid' EP, 'La Machine' EP. 'Acid' & 'La Machine' are the more recent releases from La Brigade, and 'Le Ring' is kind of a homage to Mike Tyson, it seems. All of the releases have solid beats and lyrics lyrics are well delivered and flow nicely. The more recent releases have a more laid back feel to them. All are pretty excellent.

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  • Chronique de Mars compil LP. This is a dead good compilation. Purely Marseillais artists (which has caused a bit of resentment in Paris...), it shows that there's more to Marseille rap than I'AM (other than I'AM, there are Fonky Family, 3e Oeil, K.Rhyme le Roi, Def Bond and others). The beats, of course, are well produced, and all the rappers do the biz.

  • La Cliqua 'La Cliqua' LP, 'Pas de Place Pour les Traitres' 12", 'Freaky Flow' 12" & 'Conçu Pour Durer' LP. La Cliquas' latest offering has been given a lukewarm reception from French heads, and it really isn't up to the high standards they've set themselves. It's not a bad album, just a disappointment. There are some nice tracks on there, and Rocca & Daddy Lord C remind us why releases from La Cliqua are so eagerly anticipated. Still - 4 vinyls - I like this development in the French vinyl market.
    I've already mentioned the previous releases elsewhere, but no harm in mentioning them again. Freaky Flow is an excellent track, with a cool remix, featuring a sample you're sure to wreckonize if you know Smiff n Wessun (among others). The album ... what can I say ... it's incredible! Check it out at all costs.

  • La Confrerie 'La Confrerie' LP. Laid back beats, with (sometimes incongruously) harder vocals. Good production, and good lyrics too. A good debut album.

  • Cut Killer 'Operation Freestyle' LP, 'Malpartis' 12", 'Hip-hop Soul Party III' LP. A quality album, 'Operation Freestyle'. A good selection of well- and lesser-known artists (113 Clan, Cote Obscur, Beat 2 Boul, Puzzle, Al & Duke etc), doing their stuff in style over a variety of beats skillfully provided by the Cut Killer. Sell-out he may be, but he can still deliver the goods... Watch out for that Menage a 3 track (sampling the same string loop that The Verve used) - that's the big single off this album or I'll eat my mouse mat.
    'Malpartis' is a single taken from CK's compilation, 'The CK Show'. It's OK... commercial - chart-bound without a doubt.
    'HH Soul Party' is a mix tape basically, put out by France's no. 1 DJ, Cut Killer. The previous 2 volumes were good, but this one is, for me, the best, with 2 sides of vinyl (or one CD) devoted to French rap, the other record featuring US artists. My one complaint is that I can't stand swing and there's too much for my taste on the US side, but this doesn't cast too great a shadow over the rest of the compilation, which is superb.

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  • Daomen 'Chiale Baby, Chiale'/'Rude Boy' 12". I was looking forward to this after Daomen's excellent track on the Nouvelle Donne soundtrack. These two tracks don't quite match up to that one, but they're good tracks even so - differing in styles, with the Daomen doing their stuff nicely.

  • Masta Doudou 'Trop Loin' 12". If Doudou's name rings a bell, it's from his days with 'Timide et Sans Complexe'. With Cut Killer on production, this was never going to be Timide et Sans Complexe II. Doudou delivers his distinctive growly vocals, over tight production with a bit of a commercial edge. Pretty good.

  • Doc Gynéco 'Né ici' 12", 'Viens Voir le Docteur' 12" & 'Première Consultation' LP. 'Né ici' is the latest release from the Doc. There's a good reggae remix of the title track done with the Neg'Marrons, and an excellent b-side featuring Arsenik.
    'Viens Voir ...' is the track that launched this guy into the French scene and laid out his stall. He was for a long time in the Ministere AMER posse, but left to go solo, and you wouldn't recognise this new style. The beats for the album are mostly provided by a live band, the lyrics are more funny than political, and the feel is generally more laid back. Nice jeep tunes.

  • D.Abuz System 'Ça se Passe' LP. Kind of a mini LP. Production, lyrics and delivery all on point. Nicely done.

  • Dee Nasty 'Le Diamant est Eternel' LP, 'Deenastyle' LP 'Meme le Diable ne Peut pas m'aider' 12". This guy was the first french rapper to release an album, selling it on the streets of Paris. He's since moved on, he doesn't rap much these days, sticking to DJing and producing for others. As such, his albums tend to be compilations and have in the past been a bit patchy, but always with some real blinders on them. His latest compilation though, 'Le Diamant...' is wicked. Sticking to what he knows best, Dee Nasty has brought together the creme de la creme of the French DJs (including Crazy B, Faster J, Dee Nasty himself and of course Cut Killer) and produced a really good album. There are some vocal tracks, but this is one album where they are secondary to the men behind the wheels of steel.
    'Meme le diable ...' was not from an album, and features Big Brother Hakim on vocals. It's excellent.

  • Democrates D 'La Voie du Peuple' LP. This was a long-awaited album. After one of the most striking tracks on 'Jimmy Jay's Cool Sessions', this album was always going to be one to watch. It's varied in style, ranging from laid-back funky beats to quite hardcore stuff. The delivery from the rappers is excellent throughout and, as you'd expect from Jimmy Jay, the production is excellent.

  • Département E Compilation LP. Double album, some excellent tracks but a bit patchy. A bit restricting in that all the artists came from the same area of Paris.

  • De Puta Madre 'Une Balle Dans la Tete' LP. A tough one to pin down, this. The beats are very influenced by Muggs, laid-back & doped up, the vocals kind of similar in style to House of Pain. It's a good enough album, but not overly original.

  • 2 Bal/2 Nég '3 x Plus Efficace' LP. Excellent album. Great beats and flows, with one of the stand out tracks being 'Labyrinthe' that Rocca (from La Cliqua) guests on.

  • Différent Teep 'La Route est Longue' EP, 'La Rime Urbaine' LP. Good album - well produced. Good to see them come through and fulfill the potential they showed with their earlier releases. The EP originally came out in '95 as an underground 12", and this is the re-released, revamped version with a nice remix of the title track. Shame they left off 'Tout se ressemble', which was one of the stand-outs for me on the original.

  • Donya '100 Regrets' LP. It's good to see another woman coming through on the French scene. She's affiliated to Secteur A (Arsenik, Stomy Bugsy etc) so you know she's going to get the exposure. This really is a Secteur A album. Although it's produced by Calbo out of Arsenik, this is lacking the raw edge just the way Arsenik's album was. Smoothly produced, and the vocals are pretty well delivered too. It'll be interesting to see how this one sells...

  • Double Pact 'PACT' EP, 'Impact #3' EP. An excellent comeback from this young Swiss duo. They've matured well, experimenting with the speed of the beats to good effect on 'Live du Labo'. Quality vinyl.
    'Impact...' was an Arsenal Records production. Not their best, but the production and beats are superb, and the album overall is one of quality.

  • Driver 'Le Grand Schelem' LP, 'Aie Aie Aie' 12". The single's title says it all really... don't like this one little bit. This is what's going wrong at the moment in the French scene - a rapper who really isn't much good being over-hyped by a record company and selling loads of albums in the process... sad.

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  • Eastwoo EP. A Cut Killer production, featuring East who died in 1996. The two of them had been together as DJ/MC partners, and this four track EP puts together the few recordings of East rapping that hadn't previously been released. It features IAM, Fabe, Daddy Lord C, Khonda & Eros. That the EP has excellent production goes without saying...

  • DJ Enuff 'My Definition of Hip Hop - French Flavour Vol 1' LP. An American DJ taking a real interest in the French scene and producing a great album. 22 tracks, 18 previously unreleased, featuring loads of big name groups (Sages Poetes de la Rue, Tout Simplement Noir, D.Abuz System) plus a stack of underground artists (S-Kadrille, Ex-Nihilo, Aktivist). This is a great one to buy for anyone wanting to find out about the current state of French rap.

  • EJM 'La Rue et le Biz' LP. Quite an old one this, jazzy beats and nice vocals. Nothing special, but a goodie nevertheless.

  • Emmigrands '2 Philadelphie a Paris' 12". This is a new group, and this, their first 12", is making quite an impact. Two French rappers, one of whom has been living in the US, rapping over tight beats, with a guest from Common (Sense). A pretty impressive debut.

  • Expression Direkt 'Le Bout du Monde' LP, 'Mon Esprit Part en Couilles' 12". Expression Direkt's first real album, and it's everything I'd expected really. A bit patchy, varying in styles from party tracks to quite bare & laid-back tracks, with well-delivered vocals, good lyrics, good production. A good album then, no doubt, but not a classic.
    'Mon Esprit...' launched Express Di and this is a classic. Its first appearance was on the compilation 'Ghetto Youth Progress', and then it featured in the film La Haine. That's what made it blow up, and it was released with some excellent remixes. Its definately a Jeep tune, with a heavy bass line, but unlike most of the genre, the lyrics are intelligent too.

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  • Fabe 'Detournement de Son' LP, 'Lettre au President' 12", 'Le Fond et la Forme' LP. Fabe's latest offering comes out of the HH stables of Cut Killer, and features a variety of producers (including Sofkry, Logilo, Mehdi, Cut Killer and Cutee B). Fabe's lyrics ride over these varied and well-produced beats with his inimitable style and ever-intelligent lyrics. The beats are different to on his previous albums too, and they work well for him. A really good album.
    I enjoyed his first album ("Befa surprend ses freres"), but 'Le Fond...' surpasses it in the quality of the beats, vocals and prduction. The lyrics are excellent. Fabe is one of the few rappers not afraid to make constructive criticisms of society, rather than just ignoring the bigger picture. The first 12", 'Lettre ...' is excellent too. As always with Fabe's 12"s, there are unreleased tracks as well as remixes. Quality throughout.

  • Fonky Family 'Hors Serie vol.1' EP, 'Si Dieu Veut... (Inch 'Allah)' LP. FF's lates EP isn't upt to the standards they set for themselves with their album. It's pretty uninspiring, and smacks of fulfilling contracts rather than them really wanting to get something out. Still not bad though - just not as good as the album.
    When the album came out, I was like 'at last - another group represents from Marseille'. There's so much talent there, an album like this was just waiting to be made. Strongly Marseillais, excellent production, good variety of styles in the music and the delivery from the rappers. Superb.

  • Freeman 'L'Palais de Justice' LP. Freeman is the next member of I'AM to bring out his solo album, and it is of course very well produced (on the whole by Akhenaton, Kheops, Shurik'n and Imhotep) and rhymed, but ultimately uninspiring. Coming on 3 vinyls which is always nice, it features K.Rhyme le Roi heavily, so expect a solo effort from him before long. This is a good album, and it features some scratching, which is rare in big-selling French rap these days, and is good to see.

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  • Good J Rex 'BDJ' Mini-LP. Bit of a curate's egg - good in parts. Slick beats throughout, and the tracks with beats by EJM are particularly good, but I'm afraid I just don't like Good J's voice. A bit too US-sounding too.

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  • Hasheem 'Il a Fallu' LP. This is a swing album, so why am I reviewing it? Well, it's on Arsenal Records for a start, it comes highly recommended, and why not? Anyway, I don't like it much, just because I don't like swing much. It's a good album of its genre, with good guest spots from Fabe and Dany Dan amongst others. The production is definately on point, and Hasheem's voice does everything asked of it. It just isn't my thing.

  • Homecore Compilation. An interesting concept, from France's premier make of hiphop clothing. This album isn't what I expected - not all the big names of the scene coming to pay tribute. In fact it has a lot of lesser-known artists (Res KP, Reda, Triptik) plus DJ Poska, who deliver quality tracks throughout (except for the inexplicable inclusion of a dodgy techno group who do 2 tracks!).

  • 'Hostile' Compil LP vols 1 & 2. Volume 2 has come out, not before time, and I have to say the quality is consistently excellent. A good combination of big names (Freeman from IAM, Raphael from La Cliqua)and lesser-known rappers (Futuristiq, 16/9) over superbly produced, varied beats. Lets hope that more of the lesser-known rappers come through with their own releases than did from the first volume.
    Volume 1 like most underground compilations is a bit patchy, but when it's good, it's very very good. Arsenik and the fabulous X-Men are among the stand-outs, with Polo and 2 Bal Niggets putting in a pretty impressive performance too.

  • 'Hip-hop Vibes' Compil LP vols 1 & 3. A mixed bag - overall good underground compilations. Worth a detour. Makes you wonder what happened to volume 2, doesn't it...?

  • La Harissa 'Portos Ricos' LP, 'Vas t'Faire' 12". The LP was a very pleasant surprise. It's patchy, but the vocal styles have calmed down and the production is more consistently good.
    The 12" is OK, but not a classic by any means. It sounds a bit like the early releases by Kaliphz. A bit rough.

  • La Haine 'Musique Inspirée du Filme' compilation LP. Incredibly good compilation this. Virtually all the best of the French rap scene featuring. Great stuff. A closer look at the film here.

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  • I'AM 'L'Ecole du Micro d'Argent', 'Ombre est Lumière', '... de la Planete Mars' LPs. Whoa ... These blokes really do the biz. Their albums are listed in reverse order, 'L'ecole ...' has just been released and features a track with Sunz of Man. It's a triple vinyl, the production is fantastic, and the rhyming is just great. A classic. Their previous album, 'Ombre ...' was the one that really blew them up in France. They had a massive hit with a track off it called 'Je Danse le Mia' (which I think was the first French track to appear on 'Yo! MTV raps' - wicked video). This album comes in 4 vinyls in two volumes, or a double CD. Each volume lasts over 70 minutes. This,too, is a classic album, although if you ask a French head about it they'll probably pull a face 'cuz they've heard it so much. A bit of the Solaar effect. Their first major release, '... de la Planete Mars' is still listenable after all this time, but is starting to show its age. Still a classy slab of vinyl though. Go to the official I'AM homepage

  • Ideal J 'Le Combat Continue' LP, 'Original MCs sur une Mission' LP. Two quality albums from a good crew. The latest, 'Le Combat...', has great productionand beats that are sometimes complex, always rock solid, underneath excellent vocals. This is Kery James and crew's first album for 2 & a half years, and it has been worth the wait. Quality album, also with good guest spots from Different Teep, 113 and others.

  • IMS 'La Bible du Soldat' LP. Egosyst (and Khondo in places) from La Cliqua produces a good album that doesn't seem to have caused as much disturbance as it should have. It is very Cliqua-esque in sound, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and is well worth looking out for.

  • Independant 91-93-13 Compilation EP. A good EP this - v. underground stuff. Stand out track for me is from the Marseiile band, '3eme Oeil'.

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  • Kabal 'La Conscience S'élève' LP. Obviously on Assassin Productions, if you know Assassin's stuff, you'll know what to expect here. Although it has the Assassin flavour, it also has its own identity, and is well worth a listen.

  • Katrofazz 'Millesime' mini LP. A classy release from Bordeaux. Not all of the tracks are top quality, but there are enough gooduns to more than make up for the duds. Head-nodding beats, well produced, with smart sampling and vocals that fit really well.

  • Kheops 'Sad Hill' LP. Superb! Just get it. What an album! It features, among others, IAM (as a group and as solo artists), X.Men, Stomy, Def Bond and Oxmo Puccino.

  • KDD 'Resurrection' & 'Opte pour le K' LPs. I've decided now that 'Resurrection' is a pretty classy album. An excellent comeback and an utter change of direction for them. On the whole they've left behind some of the more unusual and experimental elements they had on their first album, but it makes the album more easy to listen to and also means it'll age better.
    The first album is a different kettle of fish. Fun and funky on the whole, with varying styles but obviously aimed at the commercial end of the market. There's more to it than your average commercial rap, though. The group seems more prepared to try something different, even bringing a jungle beat in for half a track at one point.

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  • 'L 432' Compilation LP. This is a good compilation. Some exclusive tracks, mostly previously released in some form or another. It features a few underground rappers (Oxmo Puccino, Lacey and others), plus a rapping appearance from Lucien (as in ATCQ's 'Luck of ...'). Excellent.

  • Lady Laistee 'L'impact Net' 12". A nice track from probably France's best female rapper. Dense vocals over some nice beatrs provided by Slydo. A goodun - let's see if an album follows...

  • Lamifa 'OPA sur la Rue' LP. A commercial offering from the stables of Jimmy Jay. Excellent production, as you'd expect, with bouncy beats and quite good lyrics.

  • Legitime Processus 'Legitime Processus' LP. This double vinyl has an underground feel to it, from the blurry cover photo to the sounds and beats. Good scratching and nice flows all over the place.

  • Les Little 'Les Vrais' LP. Interesting in that these guys are now the Mafia Underground, producing some of the better French rap recently, there are some good tracks on the album, but it hasn't half dated.

  • 'Les Liens Sacrés' compil mini LP. A good little compiation (7 tracks), featuring the likes of 113, Different Teep, Ideal J and Mafia K'1 Fri. Over beats produced by DJ Mehdi, all represent nicely. Nice one.

  • Logilo' 'Pour l'Amour du HIP HOP' EP. An excellent idea - the cream of the tracks from Logilo's mix tape volume 4 released on vinyl. Excellent tracks from ATK, Different Teep/113, Sir Doum's and others.

  • Lone 'Lone' LP. Lone'd previously appeared as part of a duo 'AS Incontrolables', that he doesn't like talking about... This most recent 12" is another change of style for him, with good guest spots from Emmigrands amongst others. Good quality stuff, nice beats - a taster that does its job of making us look forward to the album.
    The album was a pretty cool first solo effort from Lone. It album also features Busta Flex, a well known freestyler who has now released an album of his own. The beats are well produced and funky, and the two vocalists have good flows although their styles can be a bit wearing after a while.

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  • Mafia Trece 'Cosa Nostra' LP. The latest sensation of the French scene. This enormous crew come out with all guns blazing, producing an album over an hour long, with each track as solid as the next. Excellent guest slots, an all round excellent album, my only complaint being the use of the tired Mafia imagery.

  • Mysta.D 'L'Invincible Armada' LP. A good compilation, well produced by Mysta.D & featuring the rest of the D.Abuz System crew along with others including Oxmo Puccino, Rockin' Squatt, Le T.I.N. and Zoxea.

  • Ma 6-T va Crack-er BOF LP. This is a wicked album. I haven't seen the film yet, but if this soundtrack is anything to go by, it'll be a cracker. The album features loads of the big names from the French scene including Passi & Stomy Bugsy (Ministere AMER), I'AM, X-Men, 2 Neg, 2 Bal, Assassin and lots more. Beats are supplied admirably by White & Spirit except for the Assassin track which they did themselves. All the groups represent to the fullest, even Menelik pulls out a goodie! As if all that wasn't enough, the album also features an exclusive track from KRS ONE! His track is solid, a typical KRS track.

  • Mafia Underground 'Egotrip' EP. Featuring Noxious on one side, David Bordey on the other. Just what you'd expect from the Mafia Underground - tight production and solid beats - but less of a West coast flavour than their previous outing, Ste Strauss (see below).

  • Malediction du Nord 'Au Commencement' LP. There's a dark feeling to the sound on this mini album, with its bare beats & the threatening delivery of the vocals. Good stuff.

  • Métisse 'BOF' Compilation LP. The rap tracks on this are excellent (particularly Assassin's contribution 'La Peur du Métissage'). A few too many other tracks though ...

  • M-Group 'Tu Disais Quoi?' LP, 'Fidèle au Rap' 12". A great album from M-Group, who I never thought I'd hear any more from I have to say. They've come back in full force with an album full of quality tracks from the vocals to the beats to the production. Nice.
    'Fidèle...' was odd. Not a bad track, but in spite of this and not bad artwork, this passed by utterly uncommented-upon. Odd.

  • Ministère AMER 'Pourquoi Tant de Haine' & '95200' LPs. When I first heard '95200' I couldn't believe it. Really original sounds, original flows. Great beats too.

  • Moda et Dan 'Le Mec Fier le Plus Sophistiqué' EP. This is pretty cool... mellow beats, soulful singing here and there, laidback vocals. Top production. Annoying thing is that they've since released an album ('These/Antithese') and apparently all these tracks are on it.

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  • Nouvelle Donne compil LP. Excellent compilation. It features new tracks from a collection of well- & lesser-known artists including Too Leust, Lyr-X, Daomen, Ill G (from the X.Men), Cercle Ferme & the Sages Pos.

    NTM - see under 'Supreme NTM'

  • Oxmo Puccino 'Opera Puccino' LP. This was an album that virtually all French heads were gagging for. We weren't disappointed either. Production on point, with Oxmo's distinctive delivery (reminiscent, it has to be said, of Biggie) riding nicely over the top. A really classy album, from the quite hardcore posse cut (featuring Akhenaton, Freeman, Le Rat Luciano and Pit Baccardi) to the heavily RnB-influenced 'Le Jour ou tu Partiras' featuring K-Reen. A really great album. One complaint? All the - by now quite boring really - Mafia references...

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  • Passi 'Les Tentations' LP. A varied album. Good lyrically and with excellent production. Some of the tracks seem too chart-oriented in the choice of beats and use of singing though. It's a good album even so - well worth lending an ear to...

  • Papifredo 'Gaze mon Petit' LP. Pretty hardcore stuff this. Head nodding beats & quite aggressively-delivered vocals. Nice one.

  • 'Plein Phares sur le 93000' Compil LP.

  • Positive Black Soul 'Salaam' LP. Straight outta Senegal, just like the rapper they got to guest on one of their tracks, MC Solaar. His name on the album guaranteed it a certain success, although for some poxy reason (something to do with licensing, I assume), the track featuring him did not appear on the album when it got a British release on Mango Records.

  • Premiere Classe Compilation. I really like this compilation. I don't know who Premiere Classe are, but some links to Secteur A or Hostile seem to be in evidence. It features some top quality rappers (Rohff, Rocca, Fonky Family, Kery James, Ekoue and more), and the 4 sides of vinyl are covered in slick, well-produced beats that flow along nicely. Some of the tracks veer too far towards commercialism - RnB singers on choruses and stuff - but on the whole, although this is obviously a commercial album aimed at the mass market, this is a good compilation.

  • Prodige Namor 'Bienvenue Dans le Traquenard' EP. An excellent debut EP from this Marseille band.

  • Produxion Incorruptibl 'Trahir ses Principes' mini LP. There's real variety in the music, from G-funk influences to tracks reminiscent of Ministere Amer, finishing with a lament over strings and piano with no beat that works really well. A slept-on release, but one of quality that heads should check.

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  • Mr "R" 'Au Commencement' LP. From the group 3 Coups that did the great 12" 'Check la Devise'. This is a quality album - there are some weaker tracks, but the gooduns really compensate for them. Odd samples like Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' (honestly), nice flows, and top quality beats when he uses more conventional beats like in 'Est-ce une Vie' ('What kind of a life is this', more or less), a good track with intelligent lyrics about life in prison.

  • Raggasonic 'Bleu Blanc Rouge' & 'Aiguisé Comme une Lame' 12"s. Raggasonic are an excellent, very political, ragga duo. While ragga isn't really my thing, these guys are really good! These two tracks feature rappers... The first of these has a remix on it featuring Lady Laistee, plus a jungle mix, both of which are excellent. 'Aiguisé comme une Lame' wasn't really released as such, no remixes or anything, but it did come out on 12". As with most things NTM figure on or do, it's wicked.

  • 'Rap a Cite' compil LP. This compilation takes its rap from three cities of hip-hop - Paris, New York and Marseille. It's a pretty good compilation, with each city representing well. French artists include Khondo, Karim le Roi and Less' du Neuf, with Sadat X and Rawcotics amongst the 'ricains. Worth your sheckles.

  • Les Refres 'Pousse les Murs' 12". Really nice party tracks with a heavy bass, retaining an underground feel in the best sense of the word. Expect to hear alot more from these 7 geezers.

  • La Releve 'Retour aux Sources' EP. Good stuff. The Roots' influence comes through loud & clear, but the tracks don't sound derived or pale imitations by any means. This doesn't come across like an record company deal that got the US band to record the tracks with La Releve (unlike, for example, ODB on the Afro Jazz album). La Releve really deliver the goods, and the support from The Roots is the icing on the cake.

  • Rocca 'Entre Deux Mondes' LP, 'Le Hip-hop mon Royaume' 12". Rocca has to be one of my favourite French rappers. Since I first heard him on the La Cliqua album, I've been waiting for this solo album, and I haven't been disappointed. This is an excellent debut, production on point from the Cliqua crew , with a few tracks featuring members of La Cliqua, and one track featuring the full group. The album also features a bonus track (on vinyl and CD, I'm glad to say), 'Le Hip-hop mon Royaume'. Those who got the Arsenal Records compilation will already be familiar with this track, which was released as a 12" with a Blahzay Blahzay remix on the B-side. It's, as if I need to tell you, a wicked track.

  • Rohff 'Appelles-moi Rohff' 12". This is a scorching 12" from Rohff (from the 113 Clan). DJ Mehdi laces him with some excellent laid-back beats, and Rohff's delivery and lyrics are going to take him a long way... Definitely one to watch.

  • La Rumeur 'Premier Volet: Poison d'Avril' & 'Deuxieme Volet: Le Franc Tireur' EPs. Wicked EPs, these. The first featured Ekoué, the second features Le Franc Tireur.
    The '2eme Volet...' is different in sound to the first one, but it's equally good in my opinion.
    'Poison d'Avril' had a real range of beats and samples used, quality delivery from the rappers too. A couple of good instrumentals included too. Can't wait for the album.

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  • Sages Poètes de la Rue 'Jusqu'a l'Amour' LP, 'Amoreux d'une Enigme' & 'Qu'est-ce qui fait marcher les Sages' 12"s, & 'Qu'est-ce ...' LP. Brilliant. What a comeback from the Beat 2 Boul posse. A double CD (it's not out on vinyl yet...) each with more than 50 minutes of music on, and with a smart CD Rom too. They've moved on and matured, obviously, but this is obviously a Sages Poetes release. The vocals are unmistakeable and still as brilliantly delivered and thought-out. The beats are still crisp, not too invasive and quite musical. There aren't any weak tracks on this album that I could point out, it really is that good. One guest spot, filled by their label-mate (Edel Records) Buddah Monk, on the excellent track 'Si tu rap faux', and the Monk does them proud.
    On to their older releases... Both 12s came out with radical remixes, particularly 'Qu'est-ce ..', and both represent real value for money, with unreleased tracks on them as well. Intelligent, non-violent lyrics, laid-back but crisp beats and variety in the rappers' delivery makes all of the Sages Pos releases well worth checking out. This is more than true of the album - consistently excellent stuff.

  • Sans Transition 'Les Gens' LP, 'La Vieille Ecole' 12". Sans Transition have come back after a long time off with an excellent album. It starts with their DJ showing his skills, and continues with excellent flows from the rappers over vaied beats. From an excellent jazzy track to deeper tracks more reflective of the times...
    Their first 12", 'La Vieille Ecole', an ode to the old school, was promising, but there was a long time between that and any more output from them. Laid back, with heavy bass and nice vocals.

  • Section Fu 'Mortal Kombat' 12". This isn't a bad 12", quite good in places in fact, but the whole thing is a bit too derived and American. The group concept seems heavily based on the Wu Tang image, with chess pieces and martial arts references. Taken on face value though, this is a good first effort from a young group.

  • Sens Unik 'Tribulations' LP. Less fun and funky than the Swiss rappers' first couploe of albums, but this takes nothing away from the quality of the whole thing. This includes the excellent freestyle cut featuring Rockin'Squatt (Assassin) and a couple of Yanks. Good stuff.

  • Shurik'n 'Ou je Vis' LP. The first solo outing from Shurik'n from I'AM really sounds like an album from a member of I'AM. I don't know if it's his voice that I can't disassociate from the group or if the beats really are that reminiscent of the group's... Either way, it doesn't matter that much if, like me, you like virtually everything I'AM touch. A triple vinyl (slightly excessive for an hour-long album but very welcome all the same!), with the quality of production you'd expect, with Shurik'n's smooth flow over the top of original samples, capably joined by guests including Faf la Rage, Freeman, Sat from Fonky Family and Akhenaton. Like they say in the South of France - Nice.

  • L'S.Kadrille 'Mack.01 - L'Impact du Son' EP. This is a really good quality 1st release from S.Kadrille and also the first from their label, C II la Balle (run by Ziko from La Brigade). With 5 tracks including a remix and a 6 minute posse cut, it's good value too. Latest news is that they're no longer with CII la Balle...

  • S.Kiv 'Exakt' EP. This is a quality first release from S.Kiv, on Vicelard Records. Tight beats with a fairly original sound and a nice delivery from the rapper. I'm looking forward to the album.

  • SLEO 'Je Lance les Dès', 'Qui Joue, Perd, Gagne' 12"s. These guys came out along with Democrates D and Les Sages Pos, but seem to have lost out in the credibility stakes. They make what are, for me, pretty good records - both of these 12"s are on pretty heavy rotation in Flat 4 - but they don't get the same recognition. Laid-back beats with a jazzy hint now and then, clever lyrics and a nice flow ... Good stuff.

  • MC Solaar 'Paradisiaque' LP, 'Nouveau Western' 12". When 'Paradisiaque' dropped, I thought "The new Solaar album ... at last!". Not having Jimmy Jay on the beats was a bit of a disappointment. Boom Bass is still up there though, sorting Claude MC out with his choons. I thought it'd be more of a grower than it has turned out to be. I find the feel of the album just a bit too slick, too worked-on, over-produced. I'm left disappointed, and I'm not sure I'll be shelling out for his latest eponymous album.
    Well, that's enough dwelling on the down-side because apart from that, Solaar has done too much classic stuff really to be able to pick out anything in particular. 'Nouveau Western' is one of the ones I prefer, but there are so many great tracks from both his albums, particularly the classics from his first album ('Qui Seme le Vent..') such as 'Caroline', 'Bouge de la' etc. Most French people have heard too much of him, seen him too much on poxy chat shows and the like, and are a bit sick of him. Rap fans see him as too commercial. For me though, his smooth delivery, intelligent lyrics and cool cool beats make him one of the best of the bunch.

  • Soon EMC 'Intime Conviction', 'Atout Point de Vue', 'Rap Jazz Soul' LPs. All good funky stuff.

  • Soul Swing 'Le Rétour de l'Ame Soul' EP. Just don't judge them by their name ... Top rap from Marseille.

  • 'Sous le Signe du Dragon' compilation mini-LP. This isn't really an official release, but it's a record that has the exclusive tracks from the album 'Hip-hop vs Shaolin'. A mixed bag, ranging from the excellent (eg Aktivist, 2Bal feat Mr R) to the less good (eg Menelik). Not really enough excellence to recommend it to buy, but it's certainly worth a listen.

  • Sozy Kaizer 'Whuz the P?' EP. This is pretty good, and pretty much slept-on all round. Doped-up & laid-back, with husky vocals delivered in French and Spanish.

  • Sté Strausz 'Sté Real' EP. Kind of G funk type affair, this. The first release by the Mafia Underground, founded by Sulee B (ex Les Little), a growing force in French rap. Pretty sound.

  • Stomy Bugsy 'Le Calibre Qu'il Faut' LP. A real change in direction this, for the first rapper from Ministere AMER to release a solo album. A bit of a G-funk feel to it, excellent production of course, and his unmistakeable voice over the top. Enjoyable, but I'm looking forward to the next M.A. outing.

  • Suprême NTM 'Suprême NTM' LP, 'Affirmative Action' (Saint-Denis Style Remix) 12", 'Paris Sous les Bombes', '1993 ... J'appuie sur la Gachette', 'Authentik' LPs. NTM are one of the original French rap groups, and they've now done 4 wicked albums. Their latest release, 'Suprême NTM', is varied and has received mixed reviews, but most of the response has been positive. It continues in the direction they've been going in since Authentik really. The beats are more laid back, the lyrics are less radical, but the end product is in my opinion of at least as high a quality. This is an album that will stil be listenable in a few years, and whose lyrics make you think rather than telling you what to think. So all in all, an excellent comeback.
    Their first album was Authentik, a pretty hardcore sound with speedy beats and lyrics with powerful content. The lyrical style has not changed much over the years, but the beats have slowed down. They're still crisp beats, very rarely what you'd call 'laid-back', but they've changed with the times.
    After a brief spell in prison by a racist judge in Toulon, Southern France, for anti-police songs and comments, they may be about to get their first UK release with a version of 'Affirmative Action' by Nas. I was dissapointed when I got this after all the build up it had received. The beats are the same, with a chorus chucked in. I was hoping for a complete NTM-style working over. Still, it's recognition of the high quality of French rap. That's something at least.

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  • Taxi - Soundtrack LP. The first soundtrack from the stables of I'AM, and a good one on the whole. There are a few weak tracks, more commercial-sounding, but for a major film like this, the composers have to think of the commercial audience. That's business. So there are a few RnB type tracks and genereally a bit too much singing, but this is a long album - not counting the tracks with the singing there are still 50 minutes of quality stuff. And it is quality stuff. The beats are solid and the rappers (I'AM of course - together and soloing, plus Def Bond, Fonky Family, Mafia Underground, 3e Oeil etc) do their thang.

  • Tchatche Attack compilation LP. A good compilation, with a mix of well known (Timide et Sans Complexe, Kabal) and less well known groups (Le Tone, Spicy Box etc), most of them doing the biz, although I've gone right off Timide et Sans Complexe. It's a double vinyl, the second vinyl is all reggae and ragga.

  • Time Bomb compilation LP . The French rap scene has always produced superb compilations, and this one does not break with tradition. Notable for featuring the X-Mens' first appearance on vinyl.

  • Timide et Sans Complexe 'Feu Dans le Ghetto' & 'Psychose' LPs. I found 'Psychose' a disappointment after what had come previously. It's a bit 'Horrorcore'-ish, compared to the straight ahead, no messing hardcore sound of their earlier EP 'Feu ...' or their first album.

  • Too Leust 'Le Présente se Conjugue au futur' LP. A good album, this. Some pretty good DJ work going on here and there, production not quite on point, but there's no reason it should have been passed over the way it was. The freestyle, 'Libere un Leust' is a wicked track.

  • 3 Coups 'Check la Devise' 12". Excellent. This track is so good. I bought this record just on the off chance, recognising some of the credits and their label (Alabaz), and it was a good choice. Quite hardcore, with solid beats, and an excellent flow.

  • 3eme Oeil 'Hier, aujourd'jui, demain..' LP. This was quite a widely anticipated album, and this crew from Marseille (yes, nurtured by I'Am!) have produced a long and on the whole high-quality album. It's not consistently brilliant, with the interludes breaking the flow too much, and one or two of the tracks seeming like fillers, but that aside, there are some real corkers on this album, and the production - needless to say - is top notch.

  • Tout Simplement Noir 'Dans Paris Nocturne' LP. Good 'n' funky stuff. Funny lyrics, tight beats and smart production. A good album.

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  • Vague Nocturne compil LP. I'm not going to say that this is all good, but there are some excellent rappers to discover on this compilation. There's one of the most original tracks I've heard for a long time from TTC (Tekilla, Tido & Cuizinier), the excellent M'Group, and lots more. The level of originality and quality in delivery and lyrics is higher than usual for this kind of underground compilation. Definitely one to check.

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  • Weedy & Tin 'Guet-Apens' LP. The blokes behind Expression Direkt come out with a good but not classic album. Lots of interesting collaborations, alot of excellent tracks.

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  • Les X / X-Men 'Jeunes, Coupables et Libres' LP, 'J'attaque du Mike' EP. Talk about long-awaited albums - I've been waiting for this one for a good 2 years now! I have to say that it's well worth the wait. An excellent album, really nice flows and lyrics, over tuneful but hard-edged beats with really nice basslines. Wicked.
    'J'attaque du Mike' is mor-tel! Laid back, cool delivery of lyrics, excellent beats. One of the stand-out tracks from the Time Bomb compilation (Night & Day Records) - see above.

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  • Yaya 'Mal en Point' 12". Jazzy stuff, nice piano sample, not the best delivery, but a good 12" none the less.

  • Yazid 'Je suis l'Arabe' 12" & LP. This ex-NTM rapper (he left after their album '1993 ...') makes a good comeback with 'Je suis ...'. It isn't a record that instantly grabs you and says 'I'm fuckin ace', but it grows. The album is better, in my opinion. The beats are generally West Coast, but Yazid's lyrics are well above average for that type of backdrop.

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