MC Solaar - MC Solaar

The best and most popular French rapper, MC Solaar found success in America among fans of acid jazz and jazz-rap (if not the larger hip-hop community) after guesting on Guru's acclaimed Jazzmatazz project. His fluid phrasing makes up for his lack of English, and the production on his solo work (by DJ Jimmy Jay and Boom Bass of La Funk Mob) surpasses that of most of his hip-hop contemporaries. French rapper MC Solaar spends his self-titled album showcasing exactly why he was instantly championed by the hip-hop community as an international talent. From the jazzy, trip-hop-like beats courtesy of producers Zdar, Boom Bass, and Evil D to Solaar's lucid flow, this is quality hip-hop. As a rapper MC Solaar is known for his complexity, which relies on wordplay, lyricism, and philosophical inquiry. The music is based on dance rhythms. French songwriting has been infused with a love of rhyme and intricate wordplay ever since the Troubadours arrived on the scene in the 13th century. So it was hardly surprising that in the 1990's the French music world should thrill to the sound of a new word-dominated genre - rap music. Ironically, MC Solaar, the artist who has spearheaded the thriving French rap movement, was born not in France but in Africa. Solaar's phenomenal international success just goes to show that a little cultural métissage can go a very long way! MC Solaar's innovative rap style revolves around soft melodies and finely-crafted poetic lyrics. The French rapper, renowned as an insatiable reader of novels and newspapers and an avid collector of dictionaries, has an exceptional gift for language and his songs are filled with clever puns and wordplay.
Track list:

1. Onzième Commandement
2. Galakitika
3. 5ème Saison
4. Perfect
5. Songes
6. Vie N'Est Qu'un Moment
7. Vigipirap
8. Message de l'Ange
9. Nouvelle Genèse
10. Je Me Souviens (Flash-Back)
11. Argent Ne Fait Pas le Bonheur