About

Known credits:
31
Birthday:
1969-03-05
Place of birth:
Dakar, Sénégal
Website:
N/A

MC Solaar

Overview

Claude M'Barali, professionally known as MC Solaar (born 5 March 1969), is a French rapper of Senegalese and Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop artists. Some consider him as the best French rapper of all time.

MC Solaar is known for his complex lyrics and distinctive flows, which rely on word play, lyricism, and inquiry. In the English-speaking world, Solaar was signed by London-based acid jazz record label Talkin' Loud and recorded with British group Urban Species and the late rapper Guru, who was a member of the critically acclaimed New York-based rap group Gang Starr. Solaar has since released eight studio albums and one live album. His eighth studio album, Géopoétique, produced by Alain Etchart and mixed by sound engineer David Gnozzi, won best album of the year at the Victoires de la Musique awards in 2018.

Claude M'Barali was born in Dakar, Senegal, to parents from Chad. When he was six months old, his parents immigrated to France where they settled in the Parisian suburbs; initially in Saint-Denis, subsequently Maisons-Alfort and finally Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. When he was twelve, he went to live with an uncle in Cairo, Egypt for nine months where he discovered the Universal Zulu Nation and became fascinated with the rapping styles of Afrika Bambaataa. Upon his return to France, he passed the baccalauréat. The constant support from his mother was one of the reasons that he was able to pass the baccalauréat and still make music. He coined the stage name "MC Solaar" during his adolescence from his graffiti tags "SOAR" and "SOLAAR".

He studied languages at the Jussieu university campus and was a postgraduate in philosophy. He released his first single in 1990. MC Solaar went to Paris in the summer of 1991 with his friend Jimmy Jay in hopes of succeeding in the music industry. Success came quickly when his first single, "Bouge de là" ("Get Out of There"), based on a sample from Cymande's song "The Message" (1973) became a hit in the early 1990s. Many rappers who came out of Africa at the time spoke a lot about slavery and other topics in order to bring the history of their people into light. Nevertheless, the song went platinum in France and reached #5 on the national charts.

After the success of "Bouge de là", Solaar went on to support the American rap group De La Soul when they performed at the Olympia in Paris in September 1991. At the close of 1991, Solaar released Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo which went on to sell over 400,000 copies in France. With the success of his debut album in France, Solaar embarked upon extensive tours of Poland and Russia. In December 1992, he performed in twelve countries across West Africa, where his French rap style proved popular with African music fans. ...

Source: Article "MC Solaar" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting

2024 Taratata fête les 40 ans de Bercy Actor Self 59
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2024 MC Solaar - Basique, le concert Actor Self N/A
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2023 Taratata l'histoire Actor Self 59
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2023 Le Grand Rendez-Vous de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Actor Self N/A
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2022 Les Enfoirés 2022 - Un air d'Enfoirés Actor 59
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2022 Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï Actor Membre du comité de soutien 58
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2021 Symphonic Hip Hop 6 Actor Self 59
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2020 Les Enfoirés 2020 - Le Pari(s) des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2019 French Game Actor Self N/A
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2019 Les Enfoirés 2019 - Le Monde des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2018 Vianney en concert à l’AccorHotels Arena Actor Self N/A
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2018 Les Enfoirés 2018 - Musique ! Actor 59
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2017 Taratata fête ses 25 ans 100% live au Zénith Actor Self 59
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2017 Les Enfoirés 2017 - Mission Enfoirés Actor 59
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2016 Symphonic Hip Hop Actor N/A
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2016 Les Enfoirés 2016 - Au rendez-vous des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2015 Les Enfoirés 2015 - Sur la route des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2014 Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui Actor 59
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2014 Les Enfoirés 2014 - Bon anniversaire Les Enfoirés Actor 59
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2013 Les Enfoirés 2013 - La Boîte à Musique des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2012 Les 4 visages de Kery James Actor N/A
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2010 Les Enfoirés 2010 - Les Enfoirés... la Crise de Nerfs Actor 59
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2008 Les Enfoirés 2008 - Les secrets des Enfoirés Actor 59
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2005 Les Enfoirés, 15 ans d'Enfoirés Actor 59
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2002 Les Enfoirés 2002 - Tous dans le même bateau Actor 59
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2001 Les Enfoirés 2001 - L'odyssée des Enfoirés Actor 59
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1997 Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés Actor 59
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1994 Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool Actor Self N/A
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1993 RapLine Actor Self 59
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1991 Against Oblivion Actor Self 58
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Sound

2022 MC Solaar Symphonique à la Philharmonie de Paris Sound Sound 59
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