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.
Born Claude M'Barali in Senegal, Solaar later moved to Paris and released his first single, "Bouge de La," in 1990. Two later tracks became French hits, prompting the release of his first album, Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo, in 1991. Introduced to the U.S. by way of two compilations (Tommy Boy's Planet Rap and Island's The Rebirth of Cool), MC Solaar recorded "Le Bien, Le Mal" for 1993's Jazzmatazz LP. His second album, Prose Combat, earned an American release on Cohiba by 1994. Paradisiaque followed in 1997, and Solaar returned a year later with a self-titled effort. La Tour de la Question appeared in 1999.
He proceeded to develop his music into the new millennium with critically acclaimed sixth album Cinquiéme As in 2001. Follow-up Mach 6 came during 2003 for his European fans, and appeared another three years later in America. Solaar then decamped to New York in 2007 and recorded some of his most adventurous work there for Chapitre 7, which included an eclectic mix of distorted guitar riffs and a samba-influenced dance beat alongside his laid-back rap style. The French rapper released a compilation entitled Magnum 567 in 2010, which featured tracks from his fifth, sixth, and seventh records. In 2017, Solaar returned with the full-length album, Géopoétique, featuring the single "Sonotone."
© John Bush & Scott Kerr /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Triptyque : Lueurs célestes
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Play Two on 15 Mar 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Universal Music Distribution Deal on 15 Oct 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Géopoétique
French Music - Released by Osmose Inverse, under exclusive license to Play Two on 3 Nov 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cinquième as
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 13 Mar 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prose combat
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Universal Music Distribution Deal on 9 Feb 1994
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chapitre 7
French Music - Released by Sentinel ouest on 18 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Inch'allah
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 6 Aug 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Magnum 567
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 30 Jun 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paradisiaque
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Universal Music Distribution Deal on 3 Dec 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Le tour de la question
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 2 Oct 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TOUT SE TRANSFORME. (Bande originale du film « Transformers : Rise of the Beasts »)
Miscellaneous - Released by Play Two on 26 May 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
-
-
Hasta la vista
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 25 Jun 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solaar pleure
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 16 Oct 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marche ou rêve
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 17 Oct 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonotone
French Music - Released by Osmose Inverse, under exclusive license to Play Two on 1 Sep 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bouge de là (Part. 1)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Universal Music Distribution Deal on 25 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solaar pleure (Version symphonique)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sentinel ouest on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo