60 French Rap Classics: The Playlist from IAM to Orelsan

What is in LAPERO's French rap playlist?

The playlist lines up 60 songs and 35 different artists or groups as first credited act, not counting guests. It does not run in chronological order: the first ten tracks already range from 1996 to 2018.

Nine names appear at least three times, collaborations included.

Akhenaton and Shurik'n are members of IAM, and Orelsan appears a fourth time with Gringe as Casseurs Flowters ("Inachevés"). Next, with two tracks each, come 113, Bigflo & Oli, Lomepal, Nekfeu, Oxmo Puccino and Rohff.

Which albums and years for 13 tracks in the playlist?

Here are 13 songs from the playlist, with their year of first release and their album.

"Je danse le Mia" is built on a sample of George Benson's "Give Me the Night" and has a video directed by Michel Gondry. It was the second best-selling single in France in 1994. The album Suprême NTM was released on 20 April 1998: four of the group's five tracks in the playlist come from it.

The playlist by decade

The year used is that of first release, as an album track or as a single.

Paris, Marseille, Brussels: where do these classics come from?

The pioneers of the 1990s

In 1984, the TV show "H.I.P. H.O.P.", hosted by Sidney on TF1, introduced hip-hop culture to French audiences. IAM took its name in Marseille in 1988. The group today consists of Akhenaton, Shurik'n, Kheops, Imhotep and Kephren. Suprême NTM, the duo of JoeyStarr and Kool Shen, come from Seine-Saint-Denis, the department north-east of Paris. MC Solaar, born Claude M'Barali in Dakar, released his first single, "Bouge de là", in 1990.

These three names take 12 of the 60 places. IAM's L'École du micro d'argent, released on 18 March 1997 and certified diamond in France in 2005, provides three tracks: "L'empire du côté obscur", "Nés sous la même étoile" and "Petit frère". MC Solaar is here with "Les temps changent" (1997), "Solaar pleure" and "Hasta la Vista" (2001).

Greater Paris, from Val-d'Oise to Val-de-Marne

In Val-d'Oise, the Secteur Ä collective includes Passi, who grew up in Sarcelles ("Les flammes du mal", 1997), and Nèg' Marrons from Garges-lès-Gonesse ("Le bilan", 2000). Sniper, a group from Deuil-la-Barre, released "Gravé dans la roche" in 2003.

In Val-de-Marne, the Mafia K'1 Fry collective was founded in 1995 between Vitry-sur-Seine, Choisy-le-Roi, Orly and Joinville-le-Pont. It is here with "Pour ceux" (album La Cerise sur le ghetto, 2003) and through three of its founding members: Rohff, who left the collective in the mid-2000s, Kery James, who released "Banlieusards" in 2008, and 113, whose album Les Princes de la ville (1999) was largely produced by DJ Mehdi.

In Paris itself, Doc Gynéco grew up near Porte de la Chapelle in the 18th arrondissement. His album Première consultation, recorded in Los Angeles, came out on 15 April 1996 and provides three tracks. Oxmo Puccino grew up in the 19th. He contributes "L'enfant seul" (1998) and "Toucher l'horizon" (Le Cactus de Sibérie, 2004). Booba, born in Sèvres, has "Boulbi" (2006), "Scarface" (2011) and "92i veyron" (2015).

Marseille, from Fonky Family to "Bande organisée"

Marseille accounts for 12 tracks. In 1995, Akhenaton invited Fonky Family onto his solo album Métèque et mat. The 1996 reissue added "Bad Boys de Marseille, Pt. 2", with Shurik'n. Fonky Family, formed in 1994, released the album Art de rue in March 2001. Shurik'n released Où je vis, with "Samuraï" and "Lettre", in 1998.

The next generation follows: Psy 4 de la Rime with "Le son des bandits" (Block Party, 2002), then Soprano, a member of the group, with "Cosmo" (2014). Finally, "Bande organisée" was released on 15 August 2020. It comes from 13'Organisé, a project launched by Jul with around fifty Marseille rappers. Eight of them share the track, which reached number 1 on the French singles chart.

Brussels and Belgium

Damso, a Belgian rapper born in Kinshasa, started rapping in 2006. He is one of the artists with three tracks in the playlist: "Θ. Macarena", a single from the album Ipséité (2017), then "Silence" with Angèle and "Feu de bois", both on Lithopédion (2018). Roméo Elvis, Angèle's older brother, born like her in Uccle, features on "1000°C" by Lomepal, from the album Jeannine released on 7 December 2018.

Caen, Toulouse, Rennes: the map widens

Orelsan, associated with Caen, is here with "La terre est ronde" (2011), "Basique" (2017) and "La Quête" (2021). Toulouse brothers Bigflo & Oli contribute "Dommage" (album La Vraie Vie, 2017), winner of the original song award at the 2018 Victoires de la musique. Rennes group Columbine appear with "C'est pas grave" (2019).

For other repertoires, LAPERO also has 300 classic French songs and 150 rock classics.

Where to listen to the playlist

The playlist "RAP FRANCAIS - LES CLASSIQUES" is available on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube Music, with 60 tracks on each platform. The player below starts it directly.

How to turn it into a French rap music quiz

The French call a music quiz a blind test. Form teams of two to four, switch on shuffle and pick a quizmaster who keeps the screen out of sight. Four rounds of ten clips are enough for an evening.

• Round 1, the intro: 10 seconds of listening. One point for the artist, one point for the title.
• Round 2, the decade: 1990s, 2000s, 2010s or 2020s? One point per correct answer, plus a bonus point for the exact year when the song is in the table of 13 tracks.
• Round 3, the city: Marseille, Greater Paris or elsewhere (Brussels, Caen, Toulouse, Rennes)?
• Round 4, the guest: who joins the main artist? Possible answers: Angèle ("Silence"), Lord Kossity ("Ma Benz"), Vanessa Paradis ("Dans l'univers"), Roméo Elvis ("1000°C") or Jean Dujardin ("Pour un pote").

For a relaxed apéro with no competition, play the list in order: the eras alternate from one track to the next.

FAQ: LAPERO's French rap playlist

Conclusion

With 60 tracks released between 1993 and 2021, this French rap playlist covers 28 years of music: IAM, Suprême NTM and MC Solaar for the foundations, then Booba, Orelsan and Damso. Play it in order for an apéro, on shuffle for the quiz.