Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

Loved it loved it loved it. Everything sounds cooler in French. The beats are tight and so far beyond the rest of 1991, and even though I only understood every 10th word, the flow was gorgeous. Tres bien, j'adore!

This is some of the best rap that I didn’t understand a word of lol. Honestly, if I spoke French, this could possibly be a 5 depending on the lyrics. But man, this guy flows so nice, and the beats are delightful.

Had a run of mediocrity of late and was more in the mood for some uncomplicated rock, so French hip-hop on the weekend wasn't exactly welcomed this morning... Except about halfway through track 2 (the first proper track) I found myself grooving. I really like it. Love the music, I especially love MC Solaar's flow and rhythm, and frankly love the fact that I don't understand most of the lyrics. Treating everything as an instrument / parts of the whole. This was a genuine surprise, not only do I have nothing bad to say about it I'll probably listen again. 8/10 4 stars.

Surprisingly diverse sounds that pump in African, Jazz, Rap, and plenty others to make a strong record.

Eh ben, un français qui sait rapper! Pis bien en plus! Edit du futur: Mike Ladd est le fils de Robert Dimery. Si vous me lisez, sachez que je suis un très grand fan de vos critiques, fouillant les milliers de commentaires de chaque albums générés pour dénicher vos petites pépites de réflexions. Je vous salut depuis la belle province, toi et Robespière!

Definately better than expected. Mix of funk, jazz and hiphop. No idea what the lyrics are about, but they have a really nice flow.

Les Planets Digable

Dear oh dear I can't understand a word these rappers say

That was fun! Can’t tell you what he said, but I liked the way he said it.

I was today years old when i found out I love french rap. I listened to it all day long. So glad i was exposed to this.

What a gem! I never would have listened to this on my own. I can't tell what he's rapping about, but he seems to be doing so very skillfully and the beats are all great. This is music to make you feel cool. Loved it the whole way through.

9/10 I don’t understand what he’s saying, but who needs to when the vibes are this good 😎

well, shit - that was fantastic. i had a friend in college who was french, and for his final recording project, he produced a track of him rapping in french - and it was amazing! the tape was stuck in my friend's car, so every time we'd go anywhere, all we'd hear was georges screaming away. so this album of course reminds me of that, which is fantastic - but obviously it also stands on its own. the flow is so tight, you'd think he couldn't get any faster and harder after about the third track...but then raga jam comes up, and you fall over. super happy i got to hear this.

Mike Ladd est le fils de Robert Dimery

Rapping really doesn’t work in French

Fantastique! I had no idea this would be so good. Like Tribe but French. I will definitely listen to this again.

Great for a sunny day in London. Jazzy trip hop as much as rap. Chilled, musical delivery.

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo by MC Solaar (1991) Cet album est fascinant, en raison de sa fusion de hip hop, jazz, reggae et funk. Pour les anglophones, le fait qu’il soit composé et interprété dans Français n’est pas vraiment un obstacle au plaisir. Il est particulièrement remarquable pour avoir été produit en 1991. C’était assez tôt pour avoir une influence significative sur les rappeurs britanniques et américains. Nous y étions en 1917 et 1944. Avec ce disque, MC Solaar rend la pareille. Merci. La chanson-titre est une tournure intéressante du proverbe biblique « Qui sème le vent récolte la tempête » (Osée 8,7). MC Solaar échange « tempo » contre « tempête », une petite synecdoque astucieuse qui fonctionne poétiquement sinon exégétiquement. Je suis sûr qu’Osée avait autre chose en tête. MC Solaar n’a pas de type de voix que les Américains associent habituellement au rap ou au hip hop. Il a une qualité plutôt apaisante, ce qui rend l’expérience d’écoute très accessible. Certaines de ces chansons ont des arrière-plans éthérés et des rythmes sensuels. Dans « Quatier Nord » et « Ragga Jam », MC Solaar démontre une grande habileté à l’articulation rapide des consonnes. Ses styles vocaux sont polis et bien assortis à l’ambiance de chaque composition. C’est un disque qui élargit ses horizons musicaux. Ce serait un excellent album pour la musique de fond pour le travail. Pardonnez mon expression dans Français. 4/5

Probably would have enjoyed this more if I spoke French

cant let gang know i fw the french hip hop

Oh how we laughed when my friend got the job to promote this album when it came out. French rap?! "Ooh la la, baguette de merde. John-E-Hallidogg, connard!" (I may have work-shopped that a bit). Turns out the joke was on us, this is pretty good, his samples are fun and his flow is smooth. I will note that "Victime de la mode" does, however, sound like Nouvelle Vague covering "Don't Believe The Hype". This album doesn't have Solaar's great one that steals the Bonnie and Clyde riff, but is a good time nonetheless.

Mike Ladd est le fils de Robert Dimery.

Very enjoyable. I don't understand a word, but its still quite interesting - maybe the lyrics are stupid - who knows!

What an absolute delight for my 102nd album

That’s a 5. Color me pleasantly surprised at how damn nice French hip-hop feels to listen to; the amount of extra syllables & nuance in the language allows for some really mesmerizing flows to pop in & out without ever once breaking the rhythm of each track. MC Solaar runs through a myriad of styles here, hopping from Snoop Dogg to Phife Dawg to College Dropout-era Kanye to Shaggy, & he makes it work every time, & it’s really, really pleasing to listen to, even without understanding a single word of French. Instrumentally, this album jumps all over the place: some mid-2000s soul sampling, a little trip-hop, some shit that sounds like Sonic Adventure 2, some Grandmaster Flash-style funk, some ‘90s West Coast, a little bit of Nas, some N.W.A.-esque record-scratching heavy stuff, a little bit of Jamaican / reggae influence… it’s a lot, but it all sounds great. That’s a rough overview of styles, but there’s really not a definitive production style this album ever goes for. It’s certainly limited by the technology of 1991, but it feels really fresh & really cool all the same. Honestly, I’m impressed that this is 1991, because it does feel like a general amalgamation of styles that would really define the decade. Is this ahead of its time? Hell, maybe. Since I can’t exactly speak to the lyricism itself too much, save for translating a few songs just to get a better sense of the vibe, all I can really compliment is that the instrumentals tend to really match the lyrics. It’s truly an album that needs to be heard to understand, but it’s a very good rap album for 1991, and especially so for a French rap album. I liked it a lot, and I’ll absolutely bump this a few more times. It’s a pretty good 5.

Wow two jazz rap albums from 1991 back to back (I got The Low End Theory the day before this) this absolutely rips great flow and the delivery was so sexy I love French music hon hon hon bleuuugh hon hon

My buddy back in university knew French. Really well. He had this bit he would do. "Anything sounds sexy if you say it in French," he would confidently declare in the club. Then he would approach some cutie across the way to say something ridiculous to her like, "I'm sorry but my couch fell from the sky and hit you in the face." And she would just *melt*.

I really liked this. Don't understand French at all. But it was really enjoyable.

I groove with this, I rock with this. Most undoubtedly I fuck with this

Couldn’t understand wtf he saying but it’s a vibe. Would toss this on at a party

Classic foundational French hiphop album. Funky, great word play, great beats. MC Solaar sits somewhere between a Big Daddy Kane, Q-Tip and Guru in terms of style, flow and wordplay. Great to revisit this album, it's been a while. Worth listening to even if you don't speak French, as the beats are great, representative of the 1991 sound. Great album.

I found out about MC Solaar from Guru's Jazzmatazz. Smooth. 5/5

I have the release that came after this one. I can't think of the title at the moment but I will say this one is even better. I love the production on this. Very good.

Wish I could understand the lyrics

I'm shocked at how smooth and jammable this album is for its time and genre. Usually hip hop from this era feels very dated and often jarring. I would have guessed this album was at least a decade younger than it is.

I really like this jazz rap album. A great showcase of MC Solaar's rapping skills and a nice variety of songs. My favourite song on the album was the song named after the title, "Qui seme le vent revolted le tempo". I also really liked Quartier Nord for its high energy, use of the trumpet for the jazz vibe mixed with the DJ scratching and 80s hiphop vibe really makes a special song.

Surprisingly it was wonderful. I have heard it almost three times.

Intro - 4/5 Qui seme le vent recolte le tempo - 4.5/5 Matiere grasse contre matiere grise - 5/5 Victime de la mode - 4.5/5 L'histoire de l'art - 4/5 Armand est mort - 4.5 Quartier nord - 3/5 A temps partiel - 3.5/5 Caroline - 3/5 La musique adoucit le moeurs - 4/5 Bouge de la Part 1 - 3.5/5 Bouge de la Part 2 - 3.5/5 Ragga Jam - 2.5/5 La devise - 4/5 Funky Dreamer - 3.5/5

Another great unexpected treat! My French isn't very good at all, but it doesn't need to be. The sound is so great, that the language simply doesn't matter!

Not what I expected! (in a good way) I loved that the music backgrounds for pretty much all of the songs were funky and pretty calm. My favorite songs were: “Victime de la mode” and “Caroline”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album! I loved how MC Solaar has included jazz and Afrobeats into his rap, and even though I don’t understand what he’s singing about (I have forgotten all of my high school French), I can definitely appreciate all the rhythms and vocal acrobatics he performs. I’ll definitely listen to more of his work.

Man I don’t care if this guy is rapping about which marshmallows in Lucky Charms taste the best - it sounds cool as fuck no matter what. I felt cool as fuck just listening!

I'd heard the track with Guru but this artist wasn't really on my radar before. They are now! This was nice to listen to, some of the tracks were a bit much but overall this has some impressive production for '91 and while I don't know what he's rapping about I think the vocals are consistently strong.

BANGER all caps

I’m sure it helps that I speak french, so I can understand some of what is being said. And there are some good lyrics, that I need to go back and look at more closely. But even if I didn’t understand the words, the beats slap! And this was his first album?? THIS artist is a great new discovery for me! Will definitely be doing a deep dive and hope to see him live some day, I bet his shows are a party! This was a fun way to start my day and get me up and moving

I can't understand a word of this. And it's still beautiful. 1991? The godfather of trip hop right here. Just smooth and sexy. Wish I'd had this in my arsenal in my 20's. Unexpected bangers: La devise, Armand est mort, Victim de la mode.

5/5 - une de mon favorite

Top cock 🔥🔥🔥

Wow, that was great! Oldschool tap just like I like it. This is a masterpiece.

I usually don't like hiphop at all but this was just a little different and i liked this a lot! Will deffinetely listen a lot more to this album

I barely understood a word this guy said but I enjoyed it all so much. Good beats and vibes. I wish I could speak French but was very happy to let this funky music do the talking, talking, yeah.

This blinsided me a bit, in a really good way. The thing I love about French hip-hop is that I can barely understand a word they're saying, which shifts the focus onto the beats and turns the voice into just another instrument. And this is absolutely the best place to start; accessible and interesting without ever being cheesy or trashy.

Idk what my man was saying but it sounded fly as shit! We love a 90s break beat so it doesn’t matter what language is being rapped on it. I need to translate this so I can use some of these lines in real life if they apply 😂

I really enjoyed this album. It was surprisingly super funky and catchy. I would jam this again, 100%.

I loved this. Wish I knew what he was singing about. 4.5

Stylish, smooth, and full of personality. I've not really listened to any French rap before, but this was sensational.

I had bought MC Solaar's subsequent CD, Prose Combat, many years ago and it was a favorite. I was very happy to listen to this one today for the first time. I am happy to know my French, because just like with that album, he uses the sounds and meanings of French words masterfully. He has so many good messages in his lyrics. I love the cool, smooth sound of the tracks as well.

Upbeat and fun.

Very fun, catchy, danceable… my French is too rusty to catch much of the lyrics so didn’t get much from that but I loved the sound of it!

Love his style

Up in my alley.

Love the use of sound effects. The vocal flicks in the third song are fucking crazy After a full listen, I love this guys flow. His samples are great & the instrumentals work amazing with his voice. Definitely saving this one

This might be one of the most interesting hip-hop albums I have ever heard. The way he is able to pull from a lot of different sounds to make a cohesive project is remarkable. His flows are crazy too.

This is a refreshing break from the amount of classic rock albums lately. I'm excited to be introduced to something completely different. Maybe that is causing an unfair bias, but I can't resist giving this one a five. Woohoo! being forced to listen to music just got fun again

Sanaakaan en ymmärrä, mutta todella douppeja biittejä ja varianssia

New artist for me and really enjoyed. I like a bit of jazz rap so will listen to more of this!

I dig it and I don’t know a word of French.

I really like everything I’ve ever heard from this artist. Melodic, rhythmic, soulful, jazzy, excellent rapping in super fast French. Sounds ages ahead of 1991. Prefer this to west coast wannabes. This whole album is very very good. Added 7/16 songs to my favorites, just on the first listen. Emphatically deserves its spot on this list.

Some really good songs

French Hip Hop is my jam.

This album slaps straight 10/10

Oh this is dope! 1991? This is really good. Flow - lots of lyrical gymnastics going on, switching up styles almost every track. Tone - very cool, French accent works for me. Production - so clean for ‘91. Jazzy loops, top quality scratching, great variation between tracks. Lyrical content - hard to tell, but it feels pretty positive. The level of skill on this compared to 50cent yesterday is almost incomparable, hiphop is a funny old genre.

Awesome French rap (r&b)?

Trés bien! I knew who MC Solaar was largely (solely) due to his collaboration with Neneh Cherry on 7 Seconds but hadn't heard any of his own stuff. This is an incredibly catchy hip-hop/trip-hop/rap blend and the French language has the perfect cadence for rap. Je aime ça, cinq étoiles!

Its wonderful, French trip-hop jazz thats reminds of Nujables. It's a 5 even though I've no idea what he's rapping about

Amaaaaazing. One of my new favourites?! Enlightening and expanding and chill and adventurous. Just wow.

(it helps to know french). 5 stars. A Smart mimic and comedian, hilarious complex and double-entendre lyrics linking wildly unrelated concepts. It's a fun juxtaposition - surprising to hear childhood & everyday french phrases. Catchy. enjoyable. Yes, rap can be fun and intelligent. \"Bouge de là\" (part 1) provides a veritable thesaurus 'get out of here's and he goes on to mixes a bit of Reggae and plays across cultures. He is great mimic and a comedian. . There is some English language in \"La musique adoucit\" (the music softens you).

So awesome, its unique but has a Tribish feel, lots of flow but with alot more accompanying music (horns, shredding, cowbell) its really fun to listen to even though I cant understand a word

With the caveat that I don’t know what the lyrics mean, this is a 5/5. The jazz-funk-rap production was really interesting and the vocal delivery is smooth.

The vibes are absolutely immaculate. Lo-fi chill beats to study to in its highest form.

Absolutely amazing. I didn't understand a word of it, but I didn't need to understand French to know that this is something absolutely dripping with skill and talent. There's such a jazzy and funky vibe to the album, and the flow and lyricism seems to be amazing, even if I don't exactly know what he's saying. Makes me want to learn French and listen to this again sometime, but even if I don't learn the language, this'll still be a vibe to come back to. Favourite: Quartier Nord

This is amazing. I flippin' LOVE French rap. This has everything - beats, flow, plenty of melody and retro sounds.

I almost forgot about how much I enjoy French hip hop. This is a particularly good example of it, too.

Strong Saturday arvo situation

Sacred bleu!!

Cet album est excellent. Je l'ai écouté pendant que <<les bleus>> jouaient leur premier match de la coupe du monde Qatar 2022 - ce qui était une belle coïncidence. Il me fait penser à un Roots Manuva francophone, ou à un Afrika Bambaataa bilingue. La musique est super, et les paroles sont encore meilleures. Cinq étoiles !

This album cover is amazing. Listening to this is a little strange because I can tell that Solaar is doing some French plays on words, but I have no idea what they mean. The flow is superb, the samples and beats are equally superb.

with the obvious caveat that i dont know what the lyrics are saying (though the title of this album is a delightful pun), this is truly excellent. sounds really ahead of its time, perfectly matched samples and excellent mixing, and the flow was just super nice and pleasant. all around really good listen.

Brilliant album. No idea what he's saying, but he is great at saying it. Let's just hope it's not about anything dodgy ...

Funky groovy beats!!

Brings back memories of translating his songs in French class. It's a good vibe for music, even if I don't understand most of what is being said!

Amazing jazz rap with a great flow, no idea what he is saying though

A few beats and you find yourself sitting on the docks of Marseille or on a bridge over the Seine river. Very cool. I am always regretting that my French is so bad. I guess this guy has something to say

Absolutely tremendous talent

cool

Классный олд скул

Interesting to hear rap in a different language but to hear it use a similar music language as lots of other rap music at the time, but MC Solaar's vocals are just sooooooo smooth. Caroline immediately grabbed me. La devise is a solid close to a killer album.

His beats and flow are great, but my high school French fails me when it comes to his lyrics. Based on his bio, I’m going to assume they’re awesome and not about torturing puppies, so that’s a thumbs up from me!

This is the way rap should be: funky rhythm and lyrics that I don’t even try to understand. Actually, rap is perfect for the French because more words rhyme en francais.

French hip hop always sounds cool. 3.5/5