Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

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.

1) intro - beach vibes. 2) Groovy 70s funk. 3) There's that iconic disco guitar tone. Well constructed beats. Brass samples? are nice. Man my French sucks. 4) Downtempo funky disco. Nice flow. Definitely losing a big element not understanding the lyrical themes. Sex noises and cities? He bragging. 5) Bit more fire in this track. Tempo shift. My favourite track thus far. Got my body boppin. Funky bassline. 6) Cool soulfulness. 7) Oh yes. Oh hell yes. Tempo shift! Strong rhythm section. 8) Jazz bar interlude. 9) Funky bass. Bouncy. 10) Moby-like floaty synths. Scratching on the turntables. Pretty chill. 11) Some fun percussion in this one. Some more traditional singing on this - prince esqe. Guitar solo. Lets go! 12) Jet set radio vibe. Some classic call and response. 13) Continuation from 12. Feels a bit more stream of consciousness. 14) This is so 90s. That synth blast is fun. He's showing his versatility and speed of delivery. Weakest track for me though. 15) Oh hell yeah. This is a classic 90s sound. Strong album. I'm a sucker for turntables too! 16) It's an outro. Thoughts: I'm music orientated - lyrics/vocals are another instrument to me. MC Solaar knows how to use his voice to compliment the varied beats that cover jazz, soul, funk, rock and reggae. An easy 4. Especially as this is exactly why I picked up this project - to get out my metal centric groove I'd carved over the last 25 years. I'd definitely put this on whilst walking through town. It's got a good rhythm for a decent pace and uplifting mood. Apparently I am a 90s hip-hop fan going off my experiences thus far?

My honest to God first thoughts, but we cannot be listening to a French album while the French are doing so well at the world cup. Like this just feels disrespectful. And you know what I really like the album as well. Just like watching France you grimace as they do beautiful things that the English can only dream of. Honestly why don't the french just fuck off!!!!

Don't sleep on French hip-hop.

Way way way better than hs French led me to believe

This one was fun. Probably hit a sweet spot in my listening history - it's dated, but to an era I really appreciate. Loads of energy, plenty of variation; right up my street.

Hip hop francés...Rien ne peut mal tourner.

This bumped, wish my French was good enough to get it. Might need to go back with lyrics. This review is mostly on the beats and general vibe.

Great fun listen, early on in this adventure and really enjoying something new and different.

I had honestly never heard of this guy or this apparently seminal debut before it was recommended to me. I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised. Hip hop was hard enough to get into for me way back in the day, and French hip hop has long been one of my blind spots. To hear this Senegalese rapper absolutely glide over these very modern (for the time) beats and come out the other end as arguably the greatest Francophone rapper of his generation is quite impressive. There's a surprising variety on the musical end of this album; it's not all just Tribe Called Quest-style jazz rap beats. Though much of the instrumental is dated to today's ears, and not all of the lyrics hit like they should have, about 90% of this album still holds up. There's a lot of very standard, but never inessential, social messaging about racism, social class and human division more specific to France in the early 90s. There's also a couple of songs here and there about presence in the family and the willingness of people to fall prey to broader influences. This is a lot more eclectic and diverse than the genre and release year would originally suggest, and I actually quite enjoyed this album even if I did find a couple of songs a little overlong. You don't need to know a word of Frecnh to know this guy's got it in spades; definitely recommend this one as an entry point into the French hip hop scene. Key Tracks: Qui seme le vent recolte le tempo, Victime de la mode, Bouge de la Partie 1 (Ragga Jam as an added bonus for how insane it is)

This opened like a sexy James Bond intro and I was locked in immediately. I am soooo happy to see some international albums on this list FINALLY, and I hope there are more to come. This is a banger for sure.

Pretty good flow for the era, feels ahead of it's time, and it's a frog doing it. Wordplay sounds cool, even though I can't really parse much Francais

I haven’t learned French for nearly 30 years and even then I wouldn’t have been at the level to follow along at the tempo of this album, but I enjoyed the music a lot.

Je pense qué c'est "decent"

Felt like I was in the suburbs of Paris

Caught me at a French time in my life

Pretty cool! I love French hip hop

Idk what he’s saying but he sounds good and the beats are solid.

Sultry rap with notes of jazz all with flowing rap - just in French as good as anything from the east or west coast has in 91

Wow, this is great! My French is rudimentary at best, so I only understand a handful of words. But the beats are infectious and jazzy, and it’s impossible not to bop along. I did some quick research to understand what he’s rapping about, and his lyrics are poetic and focus on storytelling and social

O only knew MC Solaar from his work with Guru on Jazzamatazz. This album was very much in the same style. Even though I only understand a couple of words, French is a great language for rapping. Solaar also has a flow that is easy on the ear. The beats are nice as well. Reminescent of ATCQ Loved it

A French rap album seems like an interesting inclusion. It's also interesting how I keep getting rap albums for major milestones(100,150,250, and with this 300 were all rap albums).I'll have to assess this one on vibes, as I don't speak a word of French. The beats and samples are good, and the rapping itself is also pretty good. I don't know what any of the lyrics are, but I don't think they're bad compared to American gangster rap from the same period. This is a good rap album that holds its own with the best of American rap from the same period, but I need to know the lyrics to have the full picture. I know that this one's on me for being American and not knowing French, but this cannot be a 5 until I know what he's actually saying. This album is ranked 14 out of 23 albums released in 1991 by global rating. Other 1991 albums previously rated by me: Ten(2/23)-4 The Low End Theory(4/23)-5 Blue Lines(6/23)-5 Achtung Baby(7/23)-1 Spiderland(17/23)-4 Rising Above Bedlam(23/23)-2

This was a good, groovy, French bop. four stars.

Well I knwo about 7 words in French so keep thay in mind, I have zero clue what any of this is about. But soniclly its pretty sweet. Great beats, sick flows, lots of variety, huge strings. Its got alot going for it. Caroline in the track here just because its the biggest and most in your face im the best type aditude. I dont have much more to say than I liked it alot and got some saves off it, when to be honest I didnt think id get any. Nice to hear something id generally never hear otherwise.

I was dreading this one because I do not understand a word of French. Despite that, this was pretty catchy and feels cool as all hell, even if I didn't understand it. I don't know if I can properly score it because of that, but I can say the beats were sick and MC Solaar has flow. I probably liked Ragga Jam the best on this album.

This slaps. Pretty impressive to rap in French, but still communicate your verbal dexterity to a non-French speaker.

Enjoyed that. The exact type of thing that should be on this list.

Music is a language we all understand

A very solid album with great beats. I do find it harder to listen to hip hop that's in a different language as compared to any other genre since the lyrics tend to be the primary focus. Still a very fun album though. Mid 4.

Французский рэп, прикольно даже 8/10

Can’t speak to anything about the lyrics, but even without that I really enjoyed this and will definitely listen again!

Super fun album. Had no idea what the heck was being said, but that didn’t stop me from dancing and shaking my little butt while I listened. Rap sounds way cooler in French 😃 It got a little tedious after a while, mostly because I had no idea what was being said, but overall was vas very good.

I didn't even know there were rhyming words in French but this guy knows a BUNCH. Very smooth and fun to listen to. Makes me long for the French Platter at the Broadway Diner.

很难听到这种我不能很放松的爱上的的jazzy hiphop，感觉他有点太真实了，把我按在现实世界

Really good surprise! Didn't expect to like this, just didn't think I'd like French hip-hop but it was a great listen.

Really enjoyable beats. Harmonic & melodic components were well-considered. Playing an album and being greeted by sounds of waves was a new one for me, which got my attention!

Iconic.

I listened to this album near the end of a particularly productive shift, waiting out the final few minutes until I could clock out. The prevalence of French on this list continues! This album has such an interesting blend of beautiful French jazz with DJ scratches and hip-hop percussion, creating a distinctly French variation of the kind of jazz rap which I am familiar with. There's also a light tropical reggae vibe on some of the tracks, lending even more variety to the project. Even within the genre of hip-hop, MC Solaar is able to cover a variety of different sounds and execute multiple different ear-catching flows. Add a few funky horn flourishes on top of everything, and this album manages to stay engaging even through the language barrier. Though I have no idea what's being communicated (outside of translating a few song titles), the emotions in Solaar's performance still feel easy to pick up on, though without this lyrical understanding, the more reserved songs had less going on musically for me to latch onto; the sudden introduction of English lyrics on one song led to one of the funkiest and most soulful songs on the album. Listening to Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo feels like I'm sitting in a dimly lit jazz club, and that is a wonderful aesthetic to find myself in. Highlights: Intro, Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Matière grasse contre matière grise, Victime de la mode, L'histoire de l'art, Quartier nord, La musique adoucit les mœurs

Regardless of language, jazz and hip hop always seem to complement each other. Likes: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo; Victime de la mode; Caroline; Bouge de là (Part 1 & 2)

I found it surprisingly good. It grew on me by the end of the album

A great introduction to MC Solaar and a thoroughly enjoyable album. Despite the French mostly passing me by, I was still able to grasp a gist of the lyrics. Would be the perfect soundtrack to a sunny walk through Paris. The beats and melodies just worked for me with some standout tracks in particular. Favourites: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo Victime de la mode L'histoire de l'art Caroline

Muy interesante, me gustó aunque había un par de canciones que no eran mi estilo 7/10

This is French rap music, and I do not speak French. This bears mentioning because of how dependent Hip-Hop is on lyricism. So, while the vibe here, and the songs *do* transcend the language barrier, just be aware of the fact that there is a large facet of this album that I am almost completely unable to honestly engage with. That being said, the vibe here is *really* something. This is funky, breezy and bouncy, it is music that genuinely makes me want to dance. Also, considering that this album came out in 1991, the production here is *really* good. There is some very clear reggae influence. And the sound here is really organic. This has aged *fantastically*, this sounds like it could have *feasibly* been released well over a decade after it actually was. The same goes for MC Solaar's flows. He is dynamic, bouncy, and precise. He effortlessly cycles through tempos and cadences. And his double-time flows sound like they have *incredible* enunciation. I looked up some info about MC Solaar, and I have seen claims that he is the greatest French Hip-Hop artist, and from this album, I think it's feasible. He also has the Gang Starr and De La Soul co-sign, which is good enough for me. This really took me by surprise, and hearing such a distinct regional variety of Hip-Hop was a really enjoyable experience. Especially an album as well-executed as this is.

Jazzy rap hip hopmade better by rapping in French

Didn't understand a word of it but I liked it.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this but I did.

Прослушал с удовольствием и ещё не раз вернусь к нему.

7/10

Can't believe how few records in this list.are in a language other than English, so a definite treat to have something I barely understand, lyrically. Despite being very aware of MC Solaar I've never listened to an album. What a fool, I've been really missing out. Probably missing out on French hip hop in general. Solaar has an amazing flow, and switches things up really brilliant. A lot of great jazzy beats results in the first half really reminding me of Gangstarr. A very interesting slow transition to more dub/reggae influenced tunes really places some of this alongside the whole Bristol sound also developing in the early 90s, and the full blown ragga tune is a banger. A couple of so-so tunes in the middle, but will definitely be coming back to this. Being "forced" to check these kind of albums that I should have tried before is exactly what I wanted from this project.

beau messages, aucune vulgarite et 100% du coeur.

fav songs: qui sème le vent récolte le tempo victime de la mode armand est mort jazzy, stylish, smooth 70/100

French MC? Where have you been all my life?

Super!

I don't speak the language, so I can't judge the lyrics. But the flow is cool. And the beats are great. Lots of jazzy elements.

7.5/10

I always enjoy hearing rap done in different languages, and here in French it's really interesting and unique. Pleasant vibes all around with a Jazz Rap and Boom Bap style, it would definitely grow more on repeat listens.

Fun, French techno

I was previously unaware of French Jazzy Hip Hop. If this is emblematic of the genre, I might just wanna jump into that rabbit hole.

I was excited to listen to this album, mostly due to having been in Paris a month ago and loving the music and the culture. While I speak very little French, I was hoping to really vibe with this today. And I totally did! It was such a fun record. It didn't matter at all that there were very few lyrics I understood (the ones in English). Each song had very cool grooves and different styles, and his flow was very smooth and easy to enjoy. I think the fact that I didn't have to try to focus so hard on the lyrics made it even easier to like, as I didn't have to "get" each song. I'm a music first person anyway, so this was perfect for me. Standout tracks were the title song, Victime de la mode, La musique adoucit les moeurs, and Bouge de là-Part 1. It's a 4.5 and I'll decide tomorrow morning which way it goes.

No. 153 I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. Amazing rapping with super fun beats.

Great album, much better than I expected for some reason. Great flow with tasty old school hip hop beats

Fast beats, good rapping!

This is awesome. I own a CD by this guy from a decade later. I never expected he'd show up here. I love the funk instrumentation. This was really great.

Gillade detta! Skitbra rakt igenom. Älskar franska och det är möjligt att det underlättar men det är bra. Bra flow, svängiga låtar, man blir glad. Ibland räcker det för att det ska bli ett bra album.

I've always liked listening to rap in foreign languages, because when I can't understand the words, it's easy to focus on the rhythmic, percussive way the language is being used. This was great. It reminded me of De La Soul a bit - bouncy and clever.

I really liked this! Must have been great fun to listen to if you were French when this came out.

Tres bien

I'm much more familiar with Prose Combat but this is also a rock solid record. Golden-age jazzy head-nodders, quite ahead of their times, with Solaar's fresh and precise vocal flows on point as ever. Just really cool.

Sometimes an album comes along and just sort of mesmerises you, and this is one such album. Really good music, really fun to listen to.

Cool stuff! I liked that I could understand some of the lyrics (I thought being rap I’d no chance with my limited French but I did better than I thought!) and it’s just pretty easy going, good beats etc.

I daresay if I was more hip than I am I would know who MC Solaar is. Hip is not something I can claim and so I have no idea. Apart from the fact that this tested my French beyond reasonable possibilities I really enjoyed the vibe of this. Highlighting my lack of knowledge of the genre, but musically often reminded me of my absolute favourites Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, I suspect lacking the on point politics, but an album I would be happy to listen to and enjoy again.

he scho cool wie sich rap entwicklet het irgendwie. ich frog mich wie früe das isch in franz rap. d beats sind seeehr cool. caroline so sehr en slowjam romaaantisch und so. aber finds no geil, er het für 1991 en easy moderne flow findi. ich bin eh sehr fest für meh nöd britisch/usa acts uf dere liste drum gits es vieri i tink. bouge de la isch zurecht en hit gsi dehr cool. he afoch welli no spass gha han gits etz mol es vieri.

Never heard of MC Solaar, but he's pretty great. I read the lyrics and their translations along with the music; lyrics are witty and imaginative, with some excellent French language wordplay and puns. Beats were enjoyable too.

Such a cool vibe on this one. I remember Solaar's name when I was getting into underground hip hop in the late 90s. Listened to him a little bit back then, but happy to have listened to this record. The mood is cool, chill and sexy. Beats are easy-going and groovy, easy head-nodder. Dig this one a lot.

Very excited to get an album in French since it's my first language! MC Solaar is actually impressive in the way the way he raps. The lyrics are pretty interesting too. Overall enjoyable!

I began this listen skeptical but was won over by rapping skill, genre fusion, and lush sparkly production. I feel a little provincial for not knowing about him earlier — but that is why this project is fun!

Cool beats, cool French rapping, I can see why he is considered the greatest hip hop artist in France. The album sounds fresh and doesn't sound dated at all considering it was made in early 1990s.

can't say i've listened to much french hip hop! this was a pretty good listen this time. according to a few websites this album performed quite well when it came out, and like many other rappers over here, mc solaar isn't afraid to tap into topical matters and issues in his own country. even though i obviously don't speak a lick of the language, i can admire the delicate craft when it comes to making this album and the wordplay exhibited throughout. talk about these beats, too! this album is real refined.

4/5 - While I don't speak the language I have a hard time hearing lyrics in hip hop. As such lyrically it blended into the beat and became a wall of interesting sound and texture. An album I would seriously consider revisiting.

I like hip hop and I like french, so I quiet enjoyed this album

Jazzy, funky, and French with some phenomenal flow

Groovy early 90s hip hop yo.

this one was a fun album to listen to. It’s nice to have something more upbeat and fun to listen to occasionally. The beats are funky, the flows are tight. I don’t speak french, but that’s alright.

Style incroyable entre jazz, funk et rap !

I didn't want to like it. French? What can they rhyme except hawhehaw and zut alors? Turns out I like it. Funky and smooth. Ragga Jam was brilliant. I would obviously prefer it in English, but apparently I like French rap.

01) Intro - / 02) Qui Sème Le Vent Récolte Le Tempo - 8,0 03) Matière Grasse Contre Matière Grise - 7,0 04) Victime De La Mode - 8,0 05) L'histoire De L'art - 7,0 06) Armand Est Mort - 7,5 07) Quartier Nord - 7,0 08) Interlude - / 09) A Temps Partiel - 7,5 10) Caroline - 9,0 11) La Musique Adoucit Les Mœurs - 7,5 12) Bouge De Là (Part 1) - 8,5 13) Bouge De Là (Part 2) - 7,5 14) Ragga Jam - 6,5 15) La Devise - 7,5 16) Funky Dreamer - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,57 (76/100) Current ranking: 334/829

Anything that’s not in English on this list automatically gets an extra point from me. That said, I’m such a music-oriented person that I rarely listen to – or even notice – vocals or lyrics in music. This is true with English rap as well. No matter how I try to concentrate on the lyrics, I quickly notice I’m just vibing to the song itself and forgot to listen to what they’re singing about. Therefore French rap doesn’t really differ all that much from my usual experience with a hip-hop record. In fact, not understanding anything helps me to focus on the rhythm and flow a lot more than I thought. In that sense, this record definitely helped me broaden my understanding of hip-hop and that’s really the best kind of experience you can get out of this list. They really should just put more non-angloamerican music here cause what new is that seventh Bob Dylan record really going to give you?

Smoooooth 4/5

have never heard rap being blended with jazz before so this was a lot of fun! don't know french but i loved "qui seme le vent recolte le tempo", "l'histoire de l'art". currently playing "le bien, le mal" which is a definite vibe!

Not exactly sure what he was saying but man was he spitting that shit. Really great album. The beats were a good mix of chill and funky. Never knew I needed this in my life until now. Will definitely revisit and check out more by this guy. Favorites were tracks 3, 4, 7, 11, and 14.

Had no idea what to expect, really enjoyed the funky jazzy reggae fusion.

Was fucking heavy with the French music while I was walking downtown

Loved this.

Funny, I was just wondering this morning (before I saw today's album) when we'd get an album that I wasn't familiar with, and here we are! Jumping right to ranking: this would be a 3.5, if I could, and it'll be almost a toss-up to choose between 3 and 4. It's interesting to listen to music sung in a language you're not fluent in (or don't know at all). I know some French, but mostly, unless I really focused, it was just vocals as another element of music and rhythm. And, at that level, it's pretty good. It's a weird combination of old and new (for me at least; maybe different for you 2, since it's from before you were born): old (35 years ago), and yet, at least for me, there was a time when this would have been very fresh and new and groovy, and it *still* has some of that, at least to my ears, partly because I haven't heard it before, but also because the music itself feels fresh. It has a good vibe, and I'd enjoy hearing it again, so I think for that reason I'll give it 4 stars.

I had already heard MC Solaar on Guru’s Jazzmatazz but never listened to any of his albums. As I expected, it’s funky beats with a slick flow. Good stuff!

Didn’t understand a single word of the lyrics but I really liked this.

Love the beats, great flow, and even though I didn't understand more than a word here and there I really like the vibe of this album.

These beats FUCK

Something is so satisfying and cool about his flow and the French pronunciations/rhyming schemes. Beats are jazzy and slick, obviously can't comment on lyrical comment but glancing through English translations it seems there's some social commentary with substance. I would love for this list to have more representation of non-English music, especially in genres typically dominated by English speakers like rap.

Best Song: Victime de la mode. Goddamn, this is great. Beautifully jazzy with a perfect walking rhythm. And the wordplay, even if I can't understand it, is euphonic on a straight syllabic level. Worst Song: Quartier nord. Something about the production was just a bit too raw. Everything else was so tight, it felt like a bit of a sidestep to have such a fuzzy track. Overall: This album is cool as hell. It's evident - even without an understanding of the precise lyrical content - that it has been thoughtfully written. I especially love how frequently he switches rhythms and rhyming structures in a way that keeps the album constantly feeling fresh and playful. Fantastic.

Це десь 4.5, яка рухається ближче до 4. Хороша приджазована варіація хіп-хопу кінця 80х. І французька тут звучить чудово. Я більше люблю наступний альбом, але тут теж все чудово.

Мені прям зайшло. А також тут є семпл з моєї улюбленої пісні Марвіна Гея, іннер сіті блюз.

Fajne bardzo. Lubię francuski rap, bo nic z niego nie rozumiem. Dobre flow i przyjemny vibe albumu. Mocna 4

Courtney: really fun, classic hip hop Craig: pretty cool!

This is what i imagine „cool“ to sound like. I think this is way better than N.W.A.

4/5. First album I’ve gotten in this project that I hadn’t heard before. However I tend to love jazz-rap so this was mostly right up my alley. I unfortunately do not know any French though, so I plan on trying to find some half decent translations online for the lyrics. But musically I enjoyed my time with this one quite a bit!

Een hiphop album, en dan ook nog een niet Engels hiphop album??? Ik wist niet dat het kon Robert, maar ik ben je dankbaar, zo krijgen we tenminste nog wat variatie in de tent! Beats zijn heel nice, de eerste paar nummers switchen van old school boombap beats naar meer een soort lofi achtige beats? Heel vet! En MC Solaar flowt er heel nice over, ik versta er natuurlijk geen zak van ondanks mn 6 jaren Frans, maar het klinkt wel goed! Ja dit is een heerlijk vibey Frans hiphop album, eentje waarvan ik echt niet wist dat ik het zo zou waarderen, is dat niet een Marvin Gaye sampletje bij Armand est mort? Vibes vibes vibes, dit is een soort Frans Lofihiphop album en ik ben er heel erg bij. Wel had dat ragga jam nummer van mij echt niet gehoeven, maar verder? Ja hoor, ik wil wel meer MC Solaar horen, zolang de beats zo ontzettend vet zijn dan! Soort Tribe Called Quest meets Nujabes, en dat is een combi waar ik 100% invested in ben. FAVO: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Victime de la mode, Armand est mort, Caroline, Bouge de la pt1

Vet

Je ne sai quoi?

yeah, that was a great experience 4.5

Very solid jazz rap - the flow was wild, and the beats catchy and jazzy as hell! It was starting to feel a bit long, then Ragga Jam broke up the last couple tracks excellently. The length does still hurt it a little bit, but a solid 8/10 nonetheless.

Sacré bon flow! Mon premier réflexe était de comparer le style avec la Low End Theory, mais en vrai le seul lien entre les deux est l'année de sortie; MC Solaar se démarque par sa propre identité avec un style tout aussi jazzy et funky que Tribe. Cela dit, même s’il y a ici des morceaux très solides, je trouve qu’il n’arrive pas tout à fait à porter seul un album de 52 minutes -- l'écoute se fait assez longue rendue aux dernières chansons. Très belle découverte quand même! Je tiens à réécouter! Morceaux préférés: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo • Victime de la mode

Good flow. Sounds like classic us hip hop. Enough interesting variation between the songs, but a bit long. The auto play song after the album was solaar pleure, which was a very good track.

there's something specifically about French hip-hop that has always intrigued me. that's definitely an area of music and cultural history that I need to read up on more.

Funky fresh French hip hop

i liked it chill vibes first intro to french hiphop

Great beats and sampling. Feels a lot more current than a lot of albums from this time. I bet the lyrics hit hard too but it’s in French so…

I’d never heard this before and it was fun.

Not a banger of a hip hop album, but it was a great listen while having breakfast and my morning coffee. Album is chill, jazzy, and groovy. 4.2 / 5

Relaxed beats and chill flow , very nice

Another artist I've never heard of but this is great. I didn't understand a word he said but it's some good jazzy hip hop.

I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. Amazing rapping with super fun beats.

Idk what he's saying but he says it good

No idea what the dude is saying but it's probably hard

I feel like I should be walking the Parisian streets in the beginning a romcom montage! This album is soooo good so melodic and funky I loved it!!

Amazing intro, second song is a banger. The first songs are better than the ones in the end.

Cool beats and great flow. Wish I knew what he was saying but ik he spittin. Very enjoyable listen, seems a little ahead of it’s time for a jazz rap album. Definitely feels like 90s hip hop but something about it still feels fresh today. Something I probably wouldn’t have found on my own

"Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo" is the debut studio album by French rapper MC Solaar. French hip hop is the Wiki-listed genre. The album title is a pun on the the biblical proverb "He who sits the wind reaps the whirlwind." Commercially, the album reached #6 in Belgium and #37 in Switzerland and had critical acclaim. The album opens with the short song "Intro." Piano, a jazzy vibe and Caribbean beat. This transitioned to the title song "Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo." Smooth rapping and a Lou Donaldson sample. "Caroline" is slower with an R&B groove and melody. There's scratching. Solaar singing and rapping with a deeper and sensual voice. The first single "Bouge de là" opens with the beat with a sample of Cymande's "The Message." It's funky with the bass. A laid-back vibe. A woman vocalist eventually joins the song. The music on this album is mostly groovy and funky with the guitars, horns and bass but can also be soulful, jazzy, chill and even have a reggae beat. Solaar can rap quickly or slow it down or sing in a sensual voice. The tempos change between songs. I found the diversity of the music, rapping and tempos to be the strength of this album. Really no bad songs here. I liked this album and recommend for any hip hop fan to give it a spin.

Interesting

If they weren't French, I think I would like it more. Real groove hours, awesome sax on track 6, first half of album has some real jams.

I listened to this album without knowing French, so I know I'm missing a lot, but even without understandable lyrics I really enjoyed listening. MC Solaar's voice is easy on the ears and his rapping is really smooth. Every song has a different vibe; reggae island beats, catchy dance songs, funky bass lines, fast as lightning raps, pounding drum lines, and other singers that are skilled. This album has so much to offer it's definitely worth the listen. Some songs are slightly repetitive, so that's why it isn't 5 stars for me.

This is the kind of thing that makes me love this.

This was really good. Without being able to understand most of the lyrics I just enjoyed his smooth rapping and the funky beats, there's plenty to like without the words.

Girl, I have no idea what he is saying, but I am living for it

Have had a string of albums that I've been lukewarm about. This one popped up and, while it looked familiar, I don't think I've ever heard it before. Love this. Adding a bunch of tracks to playlists to listen more in the near future. Seems like something I might eventually need to get on vinyl, too. A great example of my favorite parts of listening through the albums in this project!

Pretty damn good.

This was great. Excellent vibes.

A fun hip-hop album. Only song I didn't really like was Ragga Jam.

Can't understand what he's saying, but I can still dig it. This album’s definitely got a groove. French rap sounds very cool. I’m also a fan of the jazzy parts too. All around, a very good album

I wish I remembered any of the 3 years of French I took in high school. But this was heat. Easy 4 stars.

He's got great lyrical delivery and flow. I could not understand a word he was saying - but probably not bad thing given I'm turning into my Nan when it comes to lyrical content. Only negative is the beats are generally pretty weak - but not surprising given its from 1991. Particularly enjoyed the ragga tunes towards the end.

My French isn't good enough to know what he's rapping about which may be a plus - he could be rapping about the usual guns and cocks for all I know, although the musical style doesn't suggest so. It's less cut-throat sounding than contemporary, angry American rap. 'Quartier Nord' comes closest to gangster rap (and samples Amerikkka's Most Wanted), but without descending into gangster-rap staples (blaring sirens and gun-fire). His tone and flow is up there with Native Tongues but injected with a certain urbanity. I don't know what all the samples are, but mining from old jazz and soul, Marvin Gaye, the Miracles, Cameo and others, the city-atmosphere and sound is well-constructed. 'Funky Dreamer' is an excellent coda matching 'Intro' as an apposite bookend for a very atmospheric album, that still feels modern.

This was gooood. It fit my Monday mood perfectly. It rolled over and I just kept it going. Not sure I would like it more or less if I understood the lyrics but learning French isn’t in the near future.

The impeccable flow and fun sound resonate throughout, but lack of understanding wears a little thin

Didn't understand a word but the vibes were pristine.

Decent 4

This was fun, if a bit samey at times.

Quite possibly the sexiest man I have ever heard. Considering dudes have never been my thing, I’m a bit perplexed by this feeling. I’d better stay out of France.

Good fun. Good background.

Wish I understood the lyrics, but had no problem understanding the groove and music.

I’m obsessed with the “Inner City Blues” sample flip on “Armand est mort”. It’s so good.' I don’t speak French so I can’t attest to the quality of the lyrics, but his performance is locked in and the production rocks. This album is over 30 years old and doesn’t sound dated in the slightest to me.

Dope album

Didn’t understand a word, but wow. The flow is butter. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo - Victime de la mode - Caroline - Bouge de là (part. 1)

Instrus très groovies j'ai remué pendant tout l'album, par contre les paroles étaient un peu vides;

Surprised- loved it

Everything the French do is cool, even hiphop. Classy No. 1.

I really liked the vibe on this. Different from the stuff I would gravitate towards, but still very good.

tremendo!

Oh, this takes me back. Chill beats with a good flow. Rap sounds surprisingly great in French. And, from my limited understanding, clever lyrics and no misogyny. Winner all round

Flowed really well. I’m actually such a fan of French media

One of the best rap albums I've heard! Solaar's rhythm is just perfect and I love it musically... lots of influences including jazz, funk and reggae, and it works really well. Lyrics are good too in proper French tradition. No boring rambling on about pussies, dicks (or the french equivalent bite) for a change. No 5* because it is not 100% my thing and I find it slightly too flat with the vocals, although rhythmically perfect, have just a bit too plain timbre and are a bit too much upfront in the mix for me. But - great album and a (too) rare non-Anglocentric one on the list.

Really enjoyed this - great flow in french.

My complete lack of knowledge of the French language is really holding me back here. Instrumentals are great, he can obviously rap, but I’m unable to be like damn that’s a bar or not so I can’t engage. I didn’t have the time this morning to see what he’s talking about but I’ll try to catch up later. I feel bad hitting this with a 3 because if I could engage with it further it would probably be a 4, especially if it's the breakthrough french rap album.

If you were ever in a French class in the 2000s or later, you have listened to MC Solaar. This album is good, although its inspiration from New York boom-bap hip-hop is a bit heavy-handed, and not always the best version of that sound. However, Solaar’s flow is imbecile. Even rapping in French and not being able to understand almost any of it (even post-those French classes), it’s so interesting to hear how tight he rhymes. I think the interludes and more “French” elements have aged a bit more since I first heard this, and the ventures outside of the boom-bap aesthetic aren’t always great, but overall, this record is still very very good. Is it my favorite MC Solaar record? Close, but not quite (his next album, Prose Combat, is better imo). Is it my favorite French hip-hop record? Oh hell no; French hip-hop has a *lot* going on, and I personally enjoy Oxmo Puccino’s Opéra Puccino or Suprême NTM’s self-titled. But if you want a gateway, and someone who cross-influenced back to the States? Yeah, this is the album to include. And it’s a damn good one, too.

It’s no English week! This was better than I expected. Obviously didn’t understand a word but it kept me engaged and the beats were fun. Light 4.

The flows were on point. I wish I knew French so I could evaluate the lyricism. Is this the first major non-english hip hop album?

Très fort! Étant habitué à du rap francais de qualité inférieure, ca fait du bien à entendre cet album.

Nice background music until the last 4-5 tracks.

Intro oli hyvin mielenkiintoinen alku albumille. Ihanaa ysäriräppiä kunnon biiteillä ja vielä ranskaksi. Voisin kuunnella näitä biisejä oikein hyvin uudestaan. Oli albumissa kyllä myös huteja kuten Ragga Jam, mutta kokonaisuutena toimi.

OOF. I wasn't expecting such a hitter. Buddy has some real nice flow. The samples are on point. This era of rap/hip hop feels so organic and, despite not speaking a lick of French, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Sadly, my French is not up to this. But big FLOW! So much fun just to listen to.

Highlights: A temps partial, La musique adoucit les mœur In a nutshell: flow is universal. A YouTube user (shout out to thug2ryde) posted the in the comments "flow has no language". They're right. So as long as you get the technique right, hip hop can still resonate even if you don't understand French, Polish, English, whatever language it is. Overall: 7/10

This is not my type of music He’ll, this isn’t even my language And yet I really liked this

This was fun but I can't give an accurate rating as I've got no idea what he was rapping about

Favorite songs: A Temps Partiel, Quartier Nord, Caroline, Matiere Grasse Contre Matiere Grise, Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo, L'histoire de L'art, La Devise Least favorite songs: Funky Dreamer, Intro, Interlude, Bouge De La (Pts. 1 & 2) 4/5

Refreshing, quality French hip-hop. 4

ok this was a vibe even tho i don’t parlez français

Getting a French hip-hop album as a monolingual english speaker isn't the smoothest way to start the day but actually it seems pretty cool and versatile I accept this

Es gibt also tatsächlich französischen Rap der besser ist als den zeitgenössischen Pseudoreggaton, den ich leider manchmal mitbekomme. Im Mittelteil waren ein paar so gute Songs, dass ich über fünf Sterne nachdachte. Gegen Ende kamen aber eher nervige Sachen, die sich zogen, also lande ich bei 3 1/2, ich runde aber eindeutig auf.

Alright 3.7

Fast technical rap over great, jazzy beats. Mc Solaar's got skills that would make Eminem blush.

A stream of conscious rap with excellent beats and jams to fill it out. Do translate some of these lyrics, they deal with social themes and insecurities in a humorous way. Very pleasantly surprised by this one.

> the Beatles

French rap? Well… why not? Surprisingly catchy even though I can’t understand a word of it. L'homme a un, comme on dit, flux.

have not heard of this artist but am enjoying the chill French vibes

Old school French rap - mellow, great upbeat background music

Loved the funky beats. Sounded at some points very similar to some other artist but not sure who. Low 4

A few annoying songs but overall…

Le podría haber puesto más pero 🥖

Wish I knew what he was saying but I liked it!

This is one of those albums that's great but not immediately obvious why it's on the list. Maybe to demonstrate that hip hop could was able to survive and thrive outside of America as early as 1991? The genre was proving to be a conduit for the voices, not just of African Americans, but reaching as far as immigrant neighborhoods of Paris. MC Solaar's journey took him from Senegal to France, with a brief stop over in Egypt, the unlikely place where he was first exposed to Afrika Bambaataa. What's surprising is that he managed to make a pretty decent impact in the US as well. Far from a household name, but he was clearly good enough to attract fans as high profile as will.i.am and Missy Elliott. Not bad at all for a boy from Senegal. Language barriers be damned, MC Solaar comes out loud and clear.

I didn’t know just changing the language to French makes 90’s hip hop like 20x cooler. It is a vibbbbeeeee with how his flow and the samples behind it are so simple yet effective.

I didn’t realise I would mess with French rap so much, but alas this album is just incredible. Very awesome backing with some fantastic French rapping just incredible. These albums is why I do this list.

If I could understand French this would rank much higher. That being said, this is a fantastic album to vibe to while driving around on a sunny summer afternoon.

Very cool album - great grooves, impressive smooth rapping (and occasionally crazy fast, e.g., Ragga Jam). No clue what he's saying but it was simply really fun to listen to. Favorite tracks (these are tracks that caught my attention every time - again, no clue what they mean): Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Victime de la mode, Armand est mort.

I intially thought that this was only added to escape accusations of a western focus, but this was surprisingly good. Not a francophone, so the meaning of most lyrics escaped me, but the combination of jazzy samples, technical ability, variety and interesting engaging beats works well. Will definitely be coming back to it.

Like a lot of this album - fun, funky sound with great samples and the steady rhythmic rapping style of 80’s/ early 90’s. I would be interested in hearing more of his albums.

Jazz inspired hip hop album, very easy to enjoy on first listen 4*

Very enjoyable listen. French is such a lovely sounding language, and I liked how much variety there was on this album while maintaining a consistent overall vibe throughout

Acho que nunca dei a atenção devida ao MC Solaar e esse disco me mostrou isso. A parte de algumas musicas que já conhecia, não tinha explorado muita coisa dele e esse disco foi uma surpresa muito agradável.

Never heard of MC Solaar and I don't know why. He's obviously a big deal and for good reason. I thought the backing tracks were top notch mixing funk and jazz sounds. His flow is super smooth and easy to listen to. I probably missed some of his apparent lyrical brilliance due to the language difference.

I was a french immersion student through elementary and high school. We were all pretty terrible students and didn't really take it seriously, but one of my favourite projects that was frequently assigned was exploring french media. This would have been a wicked album to bring to class had I known about it back then (and if I could have seen past my classic rock blinders). Honestly, this was a great album and it might go into my regular rotation just for some exposure and practice with my french because I am very out of practice.

This is cool. Love his rich and fluid delivery, love the jazzy & soulful, sometimes lively/sometimes chilled out, always groovy hip hop soundscape. There's a warmth to the overall sound. Great drum loops, so rhythmic. Lots of old samples (Marvin Gaye stands out) but has a 90s feel. Would sit nicely alongside Massive Attack & Morcheeba. We even get a touch of ragga near the end with a backing that could be Big Audio Dynamite. Think I'll play them next!

++: Intro, Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Victime de la mode, Armand est mort, Quartier nord, Interlude, À temps partiel, Bouge de là (part. 1), Bouge de là (part. 2) (impro), Funky Dreamer +: Matiére grasse contre matiére grise, L'histoire de l'art, La musique adoucit les mœurs, La devise +-: Caroline, Ragga Jam (impro) 8,8/10

Surprised me I really liked this. No idea what he’s saying but sounded good

Mc Solaar is a legend

French hiphop. Cool. Really. Cool!

Two French-speaking albums in a row! The language lends itself well to the genre, very energetic and flows well with the beats, couldnt tell you what any of the songs are about but its still very enjoyable.

90s rap with a French twist?!? Cool!

Very few people know this but if you play Houmous & Chutneys 1994 hit album ‘Les Hip Hop’ backwards, it’s actually a completely different album in French. People thought it was just a self indulgent effort about Len Houmous! 4.1 14/16 Ragga Jam

I have no idea what language he’s speaking but the beats are funky

« La musique est bonne. »

didn't understand 1 word of it but loved it

Damn good.

Had a great time with rap in French is just so smooth funky beats great album

Yeah I really liked this. Extremely Jazzy rap, I couldn't understand him but his flows and the beats were great.

Great rap, French were holding out on us

It sounds better in French and reminds me of Madame Zartman

Three years of high school French glass did not help me here (I cut that class A LOT.) Regardless, I liked many of these tracks.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

Ey up lads this eres in French. Liking this so far. The beats have a super nostalgic feel to them like. PS2 loading screen music?? I mean this as a compliment. Lot of variety here! Sort of wish I understood the lyrics bc his flow sounds great but also I probably wouldn't be concentrating on the music the same. Ooooh Quartier Nord Fucks Lost me a bit in the back half it got a bit staid but Ragga Jam has my attention. I enjoyed this! Def stronger in the first half but a lot going for it throughout, I'll come back to this is like it.

8/10

Really funky samples, and good French flow.

Some OG french rap

Solid hip hop entry with classic beat and instrumental elements that lend themselves perfectly to the lyrical style and flow of Solaar.

Drags a bit in the middle, but fun at the beginning and end

Solaar est super cool. Il a un flow incroyable.

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

Boy, this took me a while to get to: nearly a whole month. And it's like, I don't know. I just fell behind on albums one week, and I never really found the time nor want 'til now to actually give it a spin. 'Coz I mean, I've talked before about my problem with reviewing rap: that because, until recently, I've never been the kind of person to focus on and take in lyrics. So you then present me with a genre of music entirely based around lyrics... And, like, look, I'm a fan of my share of rap, but it's not like I have too much to say about any of it that often, besides maybe commenting on the beats. I'm surprised I've been able to say as much as I have. So you'd think this album would be right up my alley, then, huh? It's a **French** rap album, where I wouldn't even be able to understand the lyrics anyway, unless I **really** wanted to look them up (I never retained a thing from my Canadian French classes). But still, I don't know: I knew I wouldn't, so I'd feel like I was missing half the picture. Or maybe that's just an excuse 'coz I could never find the time, who knows? But anyway, I refuse to let an album go unlistened to, so, yeah, as you can tell, I did finally find the time. And was it worth it? Y'know, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I forgot how far even rap music can get on just vibes. I mean, that's basically the appeal of a lot of the rap music that charts. And yeah, going strictly off of flow and beats... Man, this thing is a vibe and a half. I'd say it bumps. Heck, it bangs sometimes, even! Like, rapping in French actually does interesting things to the flow. There's the accident, first of all, but then there's just the language itself. As a fellow group member has said, "the amount of extra syllables & nuance [...] allows for some really mesmerizing flows to pop in & out without ever once breaking the rhythm of each track." (The Jamaican/reggae influence is really good, too. Like, there's quite a few styles this album switches through, but the dancehall toasting stuff is, mm, so good. The stuff on "Ragga Jam" is nuts.) It's just a really fun record to groove to, y'know? And, yeah, like another group member said, I do kinda wish I knew French so I could appreciate the "complex wordplay" that's apparently present in the lyrics (something that would probably be lost in an English translation). Just listening on a surface level, though... Worst I can say about it is that I maybe wish it was a little shorter, but then what rap wouldn't I wish that about? Très bien, Solar. Err, "Solaar?" His MC name has had two "a"s this whole time? Dang.

I'm sure if I understood French I'd enjoy this album a lot more, but the beats and flow carry it pretty hard regardless. Solid 4 Stars.

Didn't make it through the whole thing, but it was nice.