Reviews (page 4 of 8)
This is a beautifully crafted album. It captures typical sounds from the 90s, and today, it sounds very nostalgic. I really enjoyed "Bouge de là" and "Ragga Jam!"
Some interesting moments and some grating ones
Wish I understood the lyrics, but had no problem understanding the groove and music.
was für ein groove, was für ein flow! ein erstling der es in sich hat - aus der goldenen ära des hip-hip. meisterhaft.
Rap, nicht schlecht aber es gibt besseres
MC Solaar's 1991 debut album, *Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo*, is a landmark in French hip hop. It achieved massive commercial success and established a new standard for lyrical sophistication and musical fusion in the genre . The table below summarizes the core aspects of the album: | Aspect | Description | | :--- | :--- | | **Lyrics & Themes** | Intellectual, literary wordplay; witty puns and cultural references; themes range from love ("Caroline") to social commentary ("Victime de la mode") . | | **Music & Production** | Jazz and funk-based beats produced by Jimmy Jay; samples from artists like Lou Donaldson and Cymande; influenced by the Native Tongues collective . | | **Influence & Impact** | First definitive French rap record; sold over 400,000 copies; proved hip-hop could achieve mainstream success in France . | ### 👍 Pros and Cons **Pros**: * **Lyrical Virtuosity**: Solaar is a master wordsmith, and his intelligent, poetic lyrics set a new precedent for French rap . * **Musicality and Groove**: The production uses lush, soulful samples that create a smooth and engaging listen. The beats have aged well . * **Effortless Flow and Coolness**: Solaar's delivery is versatile, shifting from conversational to aggressive while maintaining a laid-back, cool persona . * **Unifying Appeal**: The album's accessible style bridged the gap between niche rap audiences and the mainstream French public . **Cons**: * **Pacing and Inconsistency**: Some tracks, like the exuberant "Ragga Jam," can feel disruptive to the album's overall flow and pace . * **Dated Elements**: A few production choices, such as certain showman vocal effects, sound dated today . *Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo* is a foundational piece of French music history. Its blend of sharp lyricism and smooth production makes it a rewarding listen. The album's influence is undeniable, paving the way for every French rapper who followed.
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.
Favorite Track: Quartier Nord
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)
I like the sound of it, for a hip-hop album the singer has a great flow 3/5
Very French.
Was wel grappige franse rap
Et bah très très cool, c'est la genèse du rap français, j'avais jamais écouté. Juste pour les paroles et certaines musiques c'était un peu moins bien.
Sympa
Instrus très groovies j'ai remué pendant tout l'album, par contre les paroles étaient un peu vides;
Surprised- loved it
Rap but it's fr*nch
Franse Rap, redelijk
Everything the French do is cool, even hiphop. Classy No. 1.
Hip hop is hard to rate generally because it feels out of date almost as soon as it comes out. Add that this is on French I don't even really know if he has a good flow as French generally has a good flow spoken. There are places where the music wouldn't sound out of place in sesame street, but I think it's pretty sexual so I don't know. For 1992 this is pretty advanced. Its good until you hit that reggae song. It was so so very bad.
Kind of troll international album. Musically diverse. I liked the rapping even though I couldn’t understand any of it
No. More. Rap.
Why is there a French rap album on this list
I really liked the vibe on this. Different from the stuff I would gravitate towards, but still very good.
Makes me want to retake french. cool jazz rap.
I understand it is easier to write poetry in French, as there is a larger pool of repeated vowel endings. French words also tend to be longer and, thus, a string of French words can be more rhythmically complex. That's what I understand anyway. It's probably a good language to rap in. 1 Bof. 1.5/5
ooooh what a pretty intro! Whoa, didn't see this coming. French rap. This is dope. meh, it was goof for a bit. 3 stars.
tremendo!
oui oui tres bien
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
I think I've already forgotten MC Solaar's name and all the songs from this album, but it was somewhat entertaining.
Might have been 4-stars if I understood French
MC Solaar’s 1991 debut Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo finds the French rapper sliding into the jazzy, mellow sound that defined New York’s early-’90s hip-hop, which makes his later collaboration with Guru feel inevitable. While Solaar doesn’t break much new ground musically, his smooth cadence and French-language delivery gave the genre a fresh, international accent at a time when rap was still seen as strictly American. The title track leans on a hypnotic trumpet solo, “L’histoire de l’art” recalls DJ Premier with its horn break and scratching, and “Caroline” drifts into atmospheric groove. Elsewhere, “Quartier nord” amps up the aggression with a faster flow, while “La musique adoucit les mœurs” and “Funky Dreamer” play with English-language samples. Not revolutionary, but historically significant, the album quietly signaled hip-hop’s reach beyond U.S. borders.
Flowed really well. I’m actually such a fan of French media
7/10
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.
2.5 stars I guess now I know how people who don’t speak English feel about American music. I liked the beats and groove. The flow sounded good. But because I had no idea what he was saying, it’s difficult to feel like I enjoyed it. I certainly didn’t dislike it. But it’s tough to say I needed to hear it before I die. I may listen to it in the future in anticipation of a trip to France or something. Or maybe when I need background music where I don’t want to get distracted by lyrics. But otherwise nothing pulling me to return.
Hip hop isn't music. Not even in French. Hip hop is like being forced to listen to a stranger's monologue in a bar with monotonous background music. The language doesn't change that. At least MC Solaar's sermon wasn't as aggressive as is usually the case in this genre. 1/5
Refreshing rap in a language other than English.
Really catchy, and was surprised how much I could follow along with the lyrics despite my limited French
Pleasant enough, but not dynamic enough musically to compensate for not having any lyrical value for me, a dumb anglophone. (The flip side of that is that I was able to study while listening to this, which I can't do when listening to anything in English.)
foreign
Twas rap innit. Not really my thing, but the different language gave it a more instrumental feel
pas mal
Bra beats, kul med franska!
This was just plain weird. Why would I ever listen to this? Nothing wrong with it but I could go without forever.
Interessante, ripetitivo come il genere richiede
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.
Honestly this was pretty decent even if I didn't understand what was happening at all... although I did hear a couple of pee pee's and doo doo's on here. Did I need to hear this? Probably not, but it was generally enjoyable. Going with a unmoved 3/5
Not my cup of tea
Sounds a little like a poor man’s French Rakim. Apparently the French were a few years behind in hip hop production as these beats sound like the late 80s rather than the 90s. Kinda hard to appreciate without understanding the lyrics but he seems to have a pretty good flow.
2.5 I learned a lot of words in French, rhyme with tempo. Solid but I will never listen to it again
5 hiphop was saved by the french
French hip-hop was probably the last thing I was expecting today, but this hooked me straight away. My schoolboy French is pretty rusty, so he could have been rapping about his cat throwing up on the carpet or going down the shops, but whatever it was sounded effortlessly cool. MC Solaar himself is of Senegalese origin, so the beats mix in some Afrobeat with soul, jazz and a certain Gallic Je ne sais quoi. C’est fantastique!
I might be biased because I'm French and I grew up with MC Solaar work, but this is a great hip-hop record. It perfectly blend high quality old school hip-hop with French elements, a sense of poetry, a way of cleverly playing with words. He is an amazing word-carver, and he knows how to rap. I've always loved how he can rap in a very laid-back fashion, or with an amazing flow, throwing tens of words per second at your face.
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.
No idea what he's saying, but I liked this a lot better than most of the English language rap that we've heard. Feels a little jazzy and more melodic than those. His rhythm and rhyming work really well despite not understanding the words. High 3
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?
C’est du rap tout terrain Incroyable album de rap, les instrus sont great et les paroles coulent d’une rivière
Très fort! Étant habitué à du rap francais de qualité inférieure, ca fait du bien à entendre cet album.
Hard to get into a rap album when I have no idea what they’re saying…
Almost made it to the end but it was not enjoyable.
I don't know what they're saying. I don't know how offensive it is either, therefore, its classy. I've enjoyed French rap before, but don't have any reference or name. I enjoyed this although it did eventually drag on.
I'm at a disadvantage in that I don't speak French. But this sounds great. Effortlessly cool. It's not something I would listen to for fun, but it's beautiful stuff. My rating is for me personally; I think this is quality stuff!
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.
An interesting listen - relatively generic late 80s hip hop with French lyrics. The French part is what is most engaging. It has a nice flow but if I were in the mood for this type of music, I’d much sooner reach for something closer to source. Bonus point for slipping in the dun-dun-dah riff from The People’s Court on Quartier Nord. 3/5
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.
French, listened to first few songs
Sadly, my French is not up to this. But big FLOW! So much fun just to listen to.
No idea what they’re saying. But sounds ok
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
Some good French beats. Third song is pretty good. But a little hard to really enjoy a hip hop album in another language
Strong album
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
Was meh
Refreshing, quality French hip-hop. 4
It’s French rap, not my favorite but interesting.
ok this was a vibe even tho i don’t parlez français
I had no idea what to expect, but apparently, 1980s French Hip-Hop is at least enjoyable. I didn't understand hardly any of the lyrics(I know virtually nothing about the French language), so my rating is based on vibes, how much I like the rhythm, and the instrumental beats. It's fairly good, but it could have been about ten minutes shorter. Favorite Track: "Ragga Jam(impro)".
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
This was better than I expected. It's not always the best hip-hop I've heard, but I can appreciate it. I mean, I couldn't understand a word, but... yeah. 6/10
Bueno
French hip hop? No thank you.
Considering I can't stand rap / hip-hop, this actually wasn't so bad. It makes a difference when you don't understand the obnoxiousness of the lyrics. You only have the music & the beat to focus on.
Exactly what you expect from someone called mc solaar. This requires too much effort for me. I find rap already mentally taxing, let alone in a language where I have to carefully listen to understand it. It also doesn't help that certain lyrics have either no meaning/ are metaphorical.
French rap is to elegant.
A very pleasant French hip hop
respect ei ollut englantia
Jazzy tone was good, didn't love the rapping and of course my French is too limited to understand the lyrics. Wouldn't put this on myself but wasn't offended by it either.
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
solid album, nothing special tho
Was okay, all doings sounded the same except for the ‘reggae’ one which was just bad
Not really my genre. Was ok to listen to but wouldn’t listen again.
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.
Really decent Easy to listen to Hypnotic rhyming and rthymn
Nice flow, but also wasn’t terribly engaging for me (due to the language barrier).. other foreign albums may be supported by the music but hiphop tends to just be a beat and the lyrical prrformance. 3/5 overall pretty good
To me it just sounds pretty generic and didn't speak to me at all. I thought it was pretty boring
> the Beatles
Wasn't expecting 90s French hip-hop, pretty dang rad.
Falco did non English rap way better
It's an alright album. Some of the beats are nice with brass instruments mixed in. The lyrics are, I think, in French so I didn't really understand them but seemed like he has nice flow. Nothing really jumped out at me but I didn't hate it either. Would be nice to put a couple of these songs on a party mix to add some variety to the playlist.
Ranskalaista hiphoppia. Instrumentaalisesti aika samanlaista, kuin muukin saman ajan hiphop. Sanoista en luonnollisesti ymmärrä mitään. Aika rento ja letkeä meininki. Parhaat: La devise, Caroline
Really enjoyed this. Cool laid back vibes and interesting/eclectic mix of musical styles.
Big fan of foreign language rap. (ntm.)
2.5 - Meh
Cool flow for French rap. Not really my thing but good sounds.
Unfortunate that I can't understand french because I really would like to know what MC Solaar is rapping about, but fortunately for this album the production is so fun and varied, aside that MC Solaar's flow is so bouncy and rhythmic that it got stuck in my head. I wasn't expecting much from this album but I had a great time with it.
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.
Whelp. I don't speak French, so I can't comment on the lyrics. But the music was good, and he's a skilled rapper. Apparently he's THE French rapper and this his big album. 3
I thought I was fluent in French — as I grew up in Canada and attended a French immersion school — but I couldn't fathom a single word. Truth be told, I don't think it would've increased my appreciation towards the album.
have not heard of this artist but am enjoying the chill French vibes
I could put this on repeat for a loooong time. Great to listen to, great to have in the car, great to have in the background. Omelette du fromage.
Sacre bleu
Old school French rap - mellow, great upbeat background music
nope
Dude’s got flo
I never thought about French hip-hop before. This is great though! The beats are excellent. And even though I couldn’t understand MC Solaar’s lyrics, his flow is fantastic. He’s got a great, bouncy, playful style. He can rap fast too! Oh man, I love the chaotic energy of “Ragga Jam”!
Very cool French rap. I really dig the vibe and I'm extra interested because it's from the 1990's. I really liked "Ragga Jam", and the two "Bouge" tracks, "Bouge de la - Part 1 & 2". It's kind of funny listening though and not knowing any French at all. I felt like his vocals were just another instrument doing it's thing. After this one finished it automatically started playing another record of his called "Prose Combat", which is an amazing album title for the genre.
Glad I listened but it was kind of too much for me
nope
Enjoyed this, a bit different. High 2s
3+
I'm sure it's great, but I don't speak French, so I can't digest the most important part of hip hop. I do find the music palatable though and generally enjoyed the vibe of listening to it this afternoon.
Excellent
Das übliche Gestammel!
Loved the funky beats. Sounded at some points very similar to some other artist but not sure who. Low 4
Vraiment
A few annoying songs but overall…
This is pretty decent, if not exactly my thing. There's some good variation in beats and production, and some interesting little notes of difference in there. It feels ahead of its time a bit considering this is very early 90's. It's quite funky at times, and there's some nice smooth rhymes in there, even if I don't understand what he's saying.
I do not understand a word of it but it is excellent.
ChatGPT said: This one didn’t really land for me. I can totally see how it’s an important and influential album, and I did find the flow of MC Solaar’s delivery pretty smooth in places. His voice is likeable, and the French language gives it a certain elegance that makes even the sharper lyrics feel a bit softer. But I just didn’t connect with the beats much—most of them felt dated in a way that didn’t hold any charm for me, just a bit flat and repetitive. There’s an old-school vibe here for sure, but not one I was excited to revisit. I respect what this album did for French hip-hop, but personally, I found myself checking how many tracks were left more than once. A few songs like “Caroline” and “Victime de la mode” did have more energy, and I appreciated the clever wordplay in moments. Still, overall it felt like a museum piece—interesting, but not something I’d go back to.
Ganska kul rap på franska. Men tveksamt om jag lyssnar på den igen.
C'est nul, zéro étoile serait généreux
Rubbish
Gear: Letshuoer S12 PRO Artwork: 😵💽🔲 Production: 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🎤🥖💆♂️ Rating: 🟦⬜🟥/5
French jazz hip hop. My favorite.
Le podría haber puesto más pero 🥖
This rules. Love how good French sounds when rapped. Great sampling throughout. Very listenable.
Wish I knew what he was saying but I liked it!
Listened a couple of songs. Wasn't really in the mood for French old rap. It's funny how the flow is the same independent of the language.
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.
1.5. It's French and it was just kind of interesting. Too long as well
Ei lainkaan hassumpi! Seassa parit oikein toimivat rallit. Uudelleenkin voisi kuunnella.
Ok, not my thing but pleasant enough
1 stern
When this ended, I started it again from the beginning. Scratches an inch I didn't know I had.
Don't understand it
It’s French. It’s rap I guess. Narrow audience probably.
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.
I wanted to try to keep an open mind, since he's rapping in French. The first couple of tunes I could get a sense of his flow, thinking of his voice more like the lead instrument. "Ragga Jam"... just got annoying after a while. It was nice background music, really. Top tracks: title track, Funky Dreamer
He's got a good groove and a voice that perfectly fits his funky or neo-soul beats. I particularly liked Victime de la mode, L'histoire de l'art, La musique adoucit les moeurs, and Bouge de la (pt 1). Ragga Jam wasn't bad - rapping and cadence was impressive - but it doesn't really fit with the sound of the rest of the album. I'm probably not coming back to this but I didn't mind it.
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*
Funky and cool
This is #day324 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it was fun to discover the first major star of French hip-hop. My exposure to hip-hop delivered in French growing up was kind of amusing in hindsight, but still memorable... K-Maro ("Femme like you," "Qu'est ce que ça te fout", and particularly "Sous l'oeil de l'ange"), and that one Iron Sy track from District B13. But I'd never really heard anything from '90s French hip-hop, the period of the genre I get to gravitate toward, and I had no idea that France is the second largest hip-hop market in the world after the US either. As for Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, I liked the music and production a lot, especially on numbers like "Armand est mort" and "Quarier nord," though the French rapping can feel a little overwhelming at times. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day325.
Better than expected! Good tunes, decent rapping! Some good lyrics
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.
Good
This probably deserves a higher rating and I should revisit it at some point, but not speaking French makes it hard to appreciate a rap album in French
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!
Never listened to french hip hop before but now I have. It was cool.
++: 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
I’ve never heard of MC Solaar or this album before, but I’ve enjoyed a decent amount of hip-hop from the nineties that I’ve reviewed so far. Granted, I can’t say I’ve ever listened to a French hip-hop album before, so I really have no idea what I’m in for on this album. Let’s fire it up! This album left a little to be desired in my opinion. The brightest spot on this album was MC Solaar’s rapping. His skills with language kicked down any language barriers, and I thought he had a really good flow to his rapping. He cloud keep things simple and laid back, but he could also rap with speed and precision. I don’t know French, but it’s cool that his rapping still has a style that’s so clean that I can pick up on his rhythms and the way he enunciated words and syllables. Musically, this album was fine, but it didn’t really pull me in. The backing beats were relaxed and simple, which allowed the lyrics and rapping to do the heavy lifting, but it came at the expense of creating a sound that just plodded along in my opinion. The only song that really stood out to me was “Caroline.” I really liked the strings that were used in the backing music, and the song had a really haunting and beautiful sound. While I appreciate being able to branch out and listen to something different, this album just wasn’t for me.
Surprised me I really liked this. No idea what he’s saying but sounded good
Mc Solaar is a legend
Great album! I don’t feel the language barrier detracts from it at all. I’m sure it would be better if I did understand French, but awesome nonetheless.
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!
TBH, I’m too lazy to look up the English translation of the lyrics… But this meant I could just enjoy the music and the beats
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
Hearing all the classic 90s tropes in this album and thst isn’t a bad thing. Favorite track: bouge de la other picks: matiere grasse, caroline, ragga jam
Pleasant surprise, rap does hit hard when sung in French.
No es mi estilo pero me gusto
Sure, it would probably help if I understood French, but you don’t need to speak French to recognize a solid hip-hop record.
My alley! This is right up it!
ну во-первых музло состарилось конечно, во-вторых данный уголек читает круть с интонацией, которая в сон отправляет
« La musique est bonne. »
didn't understand 1 word of it but loved it
Damn good.
I liked this! A wild guess but I bet this is the only French hip hop album on the list. This album flowed well, as not all hip hop does, but possibly because it was French. I fear something got lost since I don't know French, and since so much hip hop is socially conscious, it behooves you to listen to the lyrics. Alas.
So, French hip-hop is kind of a vibe. I didn't understand a word of what he said, but he sure made everything sound cool. I like that the music is kind of funky, too.
Had a great time with rap in French is just so smooth funky beats great album
1/5
Jazzy soulful beats over poetic flowing French rap
Third 91 album this week and finally some good fuckin food. The flow is FIRE. Chill x infinity. The record has that jenousai quoi. Fuck you I don't know French.
Not really a rap fan, beats were cool tho
Don't hate it but it's not for me.
Pleseant funky beats, and while at times feels dated it also feels fresh.
I like your funny words magic man. Feels ahead of its time in a way, but still dated.
fine
Yeah I really liked this. Extremely Jazzy rap, I couldn't understand him but his flows and the beats were great.
I have a feeling that if I understood French, it wouldn't sound as good. However, I have no clue what any of it meant, and all I knew was that a foreign language sounded cool with the hip hop beats. It had some swagger to it and gave my Saturday afternoon a cool mood.
This was super enjoyable, but I regret that I can’t understand his lyrics. It seems like he has a lot to say. The beats and flow are on par, if not ahead of, everything else in 1991. I love how he mixed it up and sounded like Prince at times and Sublime at others.
Great rap, French were holding out on us
Great French rap!
Very fun. Don't know if I will revisit, but definitely enjoyed it playing while I was working.
Some french hip hop. Bright drum kit on the beats, lots of horns in the mix. Pretty solid. Neat to hear the flow in french
Def funky but not rly my vibe. I saved a few songs but it mostly felt one-note. Could def be because I don’t understand French and this is the type of rap where the lyrics/poetry is rly important.
I don’t know that I REALLY liked this, I’m probably giving it a pretty hard round up here. But I was very tickled to listen to French hip hop, and also thought the production was neat in a bizarro world early-90s-hip-hop-but-make-it-continental way.
I don’t know, it was ok? It’s hard to rate as it’s old, and it’s in a language I don’t understand. I didn’t dislike it, and it had some decent beats, so I’ll give it a 3. Maybe a 2.5 if there were half stars.
This is decent, but loses me because I've never learned French. For hip-hop to be truly successful the lyrics matter the most, so I'm missing out. That's not the artist's fault, I think he's got a good voice and flow. The music is good too. I'm just limited in how much I can enjoy this. Pity I'm not French. "Ragga Jam" slaps though.
this one was really great! mc solaar's flow is really great and and the production and beats were energetic and fun to listen to. i wish i could understand french better than i do (minimal) but i don't think that even necessarily matters. it's an enjoyable album even if you don't understand the lyrics.
This album had a smooth flow with a jazzy feel to the production, making it an enjoyable listen. Even though I don’t speak French and couldn’t follow the lyrics, his delivery fit the music so well that it didn’t take away from the experience. The laid back beats and instrumentation gave the album a great atmosphere.
Loved this album. Didn't understand a word but his ability to seemingly have a different style for every song was amazing. It felt like a combination of every hip hop artist I was listening to in the late 80s and early 90s.
Probably would like this more if I was fluent in French. Beats good flow good
It sounds better in French and reminds me of Madame Zartman
This was a challenge as this stretched my semi-lapsed A level French (without the French lyrics on screen I would have been lost) but in a weird way it probably meant I followed the lyrics more than I might otherwise. It has a good flow, decent variety of backing tracks and nice wordplay. It’s not groundbreaking from a non francophone country perspective but enjoyed it.
This album sounds pretty old fashioned and basic, even for '91. The beats are slow and simple, and not particularly interesting. The last third or so of the album really picks up, it's unfortunate the whole album wasn't more like that.
Miten joku osaa puhua ranskaa noin nopeasti?
Not my thing
tres interesante. 3.5
tiene un par de momentos interesantes. Está bueno para tener ahi de fondo
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.
Even though I didn't understand what he was saying, I still dug the beats and his flow.
Got a little close to Snow's Informer at times, but pretty solid overall.
Fr*nch-language rapping over canned 90s beats. Yawn
3.5/5.0: Very Good
this was interesting. normally with rap id be focused on the lyrics but that wasnt possible since i dont speak french. the delivery and the beats were good though
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.
Pretty fun, but ive not understood the draw
The main draw to hiphop is usually the lyrics, while the beat is something basic and repetitive. This album is French. Maybe French people like this, but when I don't understand the lyrics they can't add much to my enjoyment of the music, and this wasn't something I'd bother listening to again for the beat.
8/10
The Good: We’ve got prophecy! The Bad: Looking at the artist is like looking at the sun… The Ugly: it is rap… Even in French rap remains rap… I mean crap… However, holy crap towards the end, Ragga Jam… that was amazing, and I will dish out an additional star just for that. 2*
Really funky samples, and good French flow.
Some OG french rap
Damn. I got hit with the back to back hip hop album. This is pretty good. I said that the previously-recommended Public Enemy album was my favourite hip hop album, though I take that back. I think it might be this. There's a very satisfying level of ambition to this album. It samples a ton of different genres and instruments yet somehow manages to bring it all together into a satisfying package. The more relaxed moments of the album worked best for me. I think those songs bring out the best of MC Solaar, which is his suave. "Caroline" is my favourite song on the album. A great downtempo beat with some very nice strings in the background. The pivot towards a reggaeton sound during the latter half of the song is also an ambitious decision that I respect. The weakest part of this album was probably "La musique adoucit les mœurs". It's by no means a bad song, but boy does it drag on. Scratch that, it's probably "Ragga Jam". I'm not a fan of reggae, I gotta admit.
Not bad
Rätt skönt häng
I don’t understand a word of it, but I love it!
Wow, French rap/hip hop? Who knew. Enjoyed this more than a lot of American stuff. Had a Tribe Called Quest feel. Enjoyed this.
Really fun at first, but it gets repetitive. Maybe if I spoke the language, I’d’ve had a better time. Flow is good, production is good, beats, samples, and arrangements are good. Just wasn’t blown away. 3/5
Not my lane but an ok listen.
Catchy french rap - would be dope if i knew what they were saying
Oddly enough I’m gonna give this smooth rapper a thumbs up.
Solid hip hop entry with classic beat and instrumental elements that lend themselves perfectly to the lyrical style and flow of Solaar.
I felt personally insulted by "Ragga Jam"
I'm sure it's great when you can understand it, but I can't.
Nem rossz francia hiphop
I dunno. I don’t speak French. Probably sucks
There better be 100 3rd Bass albums on this list
Very unlike peanut butter and chocolate
Drags a bit in the middle, but fun at the beginning and end
Perfect for my early Summer mid-morning working. I don't know if my rusty French helped or hindered my enjoyment, but I felt I got the gist, and this was bouncy, exuberant fun. The samples are a little obvious, but well-chosen, and I ended up playing this twice. One to add to the 'revisit regularly' list.
Rap music is so much better when you cant understand the lyrics.
I didn't think that I would enjoy this album. I understood a little bit. I will use this to practice my French.
This is awesome! A smoothe hip hop artist rapping over live music, and funky jazz at that. Who cares what language he's using! The Inner City Blues sample on Armand Est Mort is sublime. Liked Songs Added: Qui Sème Le Vent Récolte Le Tempo Victime De La Mode Armand Est Mort À Temps Partiel La Musique Adoucit Les Mœurs
This is why I'm doing this challenge! loved this.
My interest in this Top 1001 is waning and it's because of albums like this that don't appear to be significant or influential. It sounds like bad 90's rap in French. Did this start an explosion of French rap that I and the rest of the world weren't aware of? Simple beats. I see nearly 10M listens for "Caroline", that's impressive, but listening to it was not. No hits, no staying power, zero influence on this side of the Atlantic. What's the draw? I wish there was an explanation on the merits of each album and why we should consider them a top album we need to hear before we die. I could've lived the rest of my life without hearing this one.
Solaar est super cool. Il a un flow incroyable.
The problem with non-english speaking rap albums is that I have no idea how to judge their flow or word play. The album sounds fine but I can't tell you any more than that.
It’s funny how all the cliches of the albums of the same era can appear globally
As expected, I have no idea what he is rapping about because I don't speak French. Ragga Jam was maybe not a highlight of the album but I have no idea how a human being can rap that fast. It's just all a blur of words. I can tell this is early 90's rap, because the beats and general feel of the tracks has an early 90's feel to it. That's not an insult. Seems like rap during this time had similarities no matter which country the artist originated from. It's hard for me to write the titles down but I really liked the horns on L'histoire de l'art and enjoyed Caroline as well. I do wish I knew what he rapping about and enjoyed this album as much as one could without understanding the messaging.
Would be so fire if I spoke French. Production is very very good I liked this a lot for not being able to understand it.
Hip Hop. 1/5
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.
Meh. I liked some of the music and the French rippity-rap wasn't as irritating as some other hip-hop I've heard in my native English. Some decent stuff, though.
68/100. It's an okay album that blends jazzy hip-hop elements in a way that feels fresh and innovative, especially for its time. The beats are decent and the flow is smooth, but as the album went on, I found myself losing interest.
French hip hop always sounds cool. 3.5/5
This was really good. I don't know a bit of French, so I feel like that may have hindered my enjoyment, but wow was it fun. The beats were great and flowed well although sometimes it did start to feel repetitive. Im not sure how often I would return to this, but it was enjoyable. Actual Rating....3.5 Liked Songs: "Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo" , "Matière grasse contre matière grise" , "L'histoire de l'art" , "Quartier nord" , "Bouge de là - Part. 2" , "Ragga Jam"
This might have been more interesting if I understood any of the wordplay going on, but musically this just isn't interesting. 2
Very enjoyable. I don't understand a word, but its still quite interesting - maybe the lyrics are stupid - who knows!
I had no idea what he was saying but I enjoyed the beats and the flow of it. You can hear dudes talent and looking up the translation he is a great lyricist as well. If I was a French speaker I'd probably own this and still play it.
What an absolute delight for my 102nd album
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.
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.
Didn't make it through the whole thing, but it was nice.
Not my vibe
Listened playing with J on the mat, booombapboombapbombebappe
Great for a sunny day in London. Jazzy trip hop as much as rap. Chilled, musical delivery.
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
Nice fun sound, no idea what he was saying though
That's not my taste in music - But pleasant to listen to
It's hard appreciate HipHop which is explicitly lyric-driven in a language you don't understand.
It would be easy for me to instantly dismiss a French rap album, but I think this is decent. There’s some classic-sounding, summery production and the man’s flow is pretty easy on the ear too. Plus, there’s a simple pleasure in hearing a tongue-twisting passage of words I don’t understand punctuated by the English words ‘funky beat’.
v funky, v smooth. Pity I don't understand a lick of French though, definitely would've scored higher if I had a glimball about what was being said. Victim de la mode is a chuuuuuuune
I don't speak french, and I'm not the biggest fan of 90s hip hop
Dunno what he’s saying but I like the way he says it.
Absolutely wild that this hit the world in 1991. The production is absolutely crazy, it is certainly the earliest European hip-hop album I've gotten to listen to, and even with my minor understanding of the language MC Solaar's raps still come off light and interesting. May have to listen again with a translation so I can get the full understanding. Revolutionary rap
French rap / hip hop / popular music.
Nice beats, nice flows, leider kein Wort verstanden, bisschen repetitive vom Sound
I am between a 3.5 and 4 on this, so I'll give it a 4 on this scale. The music feels ahead of its time, or at least, I can see the influence on groups and amazing music that followed, such as Massive Attack. The vocals are okay, but I feel the album is too long, and some of the vocals don't fit the mood as well as I wanted them too. They felt too bouncy for music, and I just wanted the whole thing to feel more "moody" like Massive Attack. Overall, though, it is not a bad listen, and I do think it is impressive for the time and still feels relevant all these years later.