Reviews (page 5 of 8)
You know when you really want to like something, and work hard at liking it, but just can’t? Yeah. That. For a long time, I thought I simply had a bias against Rap Not In The English Language. But it occurred to me that the best rappers, most rappers, use their voices as an instrument for conveying emotion and passion, one way or the other. Solaar’s delivery is as flat as a pancake.
It’s better than I expected it to be, but my expectations of French hip-hop were benthonically low.
Musically really good, no idea what he was going on about. Really enjoyed
2,5
Nope
Quite a cool groove and still sounding surprisingly fresh considering how hip-hop sounded generally in 1990. I have always liked how rap sounds in French, the flowing nature of the language suits flowing verse. The problem is, despite the best efforts Miss Onslow, I don't speak French. I feel like understanding the lyricism is 80% of all rap music. My typical British ignorance of foreign language limits this to a 2 star album for me, I'm afraid.
Not my thing
🤏
The positive is that I don't understand rappers, so the foreign language is no problem. His voice sounds better, that French accent is always a bonus. But it's still just someone talking over a repetitive (so bloody repetitive) groove. Instead of saying nope, I'll say non.
nope
My buddy back in university knew French. Really well. He had this bit he would do. "Anything sounds sexy if you say it in French," he would confidently declare in the club. Then he would approach some cutie across the way to say something ridiculous to her like, "I'm sorry but my couch fell from the sky and hit you in the face." And she would just *melt*.
Difficult to get through
This was pretty sick. Really liked some of the beats.
I really liked this. Don't understand French at all. But it was really enjoyable.
The beats and rhythm were very reminiscent of the early 90s hip hop. I have no clue what was said as I don't speak French, but it was enjoyable
This is fine, not something I'll come back to though.
This basically sounds like French Tricky to me. Admittedly I quite like Tricky and the beats/production here are pretty cool. As entertaining as it was trying to pick some meaning out of the 20% or so of the words I understood (baby, baby, strawberry, raspberry, music…) my bigger issue was that it didn’t really shift in tone, tempo or mood for most of its hour-long runtime. So I can’t see myself coming back to it again anytime soon.
Not memorable honestly
The only French rap I have or need to listen to. This is great, I'm sure it doesn't get much better than this.
Oh, delicious! The most elegant piece of hip-hop I’ve ever heard. References to Marvin Gaye surprised me. Like it!
Pretty boring listen. It's just standard French rap music. Nothing really interesting going on. Bit boring. He started doing something interesting with sampling some more interesting other music, and I can see why it is by far the most listened to track on the album. Other than that entirely boring, not sure it deserves to be on this list.
I found this album monotonous in the sense that all the songs kinda blended together. Not terrible but boring and bland, I will probably not listen to this again.
I hate french, but this sounded pretty cool. Somehow a jazzy kind of hip hop
Mucho estilo, buen sonido, aquí en España no tuvo mucho eco (más allá de buenas críticas y ámbito reducido), pero no quita que sea un gran disco. En la época del Acid Jazz significó que no solo el inglés era el vehículo del hip hop. Colaboró con Guru o De la Soul, muestra del respeto e influencia que tuvo en los USA. Desde luego no fue flor de un día, presenta una carrera tan lóngeva como sólida. En cierto modo fue precursor de Daft Punk o Air, a su modo. También había gente haciendo cosas buenas en el rap galo: Rocca , IAM, La Cliqua, Oxmo Puccino, Ärsenik, Cut Killer, Assassin... Aquí Victime de la mode, suena a lo mejor de los Digable Planets, palabras mayores. Ragga Jam usa la métrica africana con maestría con fraseos espídicos.
Une bonne petite gymnastique orale et langagière, belles trouvailles dont les auditeurices francophones peuvent profiter, mais contente de voir que même ceux et celles qui ne parlent pas français ont généralement apprécié l'album
Sick flow transcends language.
This is the first album I've gotten that I probably wouldn't have eventually sought out on my own time, and I know many more will follow. (I'm actually shocked I got 6 rock albums in a row). For my first foray into hip-hop, this is pretty good; better than I was expecting. This album is jazz-rap, and it's from 1991, back when music was higher quality in general (in my opinion). I am not a rap fan, I tend to find it boring musically, and the sometimes really good lyrics don't save bad music. However, the thing about this album is that I quite enjoy the beats and jazz in the background, and I also don't understand a damn thing MC Solaar is saying because he's rapping in French. I think his flow is pretty good, although, as with a lot of rap for me, I tend to zone out and not let the music sink in, although if it has a good instrumental in the background I can stay engaged. I do notice a few kind of cheesy things going on in the background that I don't want to assume are '90s rap tropes, but kind of think are based on what I know (but I'm not a rap music expert so take that with a grain of salt). Overall, this was better than I was expecting, and I actually enjoyed the listen a little. Favorite Song: La musique adoucit les mœurs Lest Favorite Song: Ragga Jam
Actually quite enjoyed it. Not my style at all. I'd like to give it another listen though. 6/10
I groove with this, I rock with this. Most undoubtedly I fuck with this
Couldn’t understand wtf he saying but it’s a vibe. Would toss this on at a party
Good stuff
Pretty pleasant background music. I listened to it while playing Old World. Reasonably original.
I hate to rate it low because I don’t understand French, but I am.
I can't really listen to foreign language rap but it sounds like it would be decent for a native speaker.
Was in French, sounded pretty decent but no idea what it was about. Nice vibe to it
Good beats. Probably would have scored higher if I was a Francophone
Nope
3,5
Very cool old school french hip hop
Ok, ali nije mi francuski jezik za rap
1.5
I don't really speak french (anymore), but I heard of MC Solaar already. Album was okay even though I did not understand a thing :D
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.
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.
Cool. Nice flow and jazz beats. Ragga Jam is amazing.
I like the beats and production on this album a lot, but not being able to understand French is a real hindrance for me, so the songs end up sounding too repetitive. Probably a fun album to read translations of and listen again though. 2.5/5
Not my thing. I didn't really care for it. 2/5
-irgendwie hat französischer Rap etwas, fühlt sich etwas Härter in der Aussprache an, was ich ganz cool finde (fand schon immer z.B. Spanisch wegen der Aussprache deutlich cooler) - Am Ende wird dann auch noch etwas Reggae reingemixt, was mir auch gut gefallen hat - hätte allerdings auch nichts dagegen gehabt, wenn es etwas kürzer gewesen wäre 2,75 / 5
Okay I’m sure theres a market here but I’m neither huge on rap or understanding the french language. He seems huge in france, there is some variety with the songs and he goes FAST, but I can only give it a 1/5 I didn’t enjoy it
I'm not really sure why I'm listening to hiphop that I can't understand. Plus I don't like hiphop all that much... On the upside, the rhythms are fun.
I enjoyed the first half, but the last half I felt kind of over with it. I don't really know how to appropriately grade something I didn't really understand. After googling MC Solaar and seeing his impact in the French music scene, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and just give it a 3 and move on.
That was interesting - French rap
Perhaps once upon a time the novelty of hearing rap in a language other than English would've been enough to give it a certain degree of cultural cache. But times change - monocultures are loosening and the exchange of musical ideas via the internet is now so total that I'd not raise an eyebrow if I was proffered a rap album in Inuktitut. So where does this leave 'Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo'? As a pleasant, if somewhat anonymous, relic of the early 1990s. French language aside, it'd be indistinguishable from any of the slightly funky pre-gangsta rap of the era. I can't comment further - rap is a genre that relies heavily on wordplay, and I don't speak French (plus we did a Brexit in response to this kind of thing). Many of its charms remain hidden to me.
Gangster French rap - Cannot understand anything but the French language has a unique flow especially when rapped fast - Old school hip hop beats
Wasnt able to dedicate too much time to it but from what I did listen it had some nice beats and felt like nothing crazy.
I can’t take french seriously. the only good song was the first one, that was instrumental. To be completely fair, instrumentally wise there were some good parts but otherwise i just felt like i was listening to noise or ads.
I expected nothing from French rap, and was very pleasantly surprised. I actually liked this. It has the jazz hip hop vibe of Us3 and artists like that, although unlike having samples of Blue Note recordings, the backing tracks sounded almost canned in some parts. I think the fact that I couldn’t understand anything he said probably helped. I quickly grow tired of rappers who only spew slurs and epithets and rap about drugs and being horrible to women, so if he said any of that I was blissfully unaware. Whatever he does say flows incredibly well. If I had any desire to learn French, I would probably listen to this guy a lot. Does it deserve 4 stars though? Probably not, probably a high 3, but I’m going 4 just because it was so much better than I expected.
I tried listening three times and finally made it through!
My first time listening to French rap. Will I revisit?: low priority Current rating: 6/10
Kinda cool. I can only judge the flows and beats so I think I’m missing a good chunk of what usually makes hip hop so great, the lyricism. I don’t speak any French but oh well, Say la Vee or whatever. 5/10
Really digging this out of the gate with the title track. Effortlessly cool flow over top of some jazz heavy instrumentals that they let breath through the outro. Very smooth. Track 3 has a more progressive funk backing instrumental that sounds uniquely 90s. Still solid stuff that reminds me of ATCQ. L'histoire d l'art is a standout. Pressing vocals over a funky little loop that exchanges with some stanky bass and horns. Have definitely heard the sample on Armand est mort, but cannot place it. Quartier nord is an abrupt change to an aggressive delivery. Really dig the song and the muted instrumental with scratching. Pretty sure that Ragga Jam is referenced directly by Sublime. But then maybe it is a common thing...idk. All I know is I can only imagine how one moves their mouth and tongue fast enough to make some of these sounds -- wild. The vibes are strong with this album. While I can't understand a word, I found myself swaying to damn near every song. It played a little long in the end (especially once it turned over towards more reggae / dub influences). But all in all a very solid listen. 4 / 5.
3 stars. Can't say I have ever listen to a french rap and french reggae combo album. Very odd. But there were some parts that had a good flow and weren't too bad. Probably not listening to this again.
Flow was solid throughout, but it was pretty standard rap that happens to be in French. There was a short background vocal sample in Armand est mort that I have heard elsewhere. Wonder where that's from.
Could get down with some of the beats but was tough to listen to in all French. The first half of the album was good but then it dragged on a bit too long. And Ragga Jam was not very good I was ready for the album to be done by then. Still a surprise at a mid 3.
Whoa did not expect French hip hop when I put this on. This flows pretty well I think I'm a fan of french hip hop.
It's hiphop in a language I don't understand. I rarely enjoy hiphop and when I do it's always in my own first language, Danish. I think a good lyrics matters more in hiphop than in other genres. I don't think I can judge this entirely fairly
bright, french helps, lighter than I remember
What originally started for me as repeat playing of Obsolète turned into repeat playing of Prose combat, fast becoming one of my favourite hip hop albums, let alone French hip hop. I somewhat ‘completed’ this by purchasing the double LP in a record shop in Montmartre, for the ultimate hipster credit. But this isn’t Prose combat, it’s its predecessor. And it serves just as you’d hope it to, its more laissez-faire older brother, with Solaar meandering through a cool jazz-influenced hip hop soundscape with a ‘je m’en fiche’, ‘à prendre ou à laisser’ attitude. I’m unsure if this really is overshadowed by its follow-up three years later, but it is for me. So whilst Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo is no doubt a stellar rap album, but it’s not something I can come back to when Prose combat is right there.
All right. Good feel and it wasn’t boring. Started experiencing Album Fatigue about half way through.
I found out about MC Solaar from Guru's Jazzmatazz. Smooth. 5/5
interesting but not my jug of coffee
Didn't understand a word he said but this wasn't bad at all.
So much fun!!
I enjoyed this but likely would never listen again.
Good beat and probably makes more sense if you speak french.
Is this what Kanye based N****s in Paris on?
Ahh.. MC Solaar! I used to listen to this guy a decent amount in the early 2000s. This jazz rap style is really the best hip hop as far as I'm concerned. I have no idea what he's saying but it sounds so damn good. Also didn't know he got his US breakthrough on a Guru Jazzmatazz track. Fitting.
Probably would have enjoyed this more if I spoke French
The epitome of a smooth record. Hate to simplify, because the Jazz/Hip Hop fusion was superb. Through English translation, you could see why MC Solaar received the acclaim he did. Loved track, “Caroline.” (Note to self: learn French).
This was nifty 4/5
I guess I hate french electronic music
Through this on while cooking and it was such easy listening
Ehhh another French electro album. Very repetitive, liked least of the genre I think
liked the beats, couldn't understand a word
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.
Fucking french 90s rap, is what I thought when I put this on. But it went by quicker and easier than expected. Stand-out: Funky Dreamer
This album contains my favourite kind of rap. The kind with good flows and beats. Better yet, no skits at all. I wish I understood French; it would've made the album even better. The only dud on "Tempo" is "Ragga Jam," which shouldn't have been on the album. 4 stars for "Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo".
Not my usual cup of tea, but didn’t mind it for a change
Better options than this IMO
Nothing special, just french
Nice and groovy, I hope the lyrics are cool because it's all in French. But the flow was cool 8/10
Unfortunately my high school French was not up to this challenge! But this was still fun despite only catching every few words. I like getting international albums, it's interesting to see how the same music genres evolve differently in different countries. French hip-hop/rap isn't going to be my new top genre, but I enjoyed it.
Very well produced, lots of toe thumpers, but I wasn't able to find a decent TL for the lyrics, so I can't really appreciate it as much as a native French speaker. I do fuck with the Marvin Gaye sample though, that surprised me in a good way.
Can't see myself ever listening to this again, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. When I see "MC", my heart sinks, but I'm learning that it shouldn't automatically sink! This is very listenable.
Smooth beats and a nice workout for my extremely rudimentary French. Going to have to check out more of his work.
The only thing worse than (c)rap is (c)rap in a foreign language.
Certainly skilled. But it's not my style. I'm impatient to stop focusing on it. 1.5/5
Nah bro
Jazzy Native Tongues style beats for a feel good relaxed sound. His delivery is great, incredible pacing and a cadence that wraps language around itself as he shifts tempos, accelerating through a verse hitting a rapid fire couple of lines and stepping back for a more spacious playful flow.
Early French rap - interesting: 3/4 leaning to 4.
I can honestly say that this is the best album, titled from an Old Testament verse, by a French rapper, that I have ever listened to.
I can appreciate early French rap. It’s good, but too into it.
Très cool. Il y a des belles ondes.
I've listened to MC Solaar before and do like his voice. This album wasn't clicking with me. It's got some good grooves but seems repeatitive beyond tolerance. It becomes tiresome and I lose interest. It would probably click more if I had a better handle on the French language. The lyrics seem to be a critical element for these tunes.
Wow. Is French the best language to rap in? Of course, I don't know what MC Solaar was on about, but the flow, groove, vibe — and his enunciation — were all top notch.
Cool, old school rap with a smooth vocal delivery and groovy beats. Who knows what he's going on about but it's a cool journey. I did, however, get a bit bored 2/3 of the way through, but whatever. It's chill background music.
I hit play on this without reading a thing about MC Solar or the album. Man oh man....what a joy this was. Loved every bit.
qu'est-ce que c'est?
It's good fench rap
Not bad
Yup, this is a no from me. Not that it's bad, it's just I have a hard time listening and understanding all foreign language albums. What's worse is that I didn't even like the music that much, there wasn't anything that stood out as outstanding. 1/5
This was REALLY CLOSE to being a 5
I didn't understand a single word but it had some pretty decent beats
Wish I could understand the lyrics
A pretty cool french rap with very interesting beats and melodies. Quite jazzy at times, full of positive 90s vibes, with a very accesible vocals (although I didn't understand a thing). Looks like I'm going to give a good note for a french rap, who would have thought.
Loved it. Bit like Massive Attack
This was really good, listened like 3 times on the bounce.
As other reviewers have said this grooves. Musically it’s an impressive piece. The records failing is singularly mine, and mine only in that I don’t speak French, and especially with rap that’s losing a majority of its content. Enjoyed anyway.
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.
Only thing remotely interesting about this was that it was in French. Otherwise it would have just been a terrible sanitized 90s rap album. 1.5/5
loved it - felt like i was in a french nightclub martini bar, doesn't quite touch 5 star for me but not far off
Always liked Solar even though I only understand every other fourth word! Not heard this one before though tres bon.
Personally, I have a hard time listening to music in alternative languages simply because I feel like I need to understand the lyrics to truly feel, and enjoy a song. However, I really enjoyed the beats, and would not put down the album in any means.
French rap!!! I went into the album with a very negative mindset based on an important component to good rap is being able to understand what is said!! The music is very good and very varied. Great beats but lyrics are important to me. I cant score this album easily without knowing whats being said!
Just not my thing
I don’t know what I was expecting, but this exceeded it.
I’m not a fan of rap music, but this was better than most.
This is not the kind of hip hop I enjoy. It's listenable but it didn't amaze me.
Pretty funky but I don't speak french...
Excellent flow. I wish I could understand the lyrics better, but I really enjoyed this regardless.
I should've paid more attention in French class, but honestly, the language barrier didn't sour this album much for me at all. I vibed with it every step of the way, and even without an understanding of what's being said, you know the flow of Mr. Solaar is on point.
Qui tend l'oreille, récolte le message.
3/5
french rap without getting a word
Surprisingly entertaining French 90s rap. Would listen again.
Best lijp
Since I don't speak French I can only judge this on beats and flow, both of which were good for 1991.
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.
I respect that. Some tracks have a nice vibe to them (I hate myself for using "vibe"). Although some songs fall flat for me personally. Especially towards the end of the album.
Not my usual cup of tea hip hop wise but i can appreciate his flow and the beat, even thou i didn't understand a word he was saying
Surprisingly it was wonderful. I have heard it almost three times.
Good good very good shite
I don't know what Pierre is saying. Maybe that's a good thing. One track stood out, the Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo song (Ragga Jam). Otherwise, just average stuff except for the French.
Wow, the hits just keep coming. This was stupendous. I must have heard MC Solaar, since I listen to to French hip hop from time to time, but never really latched onto him.
It's s a really fun, classic 90s rap album and fella is Hella talented
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
Mmmm, ze French heep-hurp is extra sexy no?
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would
The music is good but I can’t understand French so the lyrics are lost on me.
Solid but not understanding the french rap brings less enjoyment of course
This was hard to pay attention to. Every 50th word something sounded like English. Music/beats were on but not stellar.
Cool at first but the beats are just meh.
I like it, a solid vibe. I’m not sure if I’d like it more or less if I spoke French, but I do like that it sounds mysterious to me and French rapping has a nice flow to it. While it’s a nice sounding album throughout, nothing about it really stands out either other than its French rapping.
I ended up enjoying the heck out of this record. Not only is MC Solaar’s flow smooth, but the beats are excessively appealing. They keep you moving and bobbing without pounding you into submission and provides an eminently listenable and pleasant experience. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-qui-seme-le-vent-recolte?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Laid back French hip hop With big jazz influences And a skosh of ska
Meh
This French language hip-hop hit all the right spots for me. It had some great beats, the voice was very unabrasive, and the fact that my French isn't that good meant that I didn't know if it was the usual hip-hop mix of sexism and violence. It all sounded very cool. I don't know if I'll return to it much, but I was glad to get it.
Maybe if my French was better I would have enjoyed. As is did nothing for me.
Something different and better than what I was expecting.
This is an enjoyable album easy to listen to and put together well.
Traen buen groove pero pense que seguia escuchando el album y era una recomended song
Rap is definitely more enjoyable when I haven't a scooby doo what they are on about.
Pretty easy 3 for me - it was fun and funky, if not particularly modern. Hip hop is not really my groove but this was a neat experience for me and definitely the historical aspect here is very interesting and important in terms of culturally exchanging music across the world.
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!
Nah
I'm not really sure what to do with this one. Interesting beats and samples but hip hop is often times make or break on the lyrical content. I don't speak a lick of French so this might as well be gibberish.
Can’t speak a word of French but really enjoyed the vibes, some great samples used. Listened to it twice through, and would happily put on my rotation. Maybe after a google translate of the lyrics 😅
great album. It reminds me of Stereolab in some ways. The samples are awesome and the beats are too
I liked the sound of this even though I don't speak french. Enjoyed the funky beats and relaxed smooth flow. Favorite songs were: 4. Victime de la mode 11. La musique adoucit les mœurs 12. Bouge de Là (part. 1) 7/10
I love MC Solaar. My French is a lot worse than it used to be so I can't understand it as well anymore but I still appreciate the poetic quality of his rap.
This was a cool album! I've never heard of MC Solaar, but google tells me he is the most famous french hip-hop artist. I enjoyed the vibes, but don't speak french so didn't pick up on any of the lyrics. The beats were dope and I like his flow across the record. It ran a little long. I can't rate it super highly because I can't understand a word he's saying, and I'm not going to go translate all the lyrics. However, I did think the sound was cool and it's clearly pretty dope stuff. 7/10
First thought with today's album: A Tribe Called Qu'est que ce. Lots of comparisons to American hip hop, I feel the beats are closer to Erik B and Rakim. For the quantity of tracks, it stays fresh, and I only know my high school class level of French, but the delivery is good. This is one of those cool discoveries from this project.
Interesting to listen to something so lyrically based, that's in a language I do not understand at all. That being said, this is hip-hop that is right up my alley. Late '80s to early '90s is my sweet-spot for rap. Hip hop in this era was focused on the MC delivery, with the production being more sample, bass, and drum heavy. I find modern production too distracting; overshadowing the MC with too many changes and too much instrumentation. Solaar has a great voice and shows off multiple types of flow throughout. It sounds a little dated now, but for the era it was released, I think this was probably pretty groundbreaking.
My French is terrible, so my understanding of the lyrics was nearly nonexistent. The music was ok. Is the place on this list justified? Maybe if it was some important album for French Hip Hop. Other than that? No.
At least, now I know a French rapper by name.
If I could break dance this would be my soundtrack
The first half had me hooked but after Caroline, my interest and enjoyment waned.
Very cool. 😎
Cool
This was okay then it got weird in a bad way 2.5 stars
This was better than I expected, but definitely not worth a re-listen.
Not my bag maybe? I love flowing raps with a nice bounce. Something about the production felt kind of off? It is a good album just not a great one or one that I will ever crave?
MC Solaar is smooth. The album flows well and keeps a groove from start to finish. Being from Quebec was helpful listening to this. Good chill album 6.2/10
A good study album. Bangers for it mostly not being in English
Interesting, I will listen more I think.
Not bad...but since I cannot speak French, hard to get into it.
Ok background music while I got some work done. 2/5
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”.
Favorite Track: Matière grasse contre matière grise
some pretty good boom bap! He could be rapping about cheese and pencils for all i know of French but it sounds real good. Hadnt put it on in 30 uears but it held up rather nicely
Old school hip-hop vibes with some jazz-influenced beats - I like it. This guy has a pretty smooth flow. I have no idea what he's saying, but the vibe translates.
It would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't performed in French.
J'ai étudié le français pendant quatre ans au lycée ; je dois avouer que je ne saisis pas grand-chose aux paroles, mais le groove est indéniable. Le flow de MC Solaar est d'une fluidité incroyable et s'intègre comme un instrument à part entière à la production jazz-rap de haut vol signée Jimmy Jay. L'album soutient la comparaison avec A Tribe Called Quest ou Digable Planets, porté par des titres phares comme "Caroline" et "Bouge De Là" qui rendent la barrière de la langue sans importance. Malgré une rupture de ton un peu déconcertante sur "Ragga Jam", c'est un disque magistralement conçu et imprégné d'une ambiance unique.
Fun
A mediocre sounding French rap release that sounds stuck in 91 tho given I can't understand the lyrics my analysis is faulty.
Fransk rap, kan fakkes med
Wish I had retained more from French classes :/
first listen sick production, wish i knew french
4.5 stars. Man I don't know if it's just the novelty of being in French, but I enjoyed the hell out of this. Excellent flow, vibing beats. No letdown tracks. Standouts were high-energy "Ragga Jam" and "Quartier nord" with it's fast rhymes as well as head-bobbing "Qui seme le vent recolte le tempo"
Kinda tough to evaluate this with only a rudimentary understanding of French.
honestly really cool. this is the type of stuff that i love finding from this project because i never would have heard it otherwise
rap no me gusta
Pretty funky, a bit French though
Obviously talented but just doesn't click with me.
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.
Sounded good, but it's tough when the lyrics are obviously the star of the show, and you can't understand them.
Trevlig lyssning. Gillar soundet. Skön 90 tals HipHop och franskan höjer upp betyget. Man borde lyssna mer på fransk musik överlag.
Sköna beats. Gillar skivan för det mesta. Spelar ingen roll att man inte fattar något. Texten blir ännu ett instrument. Hade nog behövt lyssna lite mer. Vilket inte alls är omöjligt att jag gör!
Tycker mycket om fransk hip-hop generellt med denna lider, precis som all hip-hop från 80-talet och de första åren på 90-talet, delvis av lite underutvecklade produktioner och primitivt flow. Hans nyare grejer är bättre. Med det sagt är det här forfarande mycket bättre än det mesta från samma era. Stark trea.
totally unexpected but fun to listen to. that flow! my rusty 11th grade french alerted me to a handful of funny wordplay moments - i assume there are many more. i liked it!
ok dang mc solaar has a great flow, even if i didn't understand a lick of it. i liked this a lot more than i expected. the music, samples, beats, and lyrical rhythms are all on point and work great here. favorites: tracks 2, 4, 10, 12, and 14. ragga jam was just an insane showcase of how fast he can spit rhymes!
Joo daar ben ik weer, ik had weer wat muziekinspiratie nodig Erg nice deze, kende deze gast alleen als die Franse guy op guru's jazzmatazz En erg fijne Marvin Gaye sample op 'Armand est mort'
Goeie
fun beats. Very 90s sound
Not a fan of French music
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Lyrics, idk I can barely speak french. The flow and rhythm were on point though. Ragga Jam is a clear high point for me.
I thought I'd hate this but damn so good and groovy. Still too repetitive in some songs to warrant a perfect score
No
1991 eh? I can really hear the Gang Starr influence (or is it the other way around?) and I think it’s interesting that Guru worked with him later on in the decade. I think Das-EFX, Digable Planets, pre-Fergy Black Eyed Peas, maybe even Mos Def were all listening. will.i.am rates him higher than Tupac. I sure wasn’t expecting to nod my head so much to an album I don’t understand.
Beats seem cool, but I do not understand a single word.
Albumi #39, 05.09.2024 Ranskankielistä ihan laadukasta räppiä ysärin alusta. Jostain syystä ei tullut MC Solaariin keskityttyä aikoinaan. Olisi ehkä ollut syytä.
Like a French Tribe Called Quest. Liked it.
No entendí nada pero si capté lo político y el buen flow
Un buen álbum, no entendí todas las letras pero me gustaron los ritmos y un poco la temática crítica 👍
Le Prince Frais de Bel Air
Rad in the beginning but got a little bored.
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!
Enjoyed the listen! Only caught about 10% of the meaning of the lyrics with my limited French, but the beats and samples were pretty great! 4/5!
Listened Before: N Nope. I most definitely did not need to hear a french language hip hop album before I died. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Intro (because it's short and he doesn't rap)
I thought listening to a rap album in French would be rough (since I don't know French), but it was actually pretty chill. The sound is funky, there is a good variety across the tracks, and the vibes are energetic.
A good album, I liked Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Victime de la Mode.
Fun and upbeat.
Fun. Not my speed, but was nice beats. Might be more fun if I knew French.
Enjoyable album, some very good tracks and guitar work on a rap album which sets it apart
I don't know or care if it's good or not. I just don't like it.
A pretty decent listen, even if you don't understand the lyrics.
good! enjoyed it
3/5
Super cool sound, can't speak French so my impressions are solely on the beats and backing music.
I have no interest in this at all. It's not horrible, it just means nothing to me.
The first few songs felt like cookie cutter hip hop but the album gets much better as it moves forward and feels more relaxed. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
The vibe is immaculate.
This reviewer is not fluent in French at all. However, this is French hip-hop/rap and if there was a language whose pronunciation structure was conducive to complicated sounding bars, this is it. It is almost so that in order to be a good rapper, one should do it in French. The music behind the lyrics is more or less consistent with the era in which this album was released so there is not much if anything to really criticize. The overall vibe musically is that this is perhaps some of the best that era had to offer. This deviation from American rap is agreeably worthy of hearing before one's mortal conclusion.
I probably wouldn't listen to this again, but I can see why people like it. 3 stars
It is a painful experience getting through hip-hop in English. In French hip-hop is completely inaccessible.
Rating: 8/10 Great flows, rhymes, and beats. I really wish I understood French.
Loved even if I didn't get a word of it
Un peu bop, c'était énergique et amusant
3 because why not?
French hip hop, jazz rap, conscious hip hop, boom bap. I was kinda surprised at how much I liked this one. Like yeah I didn't understand hardly anything that was said, but I could feel it a little. Beats were great, flow was cool to hear but it could just be because it was in French. Really really solid album, even if it was just a bit too long. 4/5
Musically good, but not going to sit through a whole album that is in a different language I don't understand
French hip hop, I don’t fully understand but it’s sick (3.5/5)
Pretty fun first half but second half was meh. Rating: 3.5
The French language seems to suit this style of music, not sure where/when I’d want to be listening to this album though.
Who needs to understand lyrics to enjoy an album? Not me. Tres bon.
⭐⭐/5
3 out of 5. The French language is beautiful and goes well with rap, but this is another album that just didn't click for me.
Great classic hip hop beats. Doesn't matter if you can't understand it.
Ok I guess this is early acid-jazz. Which I liked back in the early 90s. Extra points for being in French. 3 stars
interesting album, a pity its in french
Uh..............
Nope
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.
Enjoyed this a lot.
A French hip hop album - really!! That was my first thoughts when hitting play - however despite not understanding what’s being said the album has a really nice chilled flow. I considered looking up a translation but some things are best left alone.
I'm not sure this one is fully for me. There were a few songs I was able to enjoy without fully knowing the lyrics but rap in a language you aren't fluent in is always difficult. I mean it's my fault for not being fluent in French. Again, some songs were likable without knowing the lyrics but generally it didn't wow me. Maybe one day I will read through the lyrics in English and appreciate it more.
The beats are good but the lyrics in French just pull me out of it.
4/5. Great samples and flows really drive my enjoyment of this album since what he is talking about, I have no clue. It takes some skill to make an album in a different language enjoyable. It is more equivalent to an instrument jam album flowing and vibing. Definitely a great album and I'm sure if I understood French, it could be a 5. Just a detriment on my part but that is perspective at this point. Best Song: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Victime de la mode, Ragga Jam
It's always difficult giving an assessment to foreign albums. I find that the inability to understand the lyrics causes a bit of a disconnect for me. The music sounds great. It's funky, vibrant, engaging. I like his voice and the flow of his delivery, but the lack of being able to understand what is being said causes some impact to be lost. Still good, nonetheless.
French rap. I dont understand it, but it sounds good. Like butter
Good beats and samples, can't understand what he's saying but it sounds good to my ears. 3/5
mf rhymed 'd'accord' with 'gare du nord'
I feel like I could’ve connected with it more if I understood what they were saying. :(
Great beats but no english
Probably would have been better if I knew french
gorlami
>Ce monde caca-pipi-caca-pipitaliste Couldn't have said it better myself, comrade It was fun for like 4 songs but this seems to be my limit for french hip-hop. Not as bad as I thought it would be though, at the very least he has a good taste in beats
it was nice, almost a 4 not into scat that much though
3.44 rym non il mio ma meglio di altro 2/5
Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo.
Went into this with dread expecting another electronica album and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was French hip hop. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this album. He's got great flow and, unlike some rappers (looking at you, Ice Cube), he's able to vary his delivery across songs to keep it sounding fresh. The music is also really good — most of the songs feature actual instruments and compositions (or samples of real songs). They've got a very jazzy/funky feel, like something Jurassic Park or The Roots might do. The sax solos are great and there are some really nice bass lines. I have no idea what any of the lyrics mean, but they sound cool. I didn’t love it as much starting around track 11, though (La musique adoucit les moeurs) — it's still a decent song, but the English parts drag it down a bit. The next two songs (Bouge de la parts 1 and 2) aren't great — they sound kind of cheesy and, again, the inclusion of English kind of ruins it. Ragga Jam redeems things a bit — the speed at which everyone on that track raps rivals Twista and is damn impressive. The last two songs are okay. La Devise is fine, and Funky Dreamer is more of an interlude than a song. I think if the album had ended after track 11 (maybe including Ragga Jam), it would've been a 4.5. But it started to overstay its welcome, especially since the last quarter wasn't nearly as strong. 4/5
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
It’s got some nice beats and À temps partiel has a funky baseline and sounds like he’s wrapping about Jimmmy John’s
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.
Oui. Tre Bien. 3.65
This is great! A little long at times.
Very good. This album was a lot of fun and a pleasant surprise.
Pretty good, though the last time I took French class was like 1996, so I barely understood the lyrics. Can’t decide if that helped or hindered my enjoyment of this, but I think it was destined to be a three star affair either way.
This had cool tracks and samples. I enjoyed it a lot. I don’t know if being able to understand him would have hurt or helped, because I don’t know what he was saying.
Wel aardig hoor, maar het kabbelt ook een beetje voort en de teksten vragen ook niet echt om aandacht (al zit een nummer als 'Caroline' vol geinige woordgrapjes). Geinig om een keer wat in het Frans te horen hier, maar waarom per sé deze gast? Dit ga ik echt niet in de auto luisteren op weg naar het zonnige zuiden.
Hè, MC Solaar? Bij de 1001? Hoe is dat gebeurd? Hij is zeker niet slecht hoor. Maar wat maakt hem bijzonder? Er zal toch wel wat interessantere rap uit Frankrijk te plaatsen zijn? Het is wel leuk om weer eens te horen. En het is ook wel bovengemiddeld. Ik twijfel tussen een 3+ of een 3,5. Reggae Jam maakt het verschil. Wat een slecht nummer zeg. Het wordt een 3+.
Ik ben totaal niet bekend met MC Solaar, dus laten we eens gaan beluisteren waarom deze Franse hiphop de selectie heeft gehaald. En la tribu de Dana van Manau niet, om maar eens een klassieker er tegen aan te gooien. Wat me gelijk opvalt is dat de muzikale omlijsting lekker funky is, daar hou ik wel van. In de titeltrack laat hij gelijk zien wat hij goed kan: op verschillende tempo's rappen. De ene keer heel snel, dan vertraagt hij weer. Mijn Frans is niet zo goed (tijd om die DuoLingo weer eens op te starten), maar hij speelt met de woorden, dat kan ik wel horen. En zo gaat het eigenlijk de hele tijd wel door. Met name als hij die supersnelle raps gaat doen, dat vind ik toch altijd wel knap hoe ze dat er schijnbaar moeiteloos uit gooien. Geen idee hoeveel takes ze daar in de studio voor nodig hebben. Dit soort hiphop vind ik hele dikke prima, ik kan hier prima naar luisteren.
This is chill! And the video for Caroline is beautiful. I only knew this guy from my 10th grade french textbook, so I assumed he was corny as hell. He might be. I barely learned any french besides "C'est super cool"
it’s french so naturally it’s kind of ridiculous but i like that it’s not just a lot of sociopathic chest thumping like most american hip hop
3.6/5 listened 2x catchup on 7/2 and 7/3.
5/5 - une de mon favorite
Top cock 🔥🔥🔥
Incredibile, ahead of the times. The flow and the beats are gorgeous. 8/10
Not for me I’m aftraid.