MC Solaar

MC Solaar is a pioneering French rapper whose sophisticated wordplay and literary sensibility helped bring hip-hop into France’s cultural mainstream. Born Claude M’Barali in Dakar in 1969, he began his recording career with “Bouge de là” before releasing the influential album *Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo* in 1991. His poetic songwriting was recognized by the Académie française, which awarded him its 1998 Grande médaille de la chanson française.