Baloji (born 12 September 1978) is a Belgian rapper, MC and hip hop artist of Congolese origin. Known as MC Balo in the hip hop group

Starflam Starflam is a Belgian hip hop group from Liège in the French-speaking southern part of Belgium - Wallonia. The group started out in the early 1990s under the name ''H-Posse'' with members DJ Mig One, Fred'alabas, Seg and Balo (AKA Baloji). A f ...

, he continued as solo artist starting 2004.

Career

;Beginnings with Starflam Born out of wedlock to a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

father and a Congolese mother, he moved to Belgium with his father to live in

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

e losing all contact with his mother. Feeling estranged in his new environment and after disputes with his father and petty crimes and problems with police, he quit home and lived in a youth delinquent house working on his passion of rap and dance.Pascal De Gendt, LetItSound blog: Baloji, l'Afropéen ()19 June 2010
Alongside his friends, he started the hip hop band

at age 15. The band's self-titled debut album in 1998 was ''Starflam'' and the follow-up album ''Survivant'' released on Capitol / EMI in 2001 went platinum and was rereleased with a ''Survivant - Édition Spéciale'' in EMI the following year. In 2003, the band had yet another studio album ''Donne moi de l'amour''. But after differences with the other members of the band, Baloji quit music in 2004. ;Solo After Baloji discovered a letter from his mother that he hadn't seen since 1981, and after winning a poetry competition in Paris, France, he decided to return to music in 2006 as a solo artist. His debut solo album in 2008 entitled ''Hotel Impala'' was an autobiographical album about his life, including a hearty response to his mother's letter. The album was certified gold, with the album winning two "Octaves de la musique" awards as well as Rapsat-Lelièvre Award and Brassens Awards for Lyricists.Crammed: Baloji biography
He followed it up with albums ''Kinshasa Succursale'' in 2011 and ''64 Bits and Malachite'' in 2015.

Discography

Albums

;As part of Starflam * 1998: ''Starflam'' iscipline Records / Rough Trade* 2000: ''Live & Direct''

arner Music Benelux Arner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Elias Arnér (born 1966), Swedish biochemist *Gwen Arner, American television director and actress * James G. Arner (born 1951), American judge *Sivar Arnér (1909–1997), Swedish write ...

* 2001: ''Survivant'' apitol/EMI*2002: ''Survivant - Édition Spéciale'' (EMI) * 2003: ''Donne moi de l'amour'' ostile/EMI*2004: ''Donne moi de l'amour - Édition Deluxe'' (EMI) ;Solo *2008: ''Hotel Impala'' *2011: ''Kinshasa Succursale'' *2015: ''64 Bits and Malachite'' *2018: ''137 Avenue Kaniama''

Maxis and singles

;As part of Starflam *1997: "Corde raide" 2", Discipline Records*1998: ''Ce plat pays II'' 2" & CD, Discipline Records*2000: ''Bled runner'' 2" & CD, Warner Music Benelux*2001: "De cause à effet" / "Ca tape dur" 2", Capitol / EMI*2001: ''La Sonora'' 2 & CD, Capitol / EMI*2001: ''Amnésie Internationale'' 2" & CD, Capitol / EMI*2002: ''Sous pression'' 2" & CD, Capitol / EMI*2003: "Marseille – Liège" / "Mr Orange" 2", Hostile / EMI*2003: "Ils ne savent pas" 2", Hostile / EMI ;Featured in *2015: "La vie est belle / Life is Beautiful" ( Petite Noir feat. Baloji)

Filmography

References

External links