Élie Yaffa (; born 9 December 1976), better known under his stage name Booba, is a French rapper. After a brief stint as a break dancer in the early 1990s, Booba partnered with his friend
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
to form
Lunatic
Lunatic is an antiquated term referring to a person who is seen as mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck".
History
The te ...
. The duo released a critically acclaimed album in 2000 but disbanded in 2003. Booba has since embarked on a successful solo career, selling more than 10 million discs over his career and becoming the most legally downloaded artist in French history. Booba is praised for the quality of his
flow and beats but often criticized because of the controversial nature of his lyrics. He has also established the rap label
Tallac Records
Tallac Records is the label created in 2004 by the French rapper Booba. It is licensed by the record label Barclay Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Associated labels include 92i Records (since 2015 and many times as an affiliate of ...
, and developed a line of jewellery.
Life and career
Élie Yaffa was born on 9 December 1976 in the outskirts of Paris in
Sèvres
Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for ...
. His father is
Senegalese
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
and his mother is French of
Mosellan and Belgian descent.
With his friend
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
they formed the duo
Lunatic
Lunatic is an antiquated term referring to a person who is seen as mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck".
History
The te ...
in 1994. Unable to secure a record deal from a major label because of their controversial lyrics, they created their own independent record label 45 Scientific in 1999. The following year, Lunatic released its first and only album entitled ''
Mauvais œil
Lunatic was a French hip hop duo from Boulogne-Billancourt. The lineup consisted of Booba (from Boulogne-Billancourt) and Ali (from Issy-les-Moulineaux), coming from the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the west suburb of Paris.
After Lunatic ...
''.
In 2002, Booba released his debut solo album ''
Temps mort
''Temps mort'' (, literally "Time out") is the debut album by French rapper Booba. For the song "Nouvelle école" exists also a remix which features American rap duo Mobb Deep.
Track listing
Samples
*"Indépendants" contains a sample of ...
''. He followed this up with four further albums: ''
Panthéon
The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...
'', ''
Ouest Side
''Ouest Side'' (French for "West side") is the third album by French rapper Booba released on 13 February 2006 on Tallac Records, via the major Barclay Records / Universal Music Group.
History
The cover realized by Armen is inspired by a famous ...
'' (the most successful), ''
0.9'' and ''
Lunatic
Lunatic is an antiquated term referring to a person who is seen as mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck".
History
The te ...
''. In late 2012, he released his sixth solo album ''
Futur''. In whole, Booba has ten disks certified, six Disques d'Or (Gold album), three Disques de platine (Platinum album) and one Double disque de platine (Double-Platinum album). In 2011, Booba won the "My Youtube" contest, ahead of popular artists like
Rihanna,
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
,
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Jay-Z,
Sexion D'Assaut
Sexion d'Assaut (), formerly known as 3ème Prototype (for "Troisième Prototype" ; en, "3rd Prototype"), is a French hip hop band formed in 2002, composed of eight Parisian rappers. They are signed to independent record label Wati B, which i ...
,
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...
,
Stromae
Paul van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music. Stromae came to wide public attenti ...
,...
Musical style
Booba was influenced by the American hip-hop scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s –
Mobb Deep,
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...
,
2Pac, and
Biggie Smalls
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
. Dark melodies accompanied with raw lyrics, typical of the rap from New York, are present on every album of his. He is often criticized for being an apologist for easy money and murder. Booba advocates a reduction in the taxes and claims himself in support of individual freedom. Racism is a recurring topic of his songs (see for example "Couleur ébène", "Pitbull", "Ma Couleur"), although he sometimes deliberately advocates
communitarian positions.
Other ventures
Booba is also the creator of a streetwear brand, Ünkut, one of the most popular brands of this type in France.
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
Singles
As lead artist
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
As featured artist
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
Other charted songs
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
See also
*
French hip hop
French hip hop is the hip hop music style developed in French-speaking countries. France is the second largest hip-hop market in the world after the United States.
History
Beginning of French hip hop: the 70s and 80s
By 1982 and 1983, a numbe ...
*
List of French hip hop artists
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1976 births
Living people
French rappers
French people of Senegalese descent
French people of Belgian descent
French people of German descent
People from Boulogne-Billancourt
French expatriates in the United States
Gangsta rappers
Rappers from Hauts-de-Seine
Because Music artists