the French side of conscious rap.

First of all, if somebody has these CD's, I'm willing to purchase them...

Nuff said, conscious rap is not the main genre among French rap. While heavyweights like Booba or Rohff can still sell over 100 000 copies of an album (quite good figures nowadays), so-called conscious rappers are pleased with 20 000. Anyway, when there is passion, there is truth.

In the past 10 years, a few French rappers made their way to the media with deep lyrics, and meaningfull speeches. Some even developped their art outside of rap music. Let's name a few : Rocé, Oxmo Puccino, Youssoupha...

This year, Rocé celebrates the 10th anniversary of the release of his first opus "Top Départ", which holds a special place in my record collection. This record is simply flawless. For French readers, Rocé speaks about it in a recent interview by l'abcdr. Rocé is now preparing his 4th album, "Gunz'N Rocé". Gotta smile at that. 

Youssoupha is releasing a new album, already available, called "Noir Désir" (yo guys, what is it with rock references ? - Noir Désir is the main French rock band of the last 20 years despite a tumultuous history and a recent disbanding). A son of Congolese star Talu Bey Rochereau, Youssoupha is well-known for addressing strong messages to the listeners. The French major newspaper Le Monde published an article about the new Youssoupha.  

Hopefully, these guys will transmit their passion to others. Right now, thanks to young bands like L'Entourage, or La Source, entertaining yet funny rap is coming back to the front. It's a good sign.