Recently hip hop has enjoyed a surge in France. If you want to see the effect Africa has had on this genre you do not need to look any farther than Sexion d’Assaut. They are one of the bestselling rap groups and due to their diverse origins, such as Mali, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and DR Congo, are increasingly popular among Francophone Africa. Branching off from the success of Sexion d’Assaut, Maître Gims released his debut album Subliminal in 2013, which went diamond in France. One of his singles, Sapés comme jamais, touches on the theme of Sapologie (a fashion movement from Congo DRC) and features Niska, a rapper from Congo-Brazza. In 2015, Maître Gims released his second solo album Mon cœur avait raison. The album peaked at number one in France.  


Another artist who has enjoyed success is Youssoupha. As well as Maître Gims, he too is of Congo decent. Youssoupha draws inspiration from MC Solaar and is known for his poetic and conscious lyrics. As well as lyrical inspiration, Youssoupha like MC Solaar draws samples and sounds from Africa giving him a distinct sound. 

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One of the most popular music genres in French music is hip hop. With the development of technology on the African continent in the early 1990’s such as satellite TV and later, the internet, French hip hop was no longer constrained to Europe. It found its way down to Africa and has expanded into the large francophone population. Early on French hip hop was largely influenced by American hip hop but with its large collection of rappers with rich African musical heritage, it began to develop its own personality. After its growing popularity in the United States, hip hop was introduced to France and became quickly popular. Underground hip-hop parties were organized in the projects of France, and became a place where people could enjoy the music and the atmosphere it brought with it. As the first groups of French rappers began to pop up. Like in America, these first rap groups used their influence to address racism, police brutality and other discriminations, and were quickly forced u...
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