Hardcore Jusqu’a la Mort
Posted on May 19, 2008
Filed Under LIVE SHOWS, MUSIC REVIEWS
For French hip hop connoisseurs the name Kery James means talent, fierce lyrics, militant, controversy but also longevity. Alix Mathurin a.k.a. Kery James started his career at the age 13 with his friends Teddy Corona, Alter and DJ Mehdi of Ed Bangers fame with whom he started the group “Ideal Junior” — yes, Mehdi was and still is one France’s most innovative rap producers.
Together they released two critically acclaimed LPs “Original MC’s sur une mission” (1996) and “Le Combat continue” (1998) which turned them into one of France’s most respected hip hop acts. And then suddenly, after the tragic death of his best friend, James’s life took a radical turn; he converted to Islam and decided to put an end to his promising career. But not for long, it seems that the call of the mic was too strong to resist and in 2001 he put out one of his most personal and accomplished works to date.
On “Si c’etait a refaire” (2001) Mathurin is honest, direct but also extremely vulnerable. He talks about his new faith, his inward struggle, his mistakes as a youth and does what he does best: he chronicles the life of young banlieusards.
Since then, his style has continually evolved, paying homage to his Islamic faith with the compilation “Savoir & vivre ensemble” (2004). On the following album, “Ma Vérité” (2005), he teamed with his old posse, DJ Mehdi and Teddy Corona.
Regardless of the ups and downs that the majority of artists face, the fascinating aspect of Mathurin’s career is that there seems to be a invariable struggle between his old style and his newfound values — something that he balances successfully on his newest album, “A l’ombre du show-business” — literally, “in the Shadow of Show business“.
On his first week of release, the album was ranked 3rd on the French charts; this is an outstanding achievement for the French hip hop movement and, on personal level, for Mathurin whose song “Hardcore” was heavily censured by the French media.
After a memorable performance yesterday at Montreal’s Club Soda, Kery James will be playing tonight at Quebec City’s Dagobert at 8:30 pm.
Click here for more info on the show and here to check out Kery James’s updates.
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