For casual French music listeners, great singers like Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Halliday, Édith Piaf and Charles Aznavour have always personified the spirit, romanticism and sophistication of French culture.
For younger French audiences though, the successful rap group IAM was the soundtrack of multiple generations.
Ever since they started in 1988, IAM have steadily risen to the peak of the French music scene, becoming the reigning kings of French rap for nearly two decades.
IAM released their first album “IAM Concept in 1990, which was met with remarkable success. The enthusiastic reaction of critics and audiences alike caught the attention of major music label Virgin Records, which signed them up the following year. The band’s second album “De la Planète Mars was released the same year, becoming a big hit in their home country.
The band’s popularity grew steadily with albums like “Ombre est Lumière (1993). Yet their real international breakthrough came in 1997 with “L’école du micro d’argent, regarded now as one of the greatest classics of French hip-hop. The album was certified gold only two days after its release and eventually went on to sell more than 1 million copies. The phenomenal success of L’école landed the band a slot at England’s famous Reading Festival, cementing their reputation as one of the world’s rap powerhouses.
IAM has always exhibited, and expressed, great interest in Ancient Egyptian history – four members of the group named themselves after Pharaohs.
Akhenaton (Philippe Fragione), Shurik’N, (Geoffroy Mussard), Freeman (Malek Brahimi), Kheops (Eric Mazel), Imhotep (Pascal Perez) and Kephren (François Mendy) all have different origins and were brought up in the French city of Marseille.
Their music, heavily influenced by 80s American soul and funk, was the first form of rap in France.
The band’s inventive grooves and catchy hooks were a perfect setting for their uncanny lyrics and poetry that tackled a variety of serious issues and spoke directly to destitute French youth.
The band’s Pyramid concert – organized by the French Culture Center in Egypt – commemorates their 20th anniversary and comes on the heels of their last album “Saison 5 released last year. This should very well be the concert of the year for fans of both French and rap music.
Catch IAM at the Sound and Light Theater this afternoon at 4 pm. Admission is free.
