Booba

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Booba
Birth name Elie Yaffa
Also known as B2O, B2OBA, KOOP, KO2P
Born December 9, 1976 (1976-12-09) (age 35)
Origin Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Genres French Rap, gangsta rap
Occupations Rapper, fashion designer
Years active 1994–present
Labels Tallac Records (self-created and active), Barclay Records (discontinued), Universal (discontinued)
Associated acts Akon
Ali
Diddy
Ryan Leslie
T-Pain
Nessbeal
La Fouine
92I
Tony Parker
113
Rock City
Alborosie
Website www.boobalunatic.com

Elie Yaffa (born December 9, 1976 in Boulogne-Billancourt), better known under his stage name Booba, is a French rapper.[1] Half Senegalese from his father's side and half Moroccan from his mother's side, he was born in the Parisian region of France and spent his childhood and youth there. He started his music career as a teenager in a duo called "Lunatic" with another Parisian rapper, Ali. He quickly started acquiring fame in the early 2000s and ultimately became an icon of French rap music in the late 2000s, selling more than one million discs over his career[2] and becoming the most legally downloaded artist in French history.[3] Booba is a famous figure in modern French popular culture, typically revered for the quality of his flow and beats but very controversial for the "gangsta" style of his music and the way he praises delinquent, criminal or violent life in his songs.

Booba has been engaged in feuds with Sinik, Rohff, Mc Jean Gab'1 and Alpha 5.20.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Booba was born Elie Yaffa on December 9, 1976 in the French city of Boulogne-Billancourt. He took his first steps in his music career with his friend Ali in 1994. Together they formed the group Lunatic. In 2000, they released their first and only album entitled Mauvais œil. This album contains fourteen songs and is considered a classic. They have been often compared to Mobb Deep for their sound and their complimentary styles. The two-man group split up in 2003.

[edit] Career

In 2002, Booba released his debut solo album Temps mort. He followed this up with three further albums: Pantheon, Ouest Side (the most successful)[4] and 0.9. In late 2010, he released his last solo album Lunatic, with the same name as his former crew. This album has been certified platinum, with over 150,000 copies sold.[5]

Bram's, one of his best friends and a 92I member, died on May 21, 2011.

[edit] Artistry

[edit] Influences and rap style

At the start of his career, his major influences were the East coast rappers such as Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, Notorious B.I.G and KRS-One. But over time, Dirty South influences appeared in his music. He appreciates artists like T.I. or Rick Ross. He is also an admirer of Sol Campbell & Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali.

  • He has a clothing line "Ünkut" (often referred to as Unkut) that he created in 2004.

[edit] Polemic

Booba is the most popular rapper in France, but also one of the most hated. He is accused of being egoistical and very materialistic, or of having betrayed the "street" and doing "commercial" rap.

In 2001 in the EP " Mauvais Œil, on the track " Si Tu Kiffes Pas " " he says " I like to see dead riot cops " ( J'aime voir des CRS morts ), in the EP " Temps Mort ", on the track " On m'a dit " ( 2002 ) he says : " When I see France with her legs spread I fuck her without oil " ( Quand je vois la France les jambes écartées je l'encule sans huile ). On the same EP in the track " 100-8 Zoo " his friend Issaka says : " I would put a Glock bullet in a cop's head " ( j'rêve de loger dans la tête d'un flic une balle de G.L.O.C.K. ), in this track Booba says : " We should have more girls like Florence Rey " ( Faudrait plus de filles comme Florence Rey ). Florence Rey is a famous girl who helped to kill police men in Paris. In the EP " Panthéon " ( 2004 ), the track " Baby " featuring Nessbeal made polemics because the misogynist lyrics, and the music-video which contains explicit pictures of naked girls, which is considered very controversial in France. In 2010 on the EP " Lunatic ", on the track " Caesar's Palace " Booba says : " Fuck you, Fuck France, Fuck Domenech " ( Raymond Domenech was the coach of the French soccer team in 2010 ).

[edit] Other activities

Booba has had training in the sport of boxing.[6]

[edit] Discography

  • 2002: Temps mort 109.250 Gold Disc [7]
  • 2004: Panthéon 245.000 2x Gold Disc [8]
  • 2005: Autopsie Vol 1 (mixtape) 25.000
  • 2006: Ouest Side 300.000 Platinum [9]
  • 2007: Autopsie vol 2 (mixtape) 43.000
  • 2008: 0.9 100.000 Platinum [10]
  • 2009: Autopsie vol 3 (mixtape) 50.000 Gold Disc
  • 2010: Lunatic 2x Platinum 200.000 [11]
  • 2011: Autopsie vol 4 (mixtape) 60.000 Gold Disc

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booba
  2. ^ http://www.waxx-music.com/news_chroniques/chronique/Booba_556.html
  3. ^ http://www.melty.fr/booba-l-annee-nous-appartient-interview-video-actu46446.html
  4. ^ http://www.monsieur-biographie.com/celebrite/biographie/booba-1782.php
  5. ^ http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Booba/Lunatic--a109956462.html
  6. ^ http://www.lepost.fr/article/2007/12/19/1070278_le-rappeur-booba-se-reconvertit-a-la-boxe.html#xtor=RSS-33
  7. ^ http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http://www.boobalunatic.com/itw/snatch/&title=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boobalunatic.com%2Fitw%2Fsnatch%2F
  8. ^ http://www.boobalunatic.com/itw/snatch/
  9. ^ http://www.boobalunatic.com/itw/snatch/
  10. ^ http://www.boobalunatic.com/itw/snatch/
  11. ^ http://www.chartsinfrance.net/communaute/index.php?/topic/31140-booba-lindependance-bat-des-records/

[edit] External links

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