Keny Arkana

Keny Arkana
Keny Arkana in 2012
Background information
Born	(1982-12-20) December 20, 1982
Origin	Marseille
Genres	French hip hop political hip hop
Years active	1996–present
Website	www.keny-arkana.com

Keny Arkana (French pronunciation: [keni aʁkaˈna]; born 20 December 1982 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris) is an Argentine-French rapper who is active in the alter-globalization and civil disobedience movements. In 2004 she founded a music collective called La Rage du peuple, in the neighborhood of Noailles in Marseille.

Biography

Kenny Arkana in Rennes

Arkana was born on 20 December 1982 to an Argentine family in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, and raised in Marseille. Arkana began writing songs at the age of 12, and began rapping publicly about two years later.

She later founded a hip hop music group called Mars Patrie, followed by another called Etat-Major. Her status in the French hip hop circles of Marseille rose, and in 2003 Etat-Major released their debut mixtape.

Arkana released her first solo EP, Le missile est lancé ("The rocket is launched") in 2004. She released her first album, Entre ciment et belle étoile ("Between concrete and stars"), in October 2006. Her first single, La rage (2006), comments on the 2005 civil unrest in France.

Keny Arkana also launched a series of local social fora through the association Appel aux sans voix ("Call to the voiceless").

Her later studio albums include L'Esquisse 2 (May 2011) and Tout tourne autour du soleil (December 2012).

Discography

Albums

Solo

Year	Album	Peak positions			Certifications
		BEL Wa	FRA	SWI
2005	L'Esquisse	—	102	—
2006	Entre ciment et belle étoile	88	18	95
2008	Désobéissance	—	14	50
2011	L'Esquisse Vol. 2	32	11	69
2012	Tout tourne autour du soleil	72	20	61
2016	État d'urgence	—	99	—
2017	L'esquisse 3	47	10	42

EPs

As Etat-Major

• 2003: Volume 1 (EP)

Solo

• 2004: Le missile est lancé (EP)
• 2006: La rage (EP)
• 2009: Etat d'urgence (EP)

External links

• Official website