MC Solaar

The best and most popular French rapper, MC Solaar found success in America among fans of acid jazz and jazz-rap (if not the larger hip-hop community) after guesting on Guru's acclaimed Jazzmatazz project. His fluid phrasing makes up for his lack of English, and the production on his solo work (by DJ Jimmy Jay and Boom Bass of La Funk Mob) surpasses that of most of his hip-hop contemporaries. His first album, Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo, appeared in 1991. His second album, Prose Combat, earned an American release on Cohiba in 1994. ~ John Bush