I bought a little album called L’Ecole Du Micro D’Argent by IAM just a dozen years ago and since then, French rap has been a staple in my musical diet. I’ve discovered some incredible start-to-finish albums along the way (Taxi OST, Freeman’s L’Palais De Justice, Oxmo Puccino’s L’Amour Est Mort) along with a solid podcast: Yo La La! (although no more new episodes are being produced, you can listen to the entire archive here). I hope these ten tracks serve as a cross-section of what is best about the genre: incredible scratching, great collaborations, Arabic left and right, a diversity of regional slang, and some badass chicks who can really hold their own. Allons-y!

Artist: IAM
Album: Revoir Un Printemps
Song: Second Souffle

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Artist: Oxmo Puccino
Album: L’Amour est Mort
Song: J’ai Mal au Mic

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Artist: Fayçal
Album: Murmures D’un Silence
Song: Boulevard Des Misérables

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Artist: Freeman
Album: L’Palais De Justice
Song: Bladi

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Artist: Lunatic
Album: Mauvais Oeil
Song: Pas L’temps Pour Les Regrets

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Artist: Princess Anies
Album: Ma P’tite Histoire
Song: Au Nom de la Loin featuring Arsenik

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Artist: Sinik
Album: La Main Sur Le Coeur
Song: Le Meme Sang featuring Diams

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Artist: Sniper
Album: Gravé Dans la Roche
Song: Y’a Pas de Mérite

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Artist: Keny Arkana
Album: Entre Ciment Et Belle Etoile
Song: Eh Connard

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Artist: Kohndo
Album: Deux Pieds Sur Terre
Song: Je Serais La featuring Dwele

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