MC Solaar

MC Solaar is a hip hop artist whose cultural surroundings contribute greatly to what makes up his unique sound. Solaar was born in Senegal. His parents had Chadian origin. Later they immigrated to France. Solaar's large African as well as French background shape much of his sound. The decision by Solaar to take elements of French culture and incorporate them into his music has given him an edge on other hip hop artists. While Solaar doesn't necessarily take samples for all of his songs, many of the songs that he does sample are French in their origin. One famous sample that he took was from another prominent musician, Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg gained international recognition for his music decades earlier. By sampling one of Gainsbourg's hits, Solaar was able to establish his own reputation internationally. Later, Solaar would collaborate with well known American performers gaining success in America as well as France. This is quite an accomplishment for anyone since hip hop seems to be so language dependent, and Solaar speaks French. Much of the credit for his success is how he conveys much of his message through tone as well as language. Solaar is also widely revered in Africa for his French hip hop. Due to his origins and use of a language that many Africans recognize helped contribute to his success. One of the things that makes Solaar's music different as a result of his culture is possibly that his music appeals to such a broad age spectrum. It is arguable that catering to a more age diverse group is something that one might have to consider when producing music in France. Solaar is credited with having created music that isn't limited to a young generation of listeners, but rather that his music appeals to a large age demographic and is enjoyed by people of varying ages. In the U.S., hip hop is rarely credited with appealing to any of the older demographics of Americans. Another contribution that French society has had on Solaar's music is that he tackles problems that affect French culture. While these problems are certainly not unique to France, they are the root of the reason that Solaar chooses to focus on them.