Rohff

Rapper Rohff made a name for himself on the French rap scene in the late '90s, both with his hip-hop collective La Mafia K'1 Fry and his own solo work. His first album, Le Code de l'Honneur, appeared in 1999, vaunting heavy beats and a smart flow, with self-aggrandizing lyrics. Taking his cue from hardcore rappers like Mobb Deep and Tupac Shakur, Rohff's second album, La Vie Avant la Mort (2001), made him famous, after the success of his single "Qui Est l'Exemple?" in 2002. With his songs becoming increasingly confrontational and his beats heavier, Rohff's next two albums both achieved gold status. A much-trumpeted track with American counterpart the Game, "Top of the World", appeared on the 2005 compilation The Basement. The year 2007 saw him reunite with La Mafia K'1 Fry and release a versatile mixtape (Le Cauchemar du Rap Français). A hotly anticipated album, Le Code de l'Horreur, dropped the following year, and in 2010 he was back again with La Cuenta. 2013 saw him launch his own clothing line, Distinct, and release the single "Dounia" as a taster for the album P.D.R.G., due later that year. It had originally been slated as a "mixtape" release, but was upgraded to full album status. ~ Caspar Salmon