Booba

Born in Sèvres in 1976 to a Senegalese father and a French mother, Booba grew up between Hauts-de-Seine and the French Riviera before attracting attention in the mid-1990s Paris rap scene alongside Ali as part of Lunatic, a duo associated with Beat de Boul and Time Bomb. His style is built on a deep voice, dense phrasing and direct writing, initially within hardcore and gangsta rap with dark productions, then evolving toward a more melodic approach that gradually incorporated trap, drill and afro influences. After Mauvais Œil with Lunatic in 2000, Booba launched a solo trajectory with Temps mort (2002), Panthéon (2004), Ouest Side (2006), 0.9 (2008) and Lunatic (2010), followed by Futur (2012), D.U.C and Nero Nemesis (2015), Trône (2017), Ultra (2021) and Ad vitam æternam (2024). Partly based in Miami, he also developed the collective 92i and supported several artists on the francophone scene, including Shay, Damso and SDM. Booba now divides his activity between albums, singles, collaborations and concerts.