Also known as Ardiess Posse, the Beninese rap and RnB group Ardiess was formed in 1996, around its five members: Archange, Grizzly, R-Man, Melcky and Magic. While the group sings in Fongbé, the language used in Benin, Nigeria and Togo, it also performs some of its songs in French, English and sometimes in Langala, a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, but also to a lesser extent in Angola, the south of the Central African Republic and South Sudan. This versatility has enabled Ardiess to expand its audience and release four albums: Yemalin (2000), Rainstorm Dark Spirits (2003), La Recharge (2005) and Évolution (2013). After the release of the latter, the band members, keen to pursue more personal projects, put an end to the Ardiess project.
