Kery James

Born in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, on December 28, 1977, Alix Mathurin aka Kery James began his rap career under the wing of MC Solaar under the pseudonym Kery B, before joining the Idéal J collective for a handful of albums and an underground hit, "Hardcore", in 1998. Alongside his collaboration with Mafia K'1 Fry, he embarked on a solo career in 2001, raising questions about his faith and tolerance with a debut album entitled Si C'Étati à Refaire, followed in 2005 by Ma Vérité. In 2008, his third album À l'Ombre du Show Business - featuring a guest appearance by Charles Aznavour - took him straight to the top of the charts, where he stayed for several weeks. The success of Réel in 2009 was followed by the release of the CD and DVD À Mon Public, recorded at Le Zénith in Paris. In 2012, Kery James released the acoustic album 92.2012, followed in May 2013 by Dernier MC. A rapper committed to social and sometimes political issues, Kery James succeeds in federating a loyal audience, even if his tracks no longer frequent the top of the charts. He continued in 2016 with Mouhammad Alix, followed by J'rap Encore in 2018. The early 2020s saw a succession of singles that received rave reviews on social networks, including "Le Poète noir" (2022), "6 du mat", "Trop bizarre" and "Mille raisons" (2023), and "Je ne plaisante pas" (2024), before the 2025 release of the album R.A.P. (for Résistance, Amour, Poésie), ranked no. 42 in the SNEP top chart, featuring Zaho, Wally B. Seck, Camille Lellouche, Kareen Guiock-Thuram, Boulaye_bls and Fally Ipupa.