Early life
Claude M'Barali was born on March 5, 1969 in Dakar, Senegal to parents of Chadian origin. When he was six months old his parents emigrated to France where they eventually settled in the Paris suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. At the age of twelve he went to live with his uncle in Cairo, Egypt for nine months where he discovered the Zulu Nation and became fascinated with the rapping styles of Afrika Bambaataa.[3] Upon his return he began to focus more on music but still studied enough to pass the baccalauréat. He coined the stage name "MC Solaar" in his teens from his graffiti tags "SOAR" and "SOLAAR".
Career
MC Solaar went to Paris in the summer of 1990 with his friend Jimmy Jay in hopes of succeeding in the music industry. Success came quickly when his first single, "Bouge de là", ("Take a hike") became a hit in late 1990. The song went platinum in France and ascended to the number five spot on the national charts. After the success of Bouge de là, Solaar went on to support the famous American rap group De La Soul when they performed at the Olympia in Paris in September 1991. At the close of 1991 Solaar released "Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo" which went on to sell over 400,000 copies in France. [1] With the success of his debut album in France, the French rapper embarked upon extensive tours of Poland and Russia. In December 1992 he performed in twelve countries in West Africa, where his French rap style proved extremely popular with African music fans.
MC Solaar returned to the studio in 1994, recording Prose Combat. The album sold 100,000 copies in the first week of its release and became a best seller in 20 other countries. He was rewarded for his efforts when in February 95 he received an award for Best Male Singer of the Year at the 10th edition of the French "Victoires de la Musique" awards. Solaar went back to the studio in 1997 with longtime friend and producer Jimmy Jay to record his third album, Paradisiaque. The album was another success with led to an extensive European tour started On January 9th and 10th at the Zénith in Paris.
Solaar's career continued to evolve throughout the late nineties and into the new millennium. He released Cinquième As in 2001 to critical acclaim and Mach 6 in 2003. Since the release of Mach 6 there have been no new studio albums but the rapper claims he has not retired.
MC Solaar gained new fans in North America in early 2004, when his 2001 song "La Belle et Le Bad Boy" was featured on the final episode of the popular television series Sex and the City. MC Solaar remains best-known outside of France for his work on Guru's Jazzmatazz project and as a guest rapper on the Missy Elliott track "All N My Grill". Out of Guru and Solaar's collaboration, the single "Le Bien, Le Mal" (The Good, The Bad) was a popular Hip Hop/Dance crossover hit receiving playtime on MTV.
MC Solaar also released a few songs which never appeared on albums, including "John Woo" and "Inch'Allah". Solaar has also appeared in many Japanese TV shows like Hum Tum.
Personal life
Solaar's personal life became media fodder starting in 1996 when he began dating Ophélie Winter. The couple split up in December of 2000. On December 7, 2003, MC Solaar married Chloé Bensemoun and on May 7, 2004, she gave birth to the couple’s first child, Roman.
Beginning September 1, 1997, MC Solaar started fighting record label Vivendi from commercially exploiting his first three albums. In 2002 French courts sided with Solaar and the case was dismissed.
