Kery James

Alix Mathurin (French pronunciation: [aliks matyˈʁɛ̃]) (born 28 December 1977), publicly known as Kery James, is a French-Haitian rapper, singer, actor, director, and screenwriter from Les Abymes, Guadeloupe. James' music has addressed suburban life and social inequalities in contemporary France. He was a member of the rap collective Mafia K-1 Fry.^[1]

Kery James
Kery James during a show at "Vieilles Charues", France (2017)
Background information
Birth name	Alix Mathurin
Born	(1977-12-28) 28 December 1977 (age 47) Les Abymes, Guadeloupe
Genres	French hip hop, hardcore hip hop, conscious hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, songwriter, singer, dancer, record producer, screenwriter, playwright, actor
Years active	1992–present
Website	keryjamesofficiel.com[usurped]

Career

James began his rap career in 1991 as a co-founder of the group Idéal J, with DJ Mehdi joining as a producer the following year. The group disbanded in 1999 after the death of Las Montana, a close friend of James, leading to a hiatus in James' career.^[2]

After a two-year break, he returned as a solo artist and released his debut album, Si c'était à refaire (If I Had to Do It Again), in 2001. In 2005, after contributing the track "Je ne crois plus en l'illicite" (I No Longer Believe in the Illicit) to the soundtrack for the film Illicite Projet, he released his second solo album, Ma vérité (My Truth). The album included songs such as "J'aurais pu dire", "Les miens," and "Hardcore," with a guest appearance by Iron Sy.^{[citation needed]}

His third solo album, "À l'ombre du show business" (In the Shadow of Show Business), was released in 2008 and debuted at number three on the French charts in its first week. In 2016, James released his sixth album, Mouhammad Alix.^[3]

James has also worked as an actor and director. In 2003, he appeared in the documentary Si tu roules avec la Mafia K'1 Fry (If You Roll with the Mafia K'1 Fry). Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, he directed Savoir et vivre ensemble (Know and Live Together), a project featuring rappers, singers, and athletes promoting unity. He appeared as a juror in the 2017 film À voix haute (Speak Up). In 2019, his film Banlieusards (Street Flow) was released on Netflix, with the sequel premiering on Netflix on September 27, 2023. He co-wrote and directed both films with Leïla Sy.^[4]

Idéal J

Main article: Idéal J

Idéal J released singles "Hardcore", "Pour une poignée de dollars" and a debut album titled Original MC's sur une mission. In 1992, their single "La vie est brutale" was released, and Alter MC (later known as Jessy Money) left the group.^[5] In subsequent years, as DJ Mehdi developed as a producer, Kery focused on writing new material addressing subjects like confrontations with police, street rivalries, and fear of death.^[6]

In 1996, under the name Ideal J, the group released singles such as "Ghetto français", "Show Business," and "Je veux du cas"." The group also appeared on EPs and as featured artists. Their single "J'désole mes parents" was featured on the compilation Nouvelle Donne.

Solo career

In October 2001, he released his solo album "Si c'était à refaire", which included tracks such as "28 décembre 1977," "Soledad," and "Y'a pas d'couleur." The album features collaborations with Nubians and Salif Keita. The music incorporates African, Arabic, and Cuban influences, using percussion and traditional instruments.^[5]

In 2004, James's second album, Ma vérité, addressed the war in Iraq and reality television. He also collaborated with artists such as Diam's, Mélanie Giorgadès, and Amel Bent.^[5]

In March 2008, he released a new album, À l'ombre du show business,, whose title track was a collaboration with French chanson singer Charles Aznavour. Other tracks included Le combat continue part III, "Banlieusards", and "Vrai Peura". In its first week of release, the album reached third place on the French charts with 24,459 albums sold. For the music videos for this album, he worked with Luc Besson, Mathieu Kassovitz, J.G. Biggs, and Chris Macari.^[7]

Personal life

James was raised by his mother in Orly, a suburb of Paris. He moved to mainland France at seven, where he began rapping, dancing, and writing.^{[clarification needed]} MC Solaar noticed him when he was 10 years old in a cité (suburban housing estate) in Paris. According to James, the influence of Islam in his environment led him to adopt the name Ali.^[8]

Discography

Albums and EPs

Solo studio albums

Year	Album	Peak positions			Certifications
		FR [9]	BEL (Wa) [10]	SWI
2001	Si c'était à refaire	5	–	–	SNEP:Gold
2004	Savoir et vivre ensemble	15	54	89
2005	Ma vérité	8	69	–	SNEP:Gold
2008	À l'ombre du show business	3	27	59	SNEP:Platinum
2009	Réel	1	12	33	SNEP:Platinum
2012	92.2012	12	72	–
2013	Dernier MC	3	9	47	SNEP:Gold
2016	Mouhammad Alix	3 [11]	6	16	SNEP:Gold
2018	J'rap encore	19	6	42

Others

• 2013: Coffret integral

Live albums

Year	Album	Peak positions			Certification
		FR [9]	BEL (Wa) [10]	SUI
2010	À mon public	30	81	–

Other albums and EPs (collaborations)

with Idéal Junior / Idéal J

• 1992: La vie est brutale (Maxi-single) (credited to Ideal Junior)
• 1996: O'riginal MC's sur une mission (credited to Ideal J)
• 1998: Le Combat Continue (credited to Ideal J)

with Mafia K-1 Fry

• 1997: Les liens sacrés
• 1999: Légendaire
• 2003: La cerise sur le ghetto
• 2007: Jusqu'à la mort (+ reissue)

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions		Album
		FR [9]	BEL (Wa) [10]
2001	"Y'a pas d'couleur"	61	–	Si c'était à refaire
2004	"Relève la tête" (Kery James presente Lino, AP, Diam's, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen)	39	–	Savoir et vivre ensemble
2009	"Le retour du rap français"	–	22 (Ultratip)	Réel
2012	"Lettre à la République"	33	40 (Ultratip)	92-2012
	"Dernier MC"	133	–	Dernier MC
2013	"Des mots" (featuring LFDV)	177	–
	"À l'horizon" (featuring Corneille)	82	31 (Ultratip)
	"Contre nous" (featuring La Ligue: Youssoupha et Médine)	145	–
	"Le mystère féminin" (featuring Imany)	120	10 (Ultratip)
	"94 c'est le Barça"	141	–
2016	"Mouhammad Alix"	78	–
	"N'importe quoi"	154	–
	"Racailles"	26	–
	"Vivre ou mourir ensemble"	167	–
	"Musique nègre" (featuring Lino and Youssoupha)	112 [12]	–
2019	"À qui la faute" (featuring Orelsan)	94 [13]	–

Collaborations

(Refer to relevant section in French Wikipedia)