Bisso Na Bisso

Biography

Bisso Na Bisso (Lingala: Between Us) is a music collective originating from the Republic of the Congo. The group was formed in 1999 and consists of rappers and singers, including Ben-J, a member of Les Neg'Marrons; the duo Lino and Calbo from Ärsenik; Doc and G Kill, renowned members of 2Bal; Mystik; and the only female rapper, M'Passi. The group was put together by the French rapper Passi. The group released their debut studio album, Racines, which means "Roots" in French. The album fuses hip-hop with African and French West Indies rhythms and sounds, such as Congolese rumba, zouk, and soukous, giving it a unique and distinctive flavor. It included guest appearances by Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba, Ismaël Lô, Kassav, Lokua Kanza, Tanya Saint-Val, 3615 Niaou, Roldán González Rivero, and Monique Seka. Racines was a commercial success, selling over 180,000 copies and becoming one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of 1999 in France. It was certified gold twice and won three Kora Awards for Best Arrangement, Best Group, and Best Video for "Bisso Na Bisso". Racines is widely regarded as the first French rap album created by Africans living or born in France. The album's single "Bisso Na Bisso" became an anthem for young people who "discovered a group of artists with a fresh breath and tracing a new era of French hip-hop, less distant than that which came from the United States." The group performed at the Zénith de Paris on May 15, 1999, with guests such as Koffi Olomidé, Lokua Kanza, Tanya Saint-Val, and Ismaël Lô. Their second studio album, titled Africa, was released in 2009, blending hip-hop with Congolese rumba, the rhythms of West Africa, the Antilles, Jamaica, and North Africa. It featured guest appearances by Manu Dibango, Cheb Khaled, Angélique Kidjo, Papa Wemba, Sizzla, Mayra Andrade, Jocelyne Labylle, Christophe Maé, Billy Dikossa's, Bengani Fassie, Chaba Fadela, Cheb Houcine, Guy Waku, Ishmael Morabe, Ismaël Lô, Jacob Desvarieux, Jérome Prister, Les Choeurs Zul

Bio from Wikipedia