La FouineMARIE, ALLEN, MATT, JESSICA, BILLY

Laouni Mouhid

Born December 25th, 1981 in Trappes

Comes from Moroccan decent and a family of eight

Owns his own clothing company called “Street Swag”

Dropped out of School at age 15 to pursue rap and take up voice lessons

Became a drug dealer at the age of 16

Came from a troubles background used that as material for his lyrics Rapped about going through many foster homes

Being sent to prison

One of the most prominent rappers in France and has been in the center of a lot of controversies

Inspiration

Interesting Facts

La Fouine translates into “The Weasel” in English

In 2011, he was nominated and won the award for Best French Artist by MTV Europe

Had an appearance in a sequel to the popular movie District 13: Ultimatum

Net worth is estimated at 75 millions dollars

Became mediator for youth groups within his home town

French

Not Cultural Homogenization Ex: Hip Hop

American vs. French

First to Embrace (1984) ~ origin Where Hip Hop began

Second Largest

“Nation Cultures” Borderless

Style Appeals globally

Mainstream

Comes from a background of musicians

Went to a music conservatory

Da Weasel

Why is La Fouine the way he is?

Napoleonic roots

French colonization of North Africa

World War I brings hundreds of thousands of North African youth to France

Why is La Fouine

Da Weasel

Article from International Journal of Peace Studies written by Affan Seljuq, titled ‘Cultural Conflicts: North African Immigrants in France’

Today, the North African population living in France is has grown exponentially; Muslims have become the second largest religious community in the country

Recent tensions have created a hostile environment for North Africans in particular

Da Weasel

This tension has lead to widespread disadvantage for the North African population in France, and many of these immigrants face massive economic hardship

Da Weasel

At age 15 La Fouine released one of his first singles, titled L’unite where he calls for unity among his community and also across cultures within France. In the hook he states,

“The message isUnityBecause in our hands they've put gunsUnityBecause our mothers are piled into tower blocksUnityBecause too many of our brothers are serving long prison sentencesUnity”

Da Weasel

As In 2011 he released the third volume of ‘Capitale du Crime,’ where he states,

Mom, one day things will get betterBut for now we just have to power through itMoney is coming in the mailOur hope is in police custody We prayed to the LordWe're not going to be engineersPoverty takes away the promise for better daysBrothers in other familiesDirty dishes are gathering dustThe bills are adding up

Article: Global Noise

Lives in the northern suburbs Suburbs became hot beds for violence, drugs, crime, and poverty

The image of the stereotypical American ghetto

French rappers imitated U.S. rappers Express opposition to social order, political order, and economic

systems

“Oppression” partially north African, French Caribbean

Videos

Ma meilleure ft. Zaho

Quand je partirai

Citations

Kearney, Carol. "La Fouine Highest-Paid Rapper in the World - Mediamass." Mediamass. 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://en.mediamass.net/people/la-fouine/highest-paid.html>.

"La Fouine." - Biography. Billbooard. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.billboard.com/artist/276782/la-fouine/biography>.

"La Fouine: Top French Rapper." French Music Blog RSS. 30 July 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.frenchmusicblog.com/la-fouine>.

"La Fouine - Ma Meilleure Ft. Zaho." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_5pzLWjQjY>.

"La Fouine - Quand Je Partirai." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0eCYKNlO6A>.

"Lived." Translation of "Vécu" by La Fouine from French to English. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://lyricstranslate.com/en/vécu-lived.html>.

Meghelli, Samir. "Hip-Hop à La Française." The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/14/is-france-becoming-too-american/hip-hop-a-la-francaise-29>.

Mitchell, Tony. Global Noise: Rap and Hip-hop outside the USA. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan UP, 2001. Print.

Seljuq, Affan. "CULTURAL CONFLICTS: NORTH AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN FRANCE." Cultutal Conflicts: North African Immigrants in France; The International Journal for Peace Studies. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. http://www.gmu.edu/programs/icar/ijps/vol2_2/seljuq.htm

Zobel, Joseph, and Euzhan Palcy. "An American Perspective on French Hip Hop." Blackfrance. 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <https://blackfrance.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/an-american-perspective-on-french-hip-hop/>.