Booba

Biography

Élie Thitia Yaffa (French pronunciation: [eli jafa]; born 9 December 1976), better known under his stage name Booba, is a French rapper, singer and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the best and most influential French rappers of all time.
After a brief stint as a break dancer in the early 1990s, Booba partnered with his friend Ali to form Lunatic. The duo released a critically acclaimed album in 2000 but disbanded in 2003. Booba has since embarked on a successful solo career, selling more than 10 million discs over his career and becoming the most downloaded artist (legally) in France. Booba is praised for the quality of his flow and beats but often criticized because of the controversial nature of his lyrics. He has also established the rap label Tallac Records, and developed a line of jewellery.

Life and career

Élie Yaffa was born on 9 December 1976 in the outskirts of Paris in Sèvres. His father is Senegalese and his mother is French of Mosellan and Belgian descent.
With his friend Ali they formed the duo Lunatic in 1994. Unable to secure a record deal from a major label because of their controversial lyrics, they created their own independent record label 45 Scientific in 1999. The following year, Lunatic released its first and only album entitled Mauvais œil.
In 2002, Booba released his debut solo album Temps mort×Temps mort22 January 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Temps mort2:262Independants3:553Écoute bien4:354Ma définition3:385Jusqu'ici tout va bien4:506Repose en paix2:547Le Bitume avec une plume4:448Animals4:339Sans ratures6:4110100-8 zoo4:3511On m'a dit4:1712Nouvelle école4:1713De mauvaise augure3:3714Strass et paillettes4:49. In 2003, his album Temps Mort was nominated for the Source Hip-Hop Music awards in the International Album of the Year category. He followed this up with four further albums: Panthéon×Panthéon2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Tallac4:052Le mal par le mal2:093Commis d'office5:094N°104:395Hors-saison4:436R.A.P.3:567Baby4:318La Faucheuse4:439Mon son2:5010Alter ego4:1511Pazalaza pour sazamuser2:4512Bâtiment C3:4313Avant de partir5:24, Ouest Side×Ouest Side13 February 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Mauvais garçon1:292Garde la pêche2:543Le Duc de Boulogne3:414Boîte vocale3:325Boulbi4:056Ouest Side3:42792 Izi5:058Ouais ouais4:379Pittbull3:5210Je me souviens3:3211Le Météore3:4612Au bout des rêves4:2713Gun in Hand4:4414Au fond d'la classe3:5815Couleur ébène3:4216Outro2:54 (the most successful), 0.9 and Lunatic×Lunatic22 November 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Les derniers seront les premiers2:002Caesar Palace4:103Jimmy deux fois3:234Ma couleur4:105Abracadabra3:446Boss du Rap Game4:457Killer4:578Lunatic3:349Jour de paye4:4810Si tu savais4:1811Comme une étoile3:0112Paradis3:531345 Scientific4:2114Top niveau3:3615Réel3:4916Me-ca4:3517Saddam hauts de seine4:2418Fast Life4:54.
In late 2012, he released his sixth solo album Futur×Futur26 November 2012 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1G5 (Intro)1:342Maki Sall Music4:553Wesh Morray4:154Tombé pour elle3:295C'est la vie4:276Pirates3:477Caramel4:208Kalash3:4991.8.74:3010O.G.3:4811Jimmy3:1712Maître Yoda3:1513Rolex4:1914Tout c'que j'ai3:43152PAC4:0116Futur4:33. In whole, Booba has ten disks certified, six Disques d'Or (Gold album), three Disques de platine (Platinum album) and one Double disque de platine (Double-Platinum album). In 2011, Booba won the "My Youtube" contest, ahead of popular artists like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Jay-Z, Sexion D'Assaut, Shakira, and Stromae.
In 2015 he released two more albums D.U.C.×D.U.C.13 April 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks1D.U.C4:052Tony Sosa3:283Bellucci4:094Loin d'ici3:455Caracas4:286Mon pays3:057All set2:388Les meilleurs4:339Mové Lang5:3110LVMH3:3811G-Love3:1012Billets violets2:3613Ratpis3:5914Jack Da3:0015Mr.Kopp3:1316Temps mort 2.03:07173G2:5518La mort leur va si bien3:2519OKLM3:44 and Nero Nemesis, with a notable hit single 92i Veyron. His album Trône×Trône1 December 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Centurion1:392Friday3:373Drapeau noir3:234Trône3:165Bouyon3:206Magnifique3:117Ça va aller2:438Nougat2:579Terrain2:2910À la folie2:46111132:3312Ridin'3:3113Petite fille3:3514DKR2:5415E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T2:59 in 2017 received a Disque de Diamant (Diamond disc). with singles such as "Petite Fille" and "Friday".
Several of Booba's songs are considered "classics" of French rap, including "Tallac", "Repose en paix" and "Ma Définition".

Musical style

Booba was influenced by the American hip-hop scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s – Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, and Biggie Smalls. Dark melodies accompanied with raw lyrics, typical of the rap from New York, are present on every album of his. He is often criticized for being an apologist for easy money and murder. Booba advocates a reduction in the taxes and claims himself in support of individual freedom. Racism is a recurring topic of his songs (see for example "Couleur ébène", "Pitbull", "Ma Couleur×Ma couleur11 October 2010 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Ma couleur4:09"), although he sometimes deliberately advocates communitarian positions.

Other ventures

Booba is also the creator of a streetwear brand, Ünkut, one of the most popular brands of this type in France.

Studio albums

Temps mort (2002)
Panthéon (2004)
Ouest Side (2006)
0.9 (2008)
Lunatic (2010)
Futur (2012)
Futur 2.0 (reissue) (2013)
D.U.C (2015)
Nero Nemesis (2015)
Trône (2017)
Ultra (2021)
Ad vitam æternam (2024)
Blanco Nemesis (2026)

Mixtapes

Autopsie Vol. 1 (2005)
Autopsie Vol. 2 (2007)
Autopsie Vol. 3 (2009)
Autopsie Vol. 4 (2011)
Autopsie 0 (2017)