email:
password:
remember:
login
Spotlight
Discover
Browse
Everything
Playlists
Music
Videos
Groups
People
Blogs
Photos
Polls
IAM
Artist
Bio
Albums
Music
Video
Related Artists
All Time Most Popular Songs
Nés sous la même étoile
- 9,675 plays
La Saga
- 8,473 plays
Marseille La Nuit
- 3,081 plays
Demain, C'est Loin
- 3,034 plays
Une Autre Brique
- 3,021 plays
Nos Heures De Gloire
- 2,547 plays
Offishall
- 2,544 plays
Le Style De L'Homme Libre
- 1,953 plays
Le Dernier Coup (cut)
- 1,462 plays
Noble Art
- 1,444 plays
view all
Albums
Saison 5
Revoir un Printemps
Platinum
L' Ecole du Micro D'Argent
view all
Most Popular Music Videos
Ca Vient De La Rue
(Duration: 3:51)
Jul 14th, 7:12pm
La fin de leur monde
(Duration: 11:36)
Apr 23rd, 9:35am
Petit Frere
(Duration: 4:41)
Apr 19th, 6:04pm
Iam Petit frere
(Duration: 4:41)
Mar 24th, 8:36am
KH III Open Trailer
(Duration: 5:16)
Oct 16th, 10:56pm
view all
Related Artists
MC Solaar
Gravediggaz
Fat Freddy's Drop
Saian Supa Crew
view all
Fan Comments
Login
to leave a comment.
Are you sure that you want to report this as spam?
IAM
Total Media Plays: 70,663
Become a Fan
Get Ringtone
Everything began in New York for the young Chill - soon to be known as
Akhenaton
-- when he met lots of rappers at the beginning of the Golden Era. But it's definitely when he dropped rhymes on a Maxi of
Choice MCs
in 1988 that he understood rap would be his way. So when he came back to Marseille, he wanted to develop his skills with Eric Mazel aka
DJ Kheops
and the dancer who spits words, Jo --
who will become
Shurik'n
. And with that same energy, he held strong in the formation years, when money was rare. In the meantime,
Imhotep
-- producer --
Kephren
and
Malek
joined the group that will soon become
I AM
. In 1989 they recorded with no money a Maxi that already contains the Egyptian touch that would become their trademark. In the text also, that openness comes out with a wider point of view than the usual stick-it-to-the-street speech. The reverberation went large in the crowd as they got the first part of
Madonna
for her Blonde Ambition Tour. They finally dropped their first album
...De La Planète Mars
-- for Marseille -- in 1991; it was then the first rap album ever released by a French group, who, on top of that, has the talent to approach very different subjects and moods with such easiness and honesty. The tone is set and competitors are warned, nobody will ever reach their wisdom acquired in the street combined with the old Eastern philosophy.
Despite the usual difficulties of a sophomore effort to overcome, I AM wanted a double disc for
Ombre Est Lumière
, which will contain about 40 tunes. This set contains
"Le Mia"
, a bombtrack, that will put
I AM
on all French radios and dance floors. The group is now known in the mainstream audience with this hit that will be followed by another anthem,
"Le Feu"
that will definitely put them on the map. Released in 1993, a version of the album in one disc would then appear in 1994. Since the beginning,
I AM
reveals to have political views, and they benefit the press interviews and TV shows to affirm them in public, above all when Politicians are also invited. And their remarks are always accurate. After the album and a 䀘Victoire de la Musique', a French music award,
Akhenaton
went solo and collaborated with the new guard of Marseille, the Fonky Family.
Shurik'n
,
Imhotep
and
Malek
-- aka
Freeman
-- also drifted toward solo projects, but all went back together for the preparation of the next
I AM
's episode of the saga. Recorded in the USA, the first version of the album will then be remixed and reorganized as their universe grew up, making
L'Ecole Du Micro D'Argent
an accomplished piece of art at the end of these sessions. As far as language can go, moods set in the sound texture and interactivity among the MCs, all elements that make the subtle difference between a good album and the ultimate are here.
I AM
signs a powerful milestone in the French rap genre, one of the few that will cross the border of the French language. After the shock wave and its harmonics, the members of the group decided to refocus on personal projects, even considering cinema.
Akhenaton
, co-signing the music of Comme Un Aimant, will gather all the US singers he loved in his childhood, from
Isaac Hayes
to
Minnie Ripperton
,
Marlena Shaw
... It will take 4 years for the group to come back for a new album.
Revoir Un Printemps
reminds us that I AM will always sound fresh, wrong-footing everybody that thought rap was dead in this era where cats want to be lions. They always sound right, more mature each and every day. But they get their share of fun too with
Method Man
and
Redman
getting rhymes on
"Noble Art"
. Even
Beyoncé
and
Syleena Johnson
will take part in the adventure and add a little spice to the flavor. Like all the artists that come out in a genre not 'monitored' by the music industry,
I AM
had to get it through with rage and intelligence. They constantly grew toward wider dimensions for the pleasure of our ears and minds. We can easily say that this group is one of the few that put French listeners at ease concerning the languages of Rap: only talent makes it work, and French Hip-Hop heads are reassured that sometimes they doesn't have to envy the USA about it. ~ Vincent Latz, All Music Guide
More
Listeners
Everything
Playlists
Music
Videos
Groups
People
Blogs
Photos
Polls
About
|
Developers
|
Mobile
|
Blog
|
Jobs
|
Advertise
|
Legal
|
Upgrade
|
Store
|
Help
© 2008 imeem, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2008 All Music Guide, inc. All rights reserved.