Alliance Ethnik is a French rap group that is fairly popular and well-known throughout France. It's members are of various ethnic origins including Algeria, Italy, Congo, and France and this diversity is where the name Alliance Ethnik comes from. While many of their songs are just about having fun, other songs deal with more serious issues such as racism and child exploitation (see Un Enfant Doit Vivre).

The Group

The members of the group are K-Mel, Medar, Gutsy, Crazy B, and Faster Jay. Gutsy, Crazy B, and Faster Jay compose a group named Genius Touch who create most of the background music. K-Mel writes and sings most of the lyrics. Vinia Mojica, vocalist for A Tribe Called Quest, is featured in several tracks on Fat Comeback, but more extensively on Simple & Funky. Members of the group have worked with other artists and produced recordings. I know K-Mel did a track titled Parisien Du Nord on French Algerian Rai singer Cheb Mami's album Meli Meli and contributed a track to Blackdoor Records' L'Hip Hopee, a collection of hip hop and reggae versions of classic French chansons.

Simple & Funky

This CD was a large success in France, selling many copies. Although, it's a bit more amateurish than their sophomore album, Fat Comeback, it still is a good CD. The biggest single from this album was "Respect." Bob Power of A Tribe Called Quest produced this album.

Fat Come Back

Fat Comeback was released several years after their debut CD, Simple and Funky. During this period the band had been on hiatus and had not been touring. The first single off of the new CD is "No Limites." The video for this single is placed in a military setting in a jungle area, and judging from the places mentioned in the song lyrics, probably in Central America. Prince Charles Alexander helped with most of the production on Fat Comeback and contributed some of the music used on the CD.

I definately recomend this CD as it contains many excellent tracks. Some of the American artists ramble a bit and don't really have much to say, but that doesn't really detract much from the CD. Several of the songs deal with social issues, and many of them deal with French speaking Algerians.

The DJ work is excellent on this album. Alliance Ethnik has one of the best DJs in France, and there are many fine guest artists who have a turn spining the turntable. Scratch Action Heroes is a recommended DJ track.

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