Lim

Born Salim Lakhdiri in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1981, hardcore rapper LIM started off in the rap collective Mo’vez Lang with friends Cens Nino and Boulox. Soon coming to the attention of hip-hop group Les Sages Poetes de la Rue, the trio toured with them through the ’90s. The massive collective Beat de Boul was born from this collaboration, releasing Dans la Sono in 1997 and Dans la Ville in 1999. After appearances on various noted compilations and mixtapes with Mo’vez Lang, LIM released his first solo outing in 2005, with his own tough brand of street talk not unlike the bravado of fellow rappers Rohff or Kamelancien. This album, like its 2007 follow-ups, Maxi Delinquant (a mixtape) and Delinquant (the official second solo release), ticked all the usual hip-hop boxes, with tracks about drugs, sex, and the police most prominent. An uglier side to his lyrics, as on the horribly titled “Moi Aussi Je Veux Baiser la Pute de la Republique,” saw him banned from rap radio stalwart Skyrock. ~ Caspar Salmon