IAM - Petit frère - 1997
Conscious Hip Hop, Boom Bap, Political Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Pop Rap
Album: L'école du micro d'argent (RYM: 3.77/5)
Allmusic:
Band:
Artist Biography by Vincent Latz
IAM have mixed rage and intelligence throughout a discography that spans three decades, all the while constantly discovering new dimensions to assure hip-hop heads in their home country that there is no need to envy the U.S. The group has roots in hip-hop's birthplace that date back to the early '80s, when founding member Philippe Fragione (aka Chill, later Akhenaton) started making trips to New York City, during which he networked with several rap artists. The visits culminated in Fragione's featured spot on Choice MC's 1988 track "This Is the B Side," released on the Idlers label. By that point, Fragione had also been active in Marseille with Eric Mazel (DJ Khéops) and Geoffroy Mussard (Jo, later Shurik'n), and when he returned there, the trio were eventually joined by producer Pascal Perez (Imhotep) and MCs François Mendy (Kephren) and Malek Brahimi (Freeman). The crew became IAM ("I am"), an acronym for Imperial Asiatic Men and Invasion Arrivée de Mars, among other phrases.
In 1990, IAM circulated a cassette of demo recordings that contained the Egyptian touch that became their trademark, also reflected in the lyrics, which displayed an openness and wider point of view than the usual street perspectives. They garnered considerable attention as they opened for Madonna on dates of her Blond Ambition World Tour and subsequently released their first album, ...De la Planète Mars, through Virgin in 1991. It was the first rap album ever released by a French group, and notably approached different subjects and moods with ease and honesty. Ombre Est Lumière, a double album, followed in 1993. (A single-disc version appeared a year later.) The set included "Je Danse le Mia," a track that put the group on radios and dancefloors across France, and IAM used their increased exposure via press interviews and television appearances to express and affirm their political views. After the group received a Victoire de la Musique award, Fragione went solo and collaborated with the new guard of Marseille, the Fonky Family. Shurik'n, Imhotep, and Malek also drifted toward solo projects. Ombre Est Lumière was eventually certified platinum by SNEP.
tIAM eventually reconvened for the preparation of their third and most successful album. Partially recorded in the U.S. and released in 1997, L'École du Micro d'Argent is regarded as a powerful milestone in French rap, an accomplished piece of art that extended beyond the borders of the French language. It topped charts in France and Belgium, and was eventually certified diamond in the former. After the shock wave receded, the members refocused on personal projects. Akhenaton co-wrote, co-directed, and appeared in the film Comme un Aimant, and assembled music from many of the singers he had loved in his childhood, including Isaac Hayes, Minnie Riperton, and Marlena Shaw, for the soundtrack.
It took a few more years for IAM to return with a new album. Revoir un Printemps arrived in 2003 and reminded listeners of the freshness of the group's sound, contradicting assertions that rap had lost its original spirit. Despite a newfound maturity, IAM continued to include their share of fun, with Method Man and Redman featured on "Noble Art," and even Beyoncé and Syleena Johnson taking part in the adventure. The group continued to record every few years, releasing Saison 5 in 2007, Arts Martiens and IAM in 2013, and Rêvolution in 2017. Although the group's single releases weren't scaling the same heights as they had in earlier decades, each parent release peaked within the Top Ten of the French albums chart.
Wikipédia:
Album:
L'École du Micro d'Argent (The School of the Silver Mic) is an album recorded by IAM. The band became famous worldwide with this album, a classic in French hip-hop music. It was partly recorded in the USA, with some aesthetic influences brought by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. On the track "L'Enfer", a sample from Lalo Schifrin's music for Don Siegel's movie "Dirty Harry" can be heard (the electric piano notes).
The album deals with very realistic and dark topics in a sometimes violent and often dark vocal performance. Though it contains few happy "ego-trip" songs, most of these ego songs deal with war metaphors and are sung with violent tone and rhythm. More than the ego schemes, the main topic of the album stay the criticism of French society: life in poor suburbs which leads to a reference to slavery, violence of the youth connected with the violence in television and movies, censorship, racism. At least three songs deal with prostitution, but in ways from irony and fun to violent and dark realism.
The album was a huge success in France. It was said to have sold 1,200,000 copies by rapper Akhenaton in his autobiography La Face B and 1 400 000 copies in a 2011 interview. Other sources tell of 1,500,000 copies. The album is officially certified diamond (1,000,000 copies at the time). In the months following its release, eight of its tracks were played on the rap radio station Skyrock, despite only 4 of them had a music video. The song "Demain, c'est loin", too long to be played on radios, had a music video too. It remains the best selling French hip-hop album.
It is widely considered, among both professionals and the audience, as the best French rap album of all time, though not by the band itself. The album is often quoted as the exception by those who don't like IAM, massilian rap, or French rap in general. The 9 minutes long song "Demain c'est loin" which ends the album has often been quoted as the French Rap Anthem and the best French rap song ever.
Later different versions were released. The version edited now has the song "Libère mon imagination" replaced by the song "Independenza", a single released more than one year after the album and not included in it.
The album won the "Best album of the year" prize (all kinds of genres included) at the French Music Awards ceremony of 1998[citation needed].
The album is considered to have widely influenced French rap artists and French music industry, opening a new era of success for French rap.
Petit frère n'a qu'un souhait devenir grand
C'est pourquoi il s'obstine à jouer les sauvages dès l'âge de 10 ans
Devenir adulte, avec les infos comme mentor
C'est éclater les tronches de ceux qui ne sont pas d'accord
A l'époque où grand frère était gamin
On se tapait des délires sur Blanche-Neige et les 7 Nains
Maintenant les nains ont giclé Blanche-Neige et tapent
Eclatent des types claquent dans Mortal Kombat
A 13 ans, il aime déjà l'argent avide
Mais ses poches sont arides, alors on fait le caïd
Dans les boums, qui sont désormais des soirées, plus de sirop Teisseire
Petit frère veut des bières
Je ne crois pas que c'était volontaire, mais l'adulte c'est certain
Indirectement a montré que faire le mal, c'est bien
Demain ses cahiers seront pleins de ratures
Petit frère fume des spliffs et casse des voitures
Petit frère a déserté les terrains de jeux
Il marche à peine et veut des bottes de sept lieues
Petit frère veut grandir trop vite
Mais il a oublié que rien ne sert de courir, petit frère
Petit frère rêve de bagnoles, de fringues, de tunes
De réputation de dur, pour tout ça il volerait la lune
Il collectionne les méfaits sans se soucier
Du mal qu'il fait, tout en demandant du respect
Peu lui importe de quoi demain sera fait
De donner à certains des raisons de mépriser son cadet
Dans sa tête le rayonnement du tube cathodique
A étouffé les vibrations des Tam-Tam de l'Afrique
Plus de cartable, il ne saurait pas quoi en faire
Il ne joue plus aux billes, il veut jouer du revolver
Petit frère a jeté ses soldats pour devenir un guerrier
Et penser au butin qu'il va amasser
Petit frère a déserté les terrains de jeux
Il marche à peine et veut des bottes de sept lieues
Petit frère veut grandir trop vite
Mais il a oublié que rien ne sert de courir, petit frère
Les journalistes font des modes, la violence à l'école existait déjà
De mon temps, les rackets, les bastons, les dégâts
Les coups de batte dans les pare-brise des tires des instituteurs
Embrouilles à coups de cutter
Mais en parler au journal tous les soirs ça devient banal
Ca s'imprime dans la rétine comme situation normale
Et si petit frère veut faire parler de lui
Il réitère ce qu'il a vu avant 8 heures et demie
Merde, en 80 c'était des états de faits, mais là
Ces journalistes ont faits des états
Et je ne crois pas que petit frère soit pire qu'avant
Juste surexposé à la pub, aux actes violents
Pour les grands, les gosses est le meilleur citron
La cible numéro 1, le terrain des produits de consommation
Et pour être sûr qu'il s'en procure
Petit frère s'assure, flingue à la ceinture
On sait ce que tu es quand on voit ce que tu possèdes
Petit frère le sait et garde ce fait en tête
L'argent lui ouvrirait les portes sur un ciel azur
Aussi facilement que ses tournevis ouvrent celle des voitures
Le grand standing, c'est tout ce dont il a envie
Ca passe mieux quand tu portes Giorgio Armani
Soucieux du regard des gens
Malgré son jeune âge, petit frère fume pour paraître plus grand
Il voudrait prendre l'autoroute de la fortune
Et ne se rend pas compte qu'il pourrait y laisser des plumes
Il vient à peine de sortir de son oeuf
Et déjà petit frère veut être plus gros que le boeuf
Petit frère a déserté les terrains de jeux
Il marche à peine et veut des bottes de sept lieues
Petit frère veut grandir trop vite
Mais il a oublié que rien ne sert de courir, petit frère
Little brother has only one wish, grow up
That's why he persists to become wild from 10 years old
Become an adult, with the TV news as a guide
And slug the disagreers (1)
In the past, when big brother was a kid
It was sheer madness with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Now the dwarves have kicked Snow White out and hit
And beat up guys like in Mortal Kombat
At 13 he already loves money, greedy
But his pockets are empty so he acts like a big boss
in the dancing parties, that have now become celebrations, no more syrup
Little brother wants beers
I don't think it was intentional, but adults - that's for sure -
Indirectly showed that harming was a good thing
Tomorrow his exercice books will be full of deletions
Little brother smokes spliffs and break cars
(chorus)
Little brother doesn't go to playgrounds anymore
He still toddles yet wants seven league boot
Little brother wants grow up too fast
But he's forgotten that vain is running, little brother
Little brother dreams about big cars, clothes and dough
About a reputation of bad boy, for all of those, he'd steal the moon
He commits fellony after fellony without caring
About the harm he's done, while asking for respect
He doesn't care much about what tomorrow will bring
About giving certain people reasons to despise him
In his head the cathode ray tube
Smothered the vibrations of the African drums
No more school bag, he wouldn't know what to do with it
He doesn't play marbles anymore, he wanna play guns (2)
Little brother threw his toy soldiers away to become a warrior
and think about the loot he'll amass
(chorus)
Journalists make fashions, school violence already existed
When I was young there were rackets, punch-ups and damages
The teachers' windshields were also broken with baseball bats
They were getting muddled with cutters
But speaking about it in the newsbroadcast becomes usual
It prints in the retina like a normal situation
And if little brother wants to make the news
He only has to imitate what he saw before 8:30 pm
Damn, in the 80's it was a fact but now
Those journalists made the normality out of it
And I don't think that little brother is worse than before
Only overexposed to publicity and violence
For the older, the kids are the best lemon
The number one target for market products
And to be sure that he obtains it
Little brother secures himself with a gun at the belt
They know who you are when they see what you possess
Little brother knows it, and keeps that fact in mind
Money would open a gate to heaven for him
As easily as his screwdriver opens car doors
Grandstanding is all he desires
It looks better, when you wear a Giorgio Armani
Worried about how people see him
In spite of his young age, little brother smokes to appear older
He would take the fortune highway
and doesn't realize that he can lose his shirt
he's only out of his egg
and already little brother wanna be bigger than a steer
(1) and break the face of the ones who disagree / to slug = to hit
(2) airsoft gun, not marble the little thing to play with
Thanks to tonysan and Maëlstrom on LyricsTranslate.