Abd Al Malik

Abd Al Malik, the French rapper, wove blues, jazz, and slam poetry into his sound, venturing well beyond typical hip-hop territory. Equally distinctive, his lyrics often carry a philosophical bent that advances his firmly held Muslim convictions. Born in Paris on March 14, 1975, Malik passed much of his childhood in Congo, his family’s homeland, before resettling in France in 1981. Recognition first arrived in the late ’90s when he fronted the rap collective New African Poets (N.A.P.), whose work echoed the pioneering jazz-funk of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets. Leaving the group to launch a solo path, he delivered his debut LP, Le Face à Face des Coeurs, in 2004 along with the spiritual essays Qu’Allah Bénisse la France. Gibraltar arrived in 2006 and secured the sought-after Le Prix Constantin award. Dante followed in 2008, then Chateau Rouge in 2011.