Kery James first rose to prominence as one half of the groundbreaking French rap duo Idéal J, sharing the spotlight with producer DJ Mehdi. After withdrawing from the scene for several years, he launched his solo career in 2001 with the Warner release Si C’était à Refaire, which climbed to the Top Five of the French albums chart. Born Alix Mathurin on December 28, 1977, in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, West Indies, he grew up in the Paris suburb of Orly. He began writing rhymes in 1989 and made his first appearance on record two years later, guesting on “Raggajam” from MC Solaar’s landmark debut Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo (1991). Soon afterward he formed the duo Idéal Junior with DJ Mehdi; their debut 12-inch, “La Vie Est Brutale,” appeared on the dance label On the Beat in 1992. Shortening their name to Idéal J, the pair issued two albums: O’riginal MC’s Sur une Mission (1996) and the Barclay/Universal classic Le Combat Continue (1998), whose single “Hardcore” became a defining French rap track. During the same period James contributed to the Mafia K’1 Fry album Légendaire (1998). The fatal shooting of a close friend in 1999 prompted him to step away from music. He resurfaced with the introspective, self-produced Si C’était à Refaire, an autobiographical work that deliberately moved away from the earlier “hardcore” style and yielded the hit “Y’a Pas d’Couleur.” Capitalizing on that breakthrough, he rejoined Mafia K’1 Fry for La Cerise Sur le Ghetto (2003) and curated the double-disc charity project Kery James Presente Savoir & Vivre Ensemble (2004). His follow-up solo effort, Ma Vérité (2005), again reached the Top Five, while the 2008 album À l’Ombre du Show Business advanced to number three on the French chart.
