Biography
Born Abdoulaye Diarra in Mali during 1974, Oxmo Puccino reached Paris at the age of five within a household that also contained his younger brother Mamoutou Diarra, who later gained international recognition as a professional basketball player. The French rapper channeled the street-smart American hip-hop of the Notorious B.I.G. and comparable figures to chronicle daily realities inside the rough 19th district of the city. Long devoted to hip-hop, Diarra joined the emerging rap collective Time Bomb at age 21 and sharpened his abilities alongside rising talents such as Booba and Diam's. He soon stood out as a lyricist whose metaphorical skill exceeded that of most peers, producing violent yet oddly lyrical depictions of urban Paris existence. His first appearance on record came in 1996 with the track "Pucc. Fiction" on the compilation L432. Additional mixtape spots strengthened his profile inside the French rap underground, leading to the solo debut Opéra Puccino in 1998. The 2001 successor L'Amour Est Mort brought both creative and commercial recognition, and Le Cactus de Sibérie in 2004 established his position among the leading French artists. After an agreement with the respected jazz label Blue Note, Puccino formed the Jazzbastards to support the 2006 release Lipopette Bar.
Albums
Singles
