Sinik

Known as "the French Eminem," Sinik entered the world as Thomas Idir in Paris on June 26, 1980. His family traces its origins to Algeria’s rugged Kabylie mountains, and he emerged from a difficult adolescence punctuated by repeated prison terms by directing his rage into hip-hop; at fourteen he formed a bond with aspiring MC Mélanie Georgiades, who records as Diam’s. In 1996 Idir helped launch the crew L’Amalgave together with Agoudjil Djamel, Oudjehih Anis, and Lalmi Tarek. Rebranded Ul’Team Atom, the group fragmented after a string of mixtape releases, prompting the arrival of Sinik’s first solo project, the 2000 EP Malsain, on the 3.5.7 imprint. After establishing his own Six o Nine label, he delivered the full-length Artiste Triste in 2003. The underground favorite earned him a mid-2004 contract with Warner Bros., which issued the double-platinum La Main sur le Coeur in early 2005. Spring 2006 brought the blockbuster Sang Froid.