Suprême NTM

For many years NTM, also known as Suprême NTM, stood as France’s definitive expression of hardcore hip-hop. The group consisted of Didier Morville, who performed as Joey Starr, and Bruno Lopes, who performed as Kool Shen. Both men were born in 1968 and grew up in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, attending the same schools yet forming no close tie until 1983, when they met at a Trocadero dance event that showcased American dancers executing breakdance and smurf routines. From that point the two remained inseparable and began practicing these styles with the Actuel Force crew. The 1984 broadcast of the television program H.I.P H.O.P. further solidified their commitment, a resolve that took hold in the suburbs where few other outlets existed for young people.

Graffiti became their next outlet; they used trains and stations along line 13, the route connecting their town to Paris, as surfaces for their work. They joined the NTM posse, originally assembled by DRC (Da Red Chiffons) and TCG (the Crime Gang). The collective expanded later when 93 MC merged with the crew, creating 93 NTM. At the outset, therefore, NTM functioned primarily as writers rather than aspiring MCs. Contact with the Assassin posse eventually drew them into music. Their earliest radio exposure came via Radio Nova’s Deenastyle program, hosted by Deenasty and featuring Lionel D. Their technical skills advanced quickly, channeling an already present anger into more refined forms. Months afterward they opened for Souris Déglinguée at the Olympia. In 1990 they contributed “Je Rappe” to the Rapatitude compilation, which brought them their first broad visibility among the emerging French rap generation. While touring with other artists from that project they secured a deal with Epic, a Sony subsidiary.

Their debut maxi, Le Monde de Demain, appeared the same year. Its lyrics anticipated the suburban unrest and student protests that erupted in France several months later, including lines that warned those in power not to dismiss the shifting mood of youth. The release surpassed 50,000 copies sold. In 1991 the duo launched the Authentik tour, which lent its name to their first full-length album, issued midway through the year. That July they performed in New York alongside Son of Bazerk at the CMJ New Music Seminar. During the visit they laid down remixes with Kirk Yano. The tour concluded in 1992 at Paris’s Zénith before a capacity crowd that responded with intense energy. Pre-production for a second album began late that year, following the single “Boogie Man.”

The 1993 album J’appuie Sur la Gachette… underperformed commercially and sparked controversy over the track “Police,” which prompted an official inquiry. In the song the pair voiced their own perspective on law enforcement, resulting in a radio boycott by numerous stations. Although their talent remained overshadowed by their uncompromising stance, the breadth of rap still exceeded what French audiences and the market could readily accept. In 1994 they worked in a New York studio on material for their next record. The lead single “Tout N’est Pas Si Façile” arrived in February 1995, with the album following in March. DJ Clyde handled production, and the lyrics retained their subversive demand for equal rights. The track “La Fièvre” became a major hit and gained extensive airplay, marking a notable reversal for a group that had faced bans less than a year earlier.

The album achieved strong sales and stood as NTM’s most successful release to date, while preserving its underground ethos and raw character. The subsequent tour earned further acclaim through appearances at major festivals and prominent venues. Yet controversy resurfaced when the group performed at an SOS Racisme event in southern France; police officers in attendance filed a complaint alleging verbal assaults. An initial ruling imposed a three-month prison sentence and a six-month nationwide ban on their work, though a later decision replaced the jail term with a substantial fine. The episode raised an enduring question: whether artists could be penalized for expressing harsh truths shared by many suburban residents.

NTM’s final album, which displayed a level of maturity in rap that few peers approached, appeared in 1998. It moved 40,000 copies on its first day, an exceptional figure in France. Singles such as “Laisse Pas Trainer Ton Fils” and “Ma Benz” merged the duo’s enduring rawness and subversive edge with the street knowledge they had accumulated over time. On this project the two MCs reached the height of their abilities, finding means to convey their inner rage while balancing wildness with wisdom—the very combination that defined NTM from their origins in breakdancing and train graffiti onward. After the album both members established independent labels, Joey Starr’s BOSS and Kool Shen’s IV My People, through which they continued to issue new music for themselves and their circle.