SAIAN SUPA CREW - X-Raisons

Two years ago, the Saïan were so built up the disappointment we felt was equally high. Now that we know they are just a crew of cheerful characters making nice rap to have fun, and now we find them pretty cool. We cannot possibly reproach them not to look like the whining and depressing plain French hip-hop.

Source :: 2001 :: buy this record

When KLR came two years ago, the Saïan Supa Crew had become THE hip-hop crew you wouldn’t want to miss… Unexpectedly, unbelievably, the specialised press and a handful of fans started boasting a brand new type of hip-hop, imaginative and easy-going, far away from our typical clichés. Above all, the six men already had connections to the international underground scene thanks to tracks with Roots Manuva and Skitz in England, then came Asian Dub Foundation, Mark B and Blade, and a few others. But when everybody was comparing them to The Arsonists or Rahzel, most people saw the SSC as a traditional African music band due to the hit single "Angela".

They had undoubted benefited from a big advertising campaign, which misled a lot, and disgusted a few. Our six guys were assimilated to the underground revival, the exceptional phenomenon with the ability to reconcile French people with French hip-hop, presumably because of the previously mentioned connection to the British scene and detachment from the ghetto attitude, and also their sometimes criticised humour. However, just at the same period, there was TTC’s "Game Over 99" coming out, which was more significant of "another" French hip-hop, and while the sextet got nationwide exposure, the trio remained at the bottom of the scale finding no way out of the local level.

Whatever some may think, the Saïan Supa Crew is back with another album X-Raisons and their not-so shared good mood, for a not-so bad result. Just put the kiddy emceeing and onomatopoeic rap, the ragga phrasing, the distressing humour apart… if we can. The instrumentals are lively, varied, nice and well done but for a few ones. For example, the really fresh "Tourner La Page" (intelligent conscious hip-hop, i.e. worth reading the lyrics), cleverly based on a french pop jazz artist’s voice.

That’s it for the explanations, and the critic point of view. The Saïan Supa Crew are so much more creative and so different from their peers that some get crazy about them and say they found the genius… We have even read some journalists comparing them to Anti-Pop Consortium. Oh… err… well… nevermind. They had already compared them to the Arsonists and Rahzel as we have mentioned it, so why not APC ? They must really scorn rap to say that.

Two years ago, the Saïan were so built up the disappointment we felt was equally high. Now that we know they are just a crew of cheerful characters making nice rap to have fun, and now we find them pretty cool. We cannot possibly reproach them not to look like the whining and depressing plain French hip-hop. Specta, Sly The Mic Buddah, Sir Samuel, Vicelow, Feniksi and Leeroy are at least open-minded, personal, imaginative and positive. Dragon Ball fans can’t be totally wrong. But on the other hand, idealist killjoys as we are, we expect from French rap more than a pop record, as good as it is… Maybe we shouldn’t…

Translated by Gnusball