Ärsenik

Ärsenik
Origin Villiers-le-Bel, France
Genres French rap
Associated acts Bisso Na Bisso
Members Lino (Gaëlino M'Bani)
Calbo (Calboni M'Bani)
Not to be confused with Arsenic.

Ärsenik is a rap group based in Villiers-le-Bel, France, founded in 1992, and made up of two brothers, Lino (Gaëlino M'Bani) and Calbo (Calboni M'Bani), whose family is originally from Congo.

Career

Ärsenik started as a band in mid 1990s. Until 1997, the group also included Tony Truand, a cousin. In 1998, now a duo, Ärsenik released their first album Quelques gouttes suffisent went double gold. A new album was planned for 2005, but the two brothers instead decided to concentrate on solo albums. Lino released Paradis Assassiné en 2005, which was the name of a solo song on the group's second album.

In 2007 the group released a disc titled S'il en reste quelque chose which included the most popular songs from the two brothers, such as "L'enfer remonte à la surface", "Rime & chatiments" and "Sexe, pouvoir & biftons".

Revered as one of the original rap groups, their music voices the disaffection of the French underclass, combining African and Arabic melodies and beats with French lyrics. French rap is filled with slang that is hard for even French-speakers to understand; whole songs are delivered in Verlan, the ingenious, dizzying slang in which words are reversed or recombined. Like France's chanson tradition, French rap is also famous for emphasizing lyrics, and the rappers are widely viewed as heirs to the chansonniers.[1]

As part of Bisso Na Bisso

In the late 1990s, Lino and Calbo teamed up with a group of rappers who were also second-generation Africans, on a collaborative project called Bisso Na Bisso, an expression which means "just between ourselves" in Lingala, the most commonly spoken language in the Congo region. Part of this group were Ben-J (from Les Neg'Marrons), Passi (from Ministère A.M.E.R.), twin brothers Doc and G Kill (from 2Bal), and Mystik and his female cousin M'Passi. The group embarked on a collective return to their African roots, featuring music with an innovative fusion of styles, that mixed modern hip-hop and zouk sounds with traditional Congolese rumba.[2]

Members and solo/other projects

The members of Ärsenik have engaged in various personal projects besides the band.

Lino

Rapper Lino has released two solo albums of his own, Paradis assassiné released in September 2005 and Radio Bitume released in May 2012. Both have charted in France and particularly Paradis assassiné released on Hostile Records was a great commercial success. The title is a title of an Ärsenik album.

In 2004, he collaborated in a music project by Kery James in the single "Relève la tête" credited to "Kery James presents Lino, AP, Diam's, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen". In 2007, he also collaborated with three tracks on rapper Stomy Bugsy album Rimes Passionnelles and in 2009, took part in Bissno Na Bisso's project Africa.

In 2012 he signed with AZ, now part of Universal Music.

Calbo

Calbo has also continued with a solo music career. In 2003, he charted in a hit "Trop de peine" by Lynnsha featuring Calbo vocals.

In 2011, he announced preparation of an album projected for release in 2012 titled 6ème Chaudron and in June 2013, he released his solo single "C'est là-bas" on Trèfle record label accompanied by a music video. It featured another fellow Congolese artist known as VR.

Discography Ärsenik

Studio Albums

Album Details Charts
FR
[3]
BEL
Wa

[4]
Quelques gouttes suffisent...
  • Released: 1998
  • Record label: Hostile Records
10  
Quelque chose à survécu...
  • Released: 2002
  • Record label: Hostile Records
8 27

Compilation albums

Album Details Charts
FR
[3]
BEL
Wa

[4]
S'il en reste quelque chose...
  • Released: 2007
  • Record label: Hostile Records
   

Collaboration Albums

Title and details Notes
Racines
  • Type: Album
  • Credit: as part of Bisso Na Bisso
  • Released: 1999
  • Record label: Issap productions
Collective including Passi, Mystik,
Ben-J (Nèg Marrons), 2Bal,
Ärsenik, M'Passi (Melgroove)
Le 15 Mai 1999
  • Type: Live album
  • Credit: as part of Bisso Na Bisso
  • Released: 1999
Noyau Dur
  • Type: Album
  • Credit: as part of Noyau Dur
  • Released: 2005
  • Record label: Hostile Records
Collective including Ärsenik,
Neg' Marrons and Pit Baccardi

Singles

Year Single Charts Album
FR
[3]
1998 "Affaires de famille" 44 Quelques gouttes suffisent...
2002 "P.O.I.S.O.N." 89 Quelque chose à survécu...
"Regarde le monde" 89

Discography of Lino (solo)

Albums

Album Details Charts
FR
[5]
BEL
(Wa)
SWI
Paradis assassiné
  • Released: September 2005
  • Record label: Hostile Records
17    
Radio Bitume
  • Released: May 2012
  • Record label:
120    
Requiem
  • Released: January 2015
  • Record label: AZ
2 27 30

Singles

Collaborative singles
Year Single Charts Album
FR
[5]
2004 "Relève la tête"
(Kery James presents Lino, AP,
Diam's, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen)
39
2014 "12ème lettre" 99
"Suicide commercial" 160
2015 "Choc funèbre" 174 Requiem
"De rêves & de cendres"
(feat. Manon (Mutine))
75
Featured in
Year Single Charts Album
FR
[5]
2015 "Temps mort 2.0"
(Booba feat. Lino)
58 Booba album
D.U.C

Discography of Calbo (solo)

Albums

Singles

Collaborative singles
Year Single Charts
FR
[6]
2013 "C'est là-bas"
(feat. VR)
 
Collaborative singles
Year Single Charts
FR
[6]
2003 "Trop de peine"
(Lynnsha feat. Calbo)
64

See also

Footnotes

External links