Huffington Magazine Issue 92-93 | Page 108

Exit MUSIC MC SOLAAR LES BROWN French hip-hop musician MC Solaar (né Claude M’Barali) was born at the close of the ’60s in Dakar of Chadian descent. Turbulence in Senegal pressed 6-month-old Claude and family into exile in France. Throughout his boyhood (including a nine-month stay in Cairo), he was transfixed by music. As a teenage language scholar and graffiti artist, Claude took on his musical alter ego, MC Solaar. The early ’90s brought success with his platinum single “Bouge de Là” and international acclaim with opening spots for De La Soul. MC Solaar’s sounds of social conscience have given life to a basket of projects to date. Collaborations include Jimmy Jay, Missy Elliott, Urban Species, and Guru (Gang Starr). Highlights include featured tracks on Sex and the City, MTV’s The Hills, and films Addicted to Love, Jimmy Hollywood and Illegal Love. Download “In God We Trust,” from MC Solaar’s 2010 collection Magn V