“If I could shape destiny, I would cast a light on the hidden side of the streets, to chase away the shadows and turn our alleys into avenues,” confided Pit Baccardi in “La Rue”.
With his emblematic lyricism of 90s rap, at a time when French cultural identity flourished through Hip-Hop in the hands of a generation of poets, Pit Baccardi stands, in many respects, as a symbol of a bygone era.
A historic member of the Secteur Ä collective alongside Stomy Bugsy, Passi, and Doc Gynéco — the first rapper to break into the French mainstream — he ranks among the true founding fathers of French rap.
His debut project, “Pit Baccardi”, released in 1999, remains a raw testament of sincerity, the true “Y2K Bug” of French rap.
With “Si loin de toi”, a moving tribute to his late mother, the poignant storytelling of “J’ai vu”, and the anthem for lost youth “La Rue”, the Secteur Ä rapper delivered one of the most accomplished albums of his generation.
From Rap to Production: From Yaoundé to Abidjan
Pit Baccardi further enriched his artistic journey with three more projects: “Ghetto Ambianceur” in 2000 and “Le Poids des Maux” in 2002.
In 2020, he unveiled “Kings”, collaborating with a new wave of promising talents, including Singuila.
But what lasting influence did “Ghetto Ambianceur” have on French and African rap?
Like Jean-Pierre Seck and other major figures from the 2000s rap scene, Pit Baccardi naturally turned his gaze toward Africa.
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, he was appointed director of Universal Music Africa in 2020, asserting his influence across the continent’s music industry.
Today, he helms the label Gold Prod, based in Ivory Coast, at the crossroads of emerging African talents.
25 Years of Career: A Tribute to a Musical Revolution
On September 25, Pit Baccardi will celebrate his 25-year career on the legendary stage of l’Olympia.
More than just a celebration of early 2000s rap, this event will be a vibrant tribute to an urban poetry that has largely faded from the global landscape.
For the revolution ignited by Pit Baccardi lives on: today, from the alleys of Paris to those of Yaoundé, urban music dominates the international scene, the flourishing of seeds planted a quarter-century ago.
