k maro
Cyril Kamar - better known to music fans as K-Maro - was born in Baalbek, Lebanon, on 31 January 1980. He spent his childhood in a country devastated by war until his family decided enough was enough and sought exile in Paris. In 1995, they moved from France and took up residency in Montreal, and it was here in Quebec that young K-Maro's career began. The budding young musician formed his own group, LMDS (Les Messagers du Son), performing under the stage name Lyric with his sidekick Mélo, a Moroccan teenager who had also spent time living in France.
The duo, great fans of Marseilles rap stars Iam and strongly influenced by French rap and American hip hop, proved to be an instant hit on the local scene. And they wasted no time in building on their reputation, performing hundreds of concerts across the region. LMDS recorded two albums together and made an impact with their first single release: a cover of Michel Fugain's "C'est une belle histoire" recorded with Jodie Resther. Follow-up hits included "Joins toi à la danse", "Tu me dirais", "Le bien de demain" and "La squadra." Meanwhile, Les Messagers du Son were also winning important critical recognition. Indeed, the duo were hailed as the hottest "new live discovery act" at Les Francofolies de Montréal. In 1998, they scooped the award for "Best Hip-hop Single of the Year." LMDS went one better in 2000, walking off with the award for "Best Hip-hop Album of the Year." Impressing fans and critics with their musical maturity and their on-stage ease, the duo attached great importance to their song lyrics, penning these before they even got around to writing the melodies.
La Good Life
Riding on such a wave of success, it would have been easy for K-Maro to continue in the same vein. But a silent rage had been ticking away in him since his childhood years in war-torn Lebanon - and it was not long before the young rapper let it explode full force! Always the more extrovert of the duo, K-Maro began to tire of performing as part of a double act. In fact, he longed to take his own career in hand like the new breed of "golden boys" he saw emerging on the American hip-hop scene. His iron will to succeed was brandished on his forearm for all the world to see in a tattoo that read "Guilty For Being The Best."
Mature for his age and determined to prove he was the best, K-Maro felt it was time to take his destiny in hand and start controlling his image from A to Z. With increasing differences of opinion pulling apart his duo with Mélo, K-Maro called a halt to the double act after they played as support act to Ja Rule in front of a 20,000-strong audience at the Centre Bell in Montreal in August 2002. K-Maro immediately went on to launch his own solo career – and at the same time, his own line of upmarket sportswear, named after his hometown, "Balbec."
The first album the young rapper actually recorded under his new name, K-Maro, was "I Am à l'ancienne." The album, released in Quebec in 2002, was boosted by the success of the singles "Une symphonie pour un dingue" and "Le clan Chill" (featuring Corneille). This debut album served up a clever mix of hip-hop and groove, spliced with driving guitar. Add to this the fact that K-Maro is a good-looking sharp dresser with a rebellious streak - and it was little wonder that he fast became a teen icon with a strong female following!
French music fans were to discover K-Maro two years later when his single "Femme Like U" rocketed up the charts, selling a cool 700,000 copies. The single, included on his 13-track album "La Good Life", released on 6 July 2004, would win K'Maro a coveted NRJ Music Award at the start of the following year for "Best French Song of the Year." After spawning two follow-up hits, "Crazy" and "Sous l'œil de l'ange", the album went on to sell over 300,000 copies.
2005: "Million Dollar Boy"
Very much head of the clan at home, K-Maro has always been very protective of his family, preferring to take the media flak himself on condition that his nearest and dearest are left in peace. At the same time, the young rapper has managed to play up his "bad boy" image to the hilt. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, K-Maro has earned a reputation as a shrewd businessman, constantly diversifying his activities and building up his empire. K-Maro's recent projects have included opening a restaurant in Miami and setting up his own label, K-Pone Inc.
Keeping his nose to the musical grindstone, K-Maro soon focused his attention on preparing material for a second album, tackling the tricky question of a follow-up after his debut success. Six months of intensive work with his back-up team were required before "Million Dollar Boy" finally saw the light of day in October 2005. This featured the same urban ambience and hard-hitting lyrics as "La Good Life", with a touch of rock and Latino sounds thrown in for good measure. Outstanding tracks included "Histoires de Luv", "Dirty", "Strip Club", "Nouveau Millénaire", "Gangsta Party" and "Les Frères Existent Encore", a song on which the rapper expounded on his key values in life: love, friendship and honour.
"Million Dollar Boy" more than lived up to its name, selling over 200,000 copies within a few weeks of its release. This follow-up earned K-Maro gold discs in no less than 17 different countries, all the way from Europe to Canada and Japan. K'Maro's international popularity called for a major tour. And the rapper embarked on an extensive world schedule in 2006, pulling off a major coup with a concert in Russia in March (a country where only a handful of French-speaking artists have performed). The tour also included appearances in Baku (Azerbaijan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Needless to say, K-Maro brought the house down when he performed at the Olympia, in Paris, on 4 April 2006.
May 2006Náhľad fotografií zo zložky foto