KAARIS at Stade de France

Rap

Biography of KAARIS

Born Okou Armand Gnakouri, Kaaris is a French rapper, songwriter, actor, producer and entrepreneur of Ivorian origin.

Born on 30 January 1980 in Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire, the rapper is now regarded as the pioneer of the trap style in France.

Having lost his father two months after his birth, Kaaris arrived in France in 1983, aged three, with his mother and his six brothers and sisters. Initially living in a maid’s room in Paris, they moved about three years later, first to Taverny in the Val-d’Oise, then to Sevran in 1988.

It is worth noting that it all began in the town of Sevran, where the future Kaaris would grow up, fend for himself and try to escape poverty. It was also there that Kaaris would embark on his iconic journey in the French rap scene.

The French rapper Kaaris made his debut in the wake of Booba. His career, which began in 1999, took shape through freestyling and various collaborations. In particular, he featured on Booba’s mixtape *Autopsie, Vol. 4* (2011). The following year, he sparked the feud between Booba and La Fouine through the video for the track ‘Éjaculation faciale’. The outbreak of hostilities between the two protagonists worked in Kaaris’s favour, as his track ‘Zoo’ became one of the best-selling singles of 2013, after which he released his debut album, *Or Noir*.

After signing with Def Jam France, Kaaris released *Le Bruit de Mon Âme* (2015), followed a few months later by the mixtape *Double Fuck*, featuring guest appearances from XV Barbar, PSO Thug and SCH. In 2016, his third album, named after his birth name, *Okou Gnakouri*, was released, followed by *Dozo* (2017). On 1 August 2018, he made headlines following a violent brawl with his former partner and now rival, Booba, at Orly Airport near Paris. Arrested and remanded in custody, he was sentenced at the subsequent trial to an 18-month suspended prison term and a fine of 50,000 euros. This experience inspired his fifth album, *Or Noir 3*, which features collaborations with SCH, Mac Tyer and Sofiane, as well as new tracks such as ‘Livraison’ and ‘Débrouillard’.

After releasing the final instalment of the *Or* series, Kaaris decided to leave Def Jam France and set up his own label, OG Record. Then, in early summer 2020, he released the first single from his sixth studio album, *2.7.0*, entitled “Goulag”. Building on an excellent initial response, the rapper unveiled the tracklist for the album, confirming the involvement of Dadju, Gims, Imen Es and Bosh on the single “Deux deux”.