Idéal J

Idéal J, originally Idéal Junior, was a French rap group with members from Val-de-Marne. Active from the 1990s until their dissolution in 2001, they released two albums: O'riginal MC's sur une mission in 1996 and Le combat continue in 1998. Their well-known single is "Hardcore". The group was also part of the French music collective Mafia K-1 Fry.

Members

Idéal Junior was formed at the initiative of Alix Mathurin, known by his stage name Daddy Kery. The group's name paid homage to an older crew called Idéal. The original members of Idéal Junior, aged 13 to 14 at the time, were:

• Daddy Kery (real name Alix Mathurin, now known as the artist Kery James)
• Alter MC (now known as the rapper Jessy Money)
• Bakar (now known as the rapper Rocco)
• Teddy Corona (breaker and rapper)
• Selim du 9.4 (real name Sélim Bélabès, a rapper of Tunisian origin)

In 1992, DJ Mehdi joined. In 1993, Alter MC and Selim du 9.4 left the group. By the time of their debut studio album, the group consisted of Kery James, Teddy Corona, Rocco, and Mehdi as DJ.

Career

In the early 1990s, the group began to gain recognition after participating in several music festivals. The maxi single "La vie est brutale" was released in 1992. That same year, DJ Mehdi joined and became a significant contributor to the group's music. A disagreement between Idéal Junior members and their producer delayed the release of a full album. The group continued to tour, perform, and record songs for Alariana, a label created by friends.

After being released from contractual obligations with their previous producer, they notably appeared on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Raï in "Mauvais Garçon" and in "Ce soir". The same year, they contributed to a mixtape entitled Orly City Bronx performing its title release.

In 1996, they released their album entitled O'riginal MC's sur une mission. The group, renamed Ideal J, consisted of Kery James, Teddy Corona, and Rocco at this time. They gained recognition as a French rap group with tracks such as "Le ghetto français", "Show bizness", "Je dois faire du cash", and versions of "Ghettolude". Ideal J became a frequent act in maxi releases, achieving fame with the single "J'désole mes parents" on the compilation Nouvelle donne.

A second album, Le combat continue, followed in 1998. It featured collaborations from artists mainly through the collective Mafia K-1 Fry including Rohff, Demon One, AP, Karlito, Dry, and OGB, as well as Hasheem, Zahariya, Leila, and Different Teep. Kery James focused on writing new material, with lyrics reflecting experiences such as altercations with the police, street rivalries, and fear of death.

The group faced controversy for their lyrics. Their single "Hardcore" was banned from mainstream radio, and the music video was withdrawn and edited before being re-released. "Hardcore" became a reference track in French rap with lyrics about the French police, black policemen ("Les flics noirs ne sont que des traîtres et j'en bave de rage"), homosexuals ("Deux pédés qui s'embrassent en plein Paris, Hardcore") -- considered homophobic in the context of the song -- and news items like deforestation, the war in Yugoslavia, the right-wing Front National, the Ku Klux Klan, the French Revolution, colonisation, and World War II. Another controversial release was "Pour une poignée de dollars".

The group was impacted by the departure of members and the death of Montana, a close friend of Kery James, in 1999. Kery James stopped performing after a final concert in Élysée Montmartre in 1999, and the official split of the group was announced in 2001.

After split-up

• After the split, most members pursued musical careers. Kery James became more involved in the Muslim community after the death of Montana. His release of a solo album, Si c'était à refaire..., in 2001 marked the end of Idéal J. The album was certified gold. In 2005, he released another album, Ma vérité, which included a portion of "Hardcore". He released À l'ombre du show business, certified platinum in 2008, and Réel in 2009, which was certified double platinum.
• Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, known as DJ Mehdi, released his debut solo album with electro and house influences immediately following the break-up of the group. His debut solo album was called (The Story of) Espion, followed in 2005 by a joint album with Kourtrajmé called Des friandises pour ta bouche. In 2006, he had his solo album Lucky Boy,, followed by Lucky Boy at Night in 2007, and Red Black & Blue in 2009. He died on 13 September 2011.
• Teddy Corona remained a member of Mafia K-1 Fry and started the musical project Street Lourd Hall Stars with Small Records. A compilation of works was released in November 2004, with tracks by DJ Mosko, Mista Flo, and Rocco. A second compilation album, Street Lourd Hall Stars II, was released in July 2010.
• Bakar, now called Rocco, is still a member of Mafia K-1 Fry and part of the group of musicians from Orly, Vitry-sur-Seine, and Choisy-le-Roi. Although he has stopped rapping, he is involved in the artistic productions of the group's members.
• Selim du 9.4, real name Sélim Bélabès, has remained associated with Mafia K-1 Fry and appeared in two compilations of the collective. His brother Rak is also a rapper associated with the collective.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak positions
		FR
1996	O'riginal MC's sur une mission	–
1998	Le combat continue	21

Singles

Year	Single	Credited to	Peak positions	Album
			FR
1992	"La vie est brutale"	Maxi-single credited to Idéal Junior	–
1998	"Hardcore"	Single credited to Idéal J	67	Le combat continue

External links

• Discogs