Foreign rap is the plaything of bored, stoned American youth — they pirate a couple songs, have a good laugh over the accents, then restlessly shove them to the bottom of the playlist with all other short-lived personal jokes. But countries like England and France have been progressively gaining a more respected foothold in hip-hop culture, thanks to well-known acts like British rapper Mike Skinner (the Streets) and Francophone talent MC Solaar. Unlike Skinner, though, Solaar can actually rap — and you don’t need to understand French to appreciate it.
As a veteran of the “Sex in the City” soundtrack and Guru’s Jazzmatazz project, MC Solaar already has his mic in the door. Mach 6, his sixth album, embraces its international audience and keeps things lighter and catchier, throbbing with a discotheque pulse and metrosexual jazz that romances the modern shores of the Seine.
The language barrier is frustrating at times, but perhaps we’re better off not knowing what his rapid flow of loveliness actually means. Between sugar-sweet hooks from European cuties and a “Bling Bling” chorus harmonized by French schoolchildren, Mach 6’s noise captures all the calming trance of a Euro-club light show — it may even be enough to hypnotize jaded college students into sticking around for all 16 tracks.
