The geographical location is what primarily sets apart these two styles, with major cities such as Paris comprising the Northern Hip-Hop group while other cities such as Marseilles are what make up the Southern style of French Hip-Hop. However, we can easily tell one from group from the other without necessarily having to look into their geographical background. Just by listening to the lyrics of their music, we can identify if the music comes from the north or the south.

Songs which put emphasis on social awareness, such as discrimination in our everyday lives and which literally brings down the people to the harsh reality that life has to offer is typical of the Southern Hip-Hop style. On the other hand, songs which go straight to the point and are more focused to tackle specific issues, such as drug trading and trafficking, encounters with law enforcement, or even teen gang wars, are what interest the Northern Hip-Hop genre. This type focuses on more on general problems which plague the country, as compared to the Southern genre, which chooses to look into the basic individual and personal problems.

The geographical location is what primarily sets apart these two styles, with major cities such as Paris comprising the Northern Hip-Hop group while other cities such as Marseilles are what make up the Southern style of French Hip-Hop. However, we can easily tell one from group from the other without necessarily having to look into their geographical background. Just by listening to the lyrics of their music, we can identify if the music comes from the north or the south.

Songs which put emphasis on social awareness, such as discrimination in our everyday lives and which literally brings down the people to the harsh reality that life has to offer is typical of the Southern Hip-Hop style. On the other hand, songs which go straight to the point and are more focused to tackle specific issues, such as drug trading and trafficking, encounters with law enforcement, or even teen gang wars, are what interest the Northern Hip-Hop genre. This type focuses on more on general problems which plague the country, as compared to the Southern genre, which chooses to look into the basic individual and personal problems.

The names will not be recognized by many Americans of course, but that does not mean they have not had huge hits in France and many of its surrounding countries.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed here. They have even broke into some of the more Germanic countries of the surrounding area. Zondani Nekri and Sadahzinia are two names that you may have never heard of. You may not even know that the latter one is from Greece, but these two artists have been selling records like hotcakes throughout the European union.

There are too many Marseilles hip hop artists to cover in a single article. New ones come on to the scene every day. Artists that have been around for a while may fade from the scene if they do not record a hit.

France is actually the second largest market for hip-hop in the world after the United States. Although the scene mirrors the American scene quite a bit, it is arguably more message-based than the US scene. The French scene also has many of the same categories.

Sexion D’Assaut is a regular chart-topping group and they’ve just released a new album called “En attendant L’Apogee, Les Chroniques du 75 Volume 2″.

Youssoupha was born in the Congo and has a literature degree. He is widely known for his criticisms against rap lyrics that glorify gangster lifestyles and crime, as well as his own thoughtful lyrics.

La Fouine’s melodic hip-hop style with R&B influences has made him one of the most popular French rappers recently.

K-LY is known for his innovative mix of hip-hop and electronica, as well as other genres. He cites his influences as Common, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco.

Diam’s is considered the top female rapper in the French scene and her lyrics lean towards a more socially conscious theme.

Jazz Hip-Hop is a pretty popular genre in the French scene and some of the better acts include Hocus Pocus, Nixon, Jazz Liberatorz, Moar and Sparko.