Second album by IAM, it has an excellent production and a good lyricism, one of the first political rap documents in French hip hop. It's a great LP with a fair replay value despite its twenty-three tracks and one hour of listening.
The rhythms are simple and minimal, sometimes tight, fresh and cheerful thanks to fantastic jazzy and funky samples, while the rapping delivery of the MCs is syncopated and excellent smoothness. There are many interesting cuts, starting from "Planète Mars", cheerful delivery on a fresh and cheerful rhythm, more Euro-dance pop than hip-hop, equally dope. "Tam-tam de l'Afrique" has a simple, cool and jazzy, dark beat with the same dark sample of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" on which Coolio will build a career by dropping "Gangsta's Paradise" a few years later.
The first part of this effort is full of excellent tracks, they even manage to make a vicious female sample looped in the background in "Non soumis à l'état" work properly, and in the second part they bring out other high points like "Unité", which presents a back and forth dope delivery, "Khéops E à l'horizon", a simple and minimal jazzy rhythm with a curious sample from Syl Johnson's "Different Strokes" and some introductory scratches, crazy instrumental, fresh, shiny, crisp, wonderful.
The ultra-fast delivery performed on a frenetic rhythm in "La tension monte" deserves a mention, while another level piece is "Wake Up", a splendid sample looped tight in the background on the hook, then a change of rhythm, simple and minimal jazzy-dance, excellent beat, slow and flowing delivery, with a skinny and syncopated, vibrant drum machine. The excessive amount of basically useless skits (10) eliminates much of the smoothness that this good album could have, otherwise it would be at the level of the Supreme NTM's debut "Authentik".
Rating: 7.5/10.
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