Booba

Background

Élie Yaffa, professionally known as Booba, was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, to a Senegalese father and a French mother, who were of Mosellan and Belgian descent, respectively. In the early 1990s, Yaffa had a brief spell as a break dancer, but Yaffa’s career in rap music began in 1994 when he and his friend Ali formed the hip-hop duo Lunatic. Due to their controversial lyrics, they were unable to secure a record deal from a major label, so they created their own independent company. In 2000, they released their first and only album, “Mauvais œil.” Lunatic separated in 2003.

Both members went on to produce solo L.P.s after dissolving the band. In 2002, Yaffa released his debut solo album “Temps mort,” which peaked at number two on the ‘French Albums Chart’ and received a ‘Gold Record.’ Then, in 2004, Yaffa created the label Tallac Records. His third album “Ouest Side,” released on Tallac Records, quickly reached number one on the French charts, and went on to receive a ‘Platinum Record.’ In 2010, Yaffa released his fifth album, “Lunatic,” which he named after his former hip-hop duo, and achieved ‘Double Platinum’ status, having once again climbed to the top of the local as well as Belgian (Wallonia) charts.

In 2011, Yaffa won the ‘My YouTube’ contest, a competition organized by the music platform which involved 38 French and international artists. He is known to have been an influence on artists such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Sexion d’Assaut, Stromae, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Shakira. In 2015, Yaffa’s seventh album, “Nero Nemesis,” was released by AZ and Tallac Records; it reached number one on the French albums chart, as well as in Belgium, and received a ‘Double Platinum’ record. Yaffa brought out his latest album “Ultra,” in 2021, which has so far received one ‘Platinum Record.’