IAM - L' Ecole du Micro D'Argent

French Rap with an Accent from Marseille! the Biggest French Rap Band. This CD was on the French Chart for Almost Seven Months. Top Street Credibility. Album Details

Amazing

I don't know any French, but this album is amazing. It is on the WU-TANG level and there is even some WU in it. I can listen to this cd all day. The beats are unreal, and they have good flow. June 12, 2007

One of my favorite hip hop albums. Ever.

I've been listening to this CD regularly since I bought it in France over 10 years ago. I can say that about maybe a handful of other CDs. La classe on dirait... November 30, 2006

5 iron mics

IAM, one of the most legendary french rap group, alongside NTM and Fonky Family, single-handedly converted millions to hip hop with this album. A classic, ninja-themed album, with a strong Wu Tang afiliation, with so many gems. It's amazing but true, all sixteen tracks are instant classics. Besides Illmatic, it's about the only album I can honestly listen from start to finish and enjoy each track.
This album covers so much, touch on so many issues, in terms of how the media displays/promotes inner city youth's violence, about the limited artistic liberty of expression, the african roots of hip hop, and many other themes with depth but without sounding like a dry school book.
In fact, some of most memorable tracks are the funky ones, the ones where they just go with the flow and have fun with it.
This album sounds organic, with so many talented MCs variously spread accross tracks, it's as if they feed upon each other's vibe, and just succeed to maintain a balance between bravardo and social awareness.
The U.S had the Wu Tang, France had IAM, and it'll take something of a miracle before a group of emcees can take the throne from the lyrical shaolins of the golden era schooled in the art of the iron mic.

"Une musique pas faite pour cent personnes mais pour des millions." September 24, 2006

Surely one of the top 10 hip-hop albums ever

In this country all our popular music is either American, British or Australian - I only managed to come across this through recommendation by a Frenchman (in Paris) makes you wonder what you might be missing out on!?
Anyhow, even though I only speak a little French I am still able to enjoy this album immensely, the beats, sampling, singing etc are incredible, very atmospheric - just about the best I've heard. The phrases I am able to understand seem quite philosophical.
Absolute A-grade music. July 12, 2005

Classic

Hiphop at it's best. Even if you don't understand the lyrics.
lyrically, this is top notch.. even above most american rhymers.
it's deep and poetic but still raw.
musically, it's even better. The beats sound like a better and more catchy version of the traditional wu-sound. They even have wu-people featuring on a track (horribly outshined by the residents). Beatiful samples that complement the atmosphere of the track laced with fat ass drums and heavy bass. You can consider this the french illmatic, only this has 6 more tracks.
There are no annoying interludes, intro's or anything. They get started right away with the bombastic title track and don't slow down untill 16 songs later.

There is nothing to skip, it doesn't bore.. every track has a catchy beat, turntablism, impeccable flows and chorusses and is exactly the right length. That's something rap artists rarely manage to do (i could name maybe 15 american albums that achieve the same, at most), and pretty much no one that can do 16 tracks like that.

no matter what you think you know about the french, french rap or rap in general, you need this record. This is the art in it's purest and realest form. I've seen people that hate rap and listen classical dig this record, i've seen people raised on american rap havin their minds blown by this.. March 10, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...