Rising young rap star Passi Ballende was born in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, in 1972. But shortly after his 9th birthday Passi's family emigrated to France, where they settled in Sarcelles, a run-down suburb north of Paris. Growing up on a tough housing estate in Sarcelles, it was not long before the teenage Passi began getting into rap. Hanging out with local rap posses in Sarcelles, such as the famous Secteur A, 15-year-old Passi spent hours listening to the latest hip hop grooves with his mates. Then in 1989 he and his friend, Stomy Bugsy, went on to form their own hardcore rap group, Ministère A.M.E.R.

After building up a strong following of fans on the local rap scene, Ministère A.M.E.R soon went into the studio to record their first E.P. This aggressive and highly energetic E.P., entitled "Traîtres" (Traitors), was released in 1991 while Passi was sitting his 'baccalauréat'. The following year Ministère A.M.E.R returned to the studio to begin work on their début album, "Pourquoi tant de haine" (Why So Much Hate?). In 1994 the group released an excellent follow-up album, entitled "95200", which went on to cause a major stir on the French music scene. Indeed, several leading music critics showered Ministère A.M.E.R's new album with rave reviews, many of them hailing "95200" as the Best Rap Album of the early 90's.

Yet Passi and Stomy Bugsy's aggressive stance and the pair's violent, hard-hitting lyrics were not to everyone's liking. And certainly not to the liking of the police and the local authorities! In 1995 Ministère A.M.E.R recorded a controversial track for the famous rap compilation released as a musical accompaniment to Mathieu Kassovitz's film "La Haine". Ministère A.M.E.R's contribution to the compilation - "Sacrifice de poulets" (a song urging retaliation for police violence) - immediately fell foul of the authorities and the group soon found themselves facing charges of provocation and incitement to violence.

Later that year Passi returned to the studio with Doc Gyneco (another rising French rap star who had emerged from the famous Secteur A posse) and the pair recorded a duet entitled "Est-ce que ça le fait" which featured on Doc's début album. In 1996 Passi renewed his links with French cinema, recording a song for the soundtrack of Jean-François Richet's film "Ma 6T va crack-er". Passi's contribution, "Les Flammes de l'enfer", got a high-profile billing in the film, playing as the closing credits rolled up the screen.

After this successful cinema collaboration, Passi began to spend an increasing amount of time on his solo projects. Stomy Bugsy was also busy with his own musical projects, so the pair agreed to put Ministère A.M.E.R. on hold and concentrate on their respective solo careers.

So in 1997 Passi went into the studio to begin work on his début solo album entitled "Tentations". Released in November of that year, Passi's first album was co-produced by Akhénaton, the high-profile leader of the Marseilles-based rap group IAM. (Akhénaton would end up producing seven of the fifteen tracks on the album). "Tentations" found Passi experimenting with a slight change of direction, replacing the hardcore aggression of Ministère A.M.E.R with more personal lyrics (c.f. the highly autobiographical track "79 à 97). "Tentations" also experimented with a more laid-back musical groove, many of the tracks on the album featuring a dance-oriented sound. Yet beneath the surface of his 'cool' new style, Passi had lost none of his hard-hitting message. Indeed, the first single release from "Tentations", "Je zappe et je mate", was a highly sarcastic attack on the state of French television. The second single, "Il fait chaud" (It's Hot) was released just before the summer of 98 - perfect timing for a single aiming to be this summer's rap hit!

Meanwhile, Passi's solo career has continued to go from strength to strength. Indeed, sales of the popular young rap star's first album, "Tentations", recently topped the 300,000 mark! In spite of the phenomenal success of his solo career, Passi has not deserted the mates from his old posse Secteur A (which has gone on to become a veritable rap 'company', producing and managing a host of up-and-coming French rappers). Passi recently teamed up with his old rap crew, taking to the stage with Stomy Bugsy, Doc Gyneco, Les Neg'Marrons and Janik, for a mega-performance at the legendary Olympia in Paris (on May 22^nd and 23^rd 1998). The concert proved a huge success, tickets to the Secteur A reunion selling out weeks in advance!

Encouraged by this phenomenal success with Secteur A at the Olympia, Passi went on to work on another collaborative project, which was particularly close to his heart. After completing his own national tour (which scored a huge hit with music fans up and down the country) Passi went on to team up with a group of rappers who, like himself, were all second-generation Africans - Ben-J (from Les Neg'Marrons), Lino and Calbo (from the group Arsenik), twin brothers Doc and G Kill (from 2Bal), and Mystik and his female cousin M'Passi.

The group proceeded to launch an ambitious project which they baptised 'Bisso Na Bisso' (an expression which, in lingala - the most commonly spoken language in Congo - means 'just between ourselves'). The group embarked on a collective return to their African roots, recording an album entitled "Racines". The album, released in February 99, featured an innovative fusion of styles, mixing modern hip hop and zouk sounds with traditional Congolese rumba. "Bisso na Bisso", the first single release from the album, proved to be an instant hit with the French public, shooting up the charts within weeks of its release.

Bisso Na Bisso went on to embark upon a major tour, playing a series of dates in the French Antilles. The collective also performed memorable concerts at Le Zénith in Paris (May '99) and in Cameroon (December 31st 1999). But the most important event in Bisso Na Bisso's career to date was the group's triumph at the "Koras" (the African equivalent of the Brit Awards) where they carried off the award for Best African Group of the Year. A live album was released shortly after the tour. But this was not enough to compensate for the disappointment of French fans who felt cheated by the fact Bisso Na Bisso had not included any French dates on their tour (other than Le Zénith)!

While keen to continue his work with the Bisso Na Bisso collective, Passi turned his attention to his solo career once again, returning to the studio to record his second album, "Genèse" (released in October 2000). The album, which featured a duet with Bob Marley's widow, Rita, proved to be a huge commercial success.

With his cool rap sound and his hard-hitting social message, Passi has managed to establish himself as a major new voice on the French rap scene. After rising to fame in 1997 with the release of his début solo album, the Congolese-born rapper now appears to have plenty more to say - so let's hope French rap fans keep listening!

Following the impressive commercial success of his last album – which at this point had sold well over 200,000 copies! – Passi took a short break from his recording career and concentrated on managing his record label, ISSAP Productions. He went on to sign a number of up-and-coming new talents such as Bidew Bou Bess (a rap trio from Senegal) and R.CFA, a Parisian rapper with Congolese roots. Both acts had guessed on "Genèse".

In April 2001 RZA, one of the rappers from American outfit Wu Tang Clan, set about trying to establish a series of American-European collaborations. He invited a host of European rap stars - including the groups Assassin, Articolo 31, Peter&Feven, Blade and Passi – to guest on the group's new album "The World According To RZA" (released in 2003).

Passi hooked up with Bisso Na Bisso again in the summer of 2001 and the collective embarked upon a 'humanitarian aid' tour of Africa. The tour, which included dates in Brazzaville, Libreville and Pointe-Noire went down a storm with local music fans who turned out to concerts in full force. Using their public notoriety to "help their brothers and sisters" in Africa, individual members of Bisso Na Bisso continued their social commitment after the concert tour as well, giving support to fund-raising projects in Congo and Gabon. Passi was involved in organising the transport of clothes, books and essential medical supplies which had been collected in France by French and African charities.

Passi proved to be no less busy in 2002. Indeed, the popular rap star kicked off the year in style, bringing out the compilation "Dis l'heure 2 rimes" on ISSAP Productions in January. The compilation featured contributions from an impressive list of established guest stars including Chien de Paille and Lino (from the group Arsenik) as well as up-and-coming talents such as Deux Doigts, R.CFA, Bidew Bou Bess and Saya (dueting with Passi himself).

Passi's recording schedule continued at breakneck pace when the Internet site Africafoot.com contacted the rapper and African 'world' star Papa Wemba and asked the duo to write the official anthem for the Cup of African Nations (held in Mali in January 2002). Passi looked after the musical side of things in collaboration with Nico – a long-time friend and sound engineer with Bisso – who helped him mix rap-style drums and African rhythms.

Thus it was that on 19 January 2002 Passi, Papa Wemba, Manu Dibango, Femi Kuti, Cheb Mami, Youssou N'Dour and young Malian diva Rokia Traoré (the only woman in the group) took to the football pitch to sing their Pan-African anthem. Accompanied by a group of musicians from South and Central Africa, Passi and co. went down a storm at the CAN official opening ceremony, warming up the crowd before the Mali-Liberia match. Passi and Papa Wemba's football anthem was a triumph of musical fusion, mixing hip hop beats and Central African guitar-playing with thekora, the voice of an African journalist and a multi-lingual mix of lyrics in French, English, Arabic, Wolof and Bambara.

Passi continued to make an in-depth exploration of African music and urban rhythms over the ensuing years. In 2003, he branched out in a new direction, paying tribute to Antillais zouk. Passi masterminded a compilation entitled "Dis l'Heure 2 Zouk", which brought together leading zouk and hip-hop artists. The album featured contributions from some of the biggest zouk stars in the business such as Kaysha, Lynnsha and Jocelyne Labylle and Jacob Desvarieux from the group Kassav and French hip-hop idols such as Stomy Bugsy and Jacky from Les Neg'Marrons. The singles "Laisse parler les gens" and "Ma rivale" received extensive airplay.

In 2004, Passi rocketed back into the music news with his third album entitled "Odyssée". The album featured an eclectic mix of styles, including tracks such as "Reviens dans ma vie" where Passi sang with Jacob Desvarieux and Lorenzo Raphael (an artist signed to his Issap label). Passi also performed a duet with his rap sidekick Stomy Bugsy, covering "Ancien combattant", a classic by veteran Congolese star Zao. One of the most surprise guests on "Odyssée" was Roy Robbie from the Platters who featured on "Mon rap m'a tuer". Passi also tackled wider social issues on his new album, including hard-hitting tracks such as "Annuler la dette" which called on Western governments to drop the African debt. The 15 tracks on "Odyssée" proved the French rapper had lost none of his verve or fighting

Teaming up as a double act with pop/rock singer Calogero, Passi went on to score a huge hit with "Face à la mer." Indeed, the single proved to be one of the best-selling records of summer and autumn 2004 (shooting to the number 11 spot in the best-selling singles of the year chart). In January 2005, Passi and Calogero went on to win a coveted NRJ Music Award as "Best Francophone group/duo of the Year." Later that year, the pair were also nominated for a "Victoire de la musique" award (in the "Best Song of the Year" category). Passi won a second nomination for his album "Odyssée +" (in the "Best Rap/ Hip-hop/R&B Album of the Year" category).

On 2 July 2005, Passi performed at the "Live 8" concert organised on a mega-stage in front of the Château de Versailles. The following month, he jetted off to Guinea to perform a concert with Les Sales Gosses in Conakry. In the summer of 2005, the rapper turned his attention to his “Dis l’heure” series again, masterminding a new compilation “Dis l’heure 2 afro zouk.” This album, the fourth in the series, featured many of the leading artists from Africa and the French West Indies.

In November 2006, Passi returned with his "Dis l'heure 2 hip-hop rock" compilation featuring an A-list cast of guest stars from the rock and hip-hop world. The line-up included everyone from Mass Hysteria, Belgian rocker Arno and Didier Wampas and his band to Faf Larage, Saïan Supa Crew and former NTM frontman Kool Shen. April 2007 saw the release of Passi’s street-album "Révolution", which featured a wealth of previously unreleased tracks and guest contributions from the likes of Secteur A, Ministère A.M.E.R, Wyclef Jean (from The Fugees) and Youssoupha.

Seven months later, Passi hit record shops with his fourth solo album. "L'Evolution", released on Sony-BMG, found the rapper tackling a range of topical themes from relationship issues ("Roméo et Juliette) to the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs ("Paris on Fire"). Passi also evoked his double identity, forged through his Congolese/French roots ("Je suis de là") and included a thought-provoking track about children's rights ("Chambre de gosse") Musically speaking, Passi negotiated his way through an impressive range of styles, making full use of groove, electric instruments and a string section arranged by Marie-Jeanne Serero. Other punchier tracks tapped into hardcore American rap influences. "L'Evolution" featured a number of duets with guest artists ranging from Michael Rose (the former lead singer of reggae outfit Black Uhuru) to Wyclef Jean and Jacky (from Les Neg' Marrons).

A few weeks after the release of "L'Evolution", Passi, the outspoken rapper from Sarcelles, became one of the judges on the seventh season of reality TV talent show Star Academy. Over the next four months, working alongside Pascal Nègre (the director of Universal Music) and Yvan Cassar (a well-known musician and arranger), Passi delivered his comments on the show's young 'pupils' as they performed live on prime-time TV. Later that year, Passi also made a foray into cinema, starring in Miguel Courtois's feature film "Skate or Die", in which he played the role of a crooked cop opposite actors Jean-Hugues Anglade and Rachida Brakni.

December 2007