Hailing from the four corners of the Paris region (Sarcelles, Bondy, Chelles, Noisy-le-Sec, Cachan, Montrouge), this group of six, Sir Samuel, Specta, Féniksi, Leeroy Késiah, Sly The Mic Buddah et Vicelow, all from diverse backgrounds (Guadeloupian, Nigerian and Moroccan) got together with the same perspective "Never will you do what has been done." this is because before getting together, these six were divided into three groups: Sly and Samuel made up Simple Spirit, Specta and Leeroy, l'Explicit Samouraï and Féniksi, Vicelow and KLR, the group OFX.

They all recorded at the same studio, Nomad Studio, under the leadership of DJ Fun. Their numerous encounters at this place led them to perform on the same stage in Bondy at the end of 1997, then on the Parisian stage at New Morning in January 1998, before appearing together on the same maxi LP called "Saïan Supa Land" six months later with two out of the five songs in common. This was the first episode of their collaboration. From then on, the three groups, feeling the same vibes, merged and gave birth to "Saïan Supa Crew" (from the super warriors in the manga Dragon Ball Z) with their motto "peace, love and havin' fun" by Afrika Bambataa, founder of the Zulu nation and supreme reference for rappers. Unfortunately, this good debut was marked by the death of KLR for whom the six partners decided to invest even more and go door to door to the record companies. They signed with the Source label, a label which gave innovations more than their due when the other record companies preferred not to take the risk.

In October 1999 they released their first record, called "KLR" as a tribute to their departed friend. Their originality could be expressed freely. On this album we find various influences: ragga ("Ragôts" and "Raz de marée"), reggae ("Que dit-on?"), zouk, soul and sampling (themes borrowed from Burt Bacharach or Vladimir Cosma-who did "Le Grand Bland avec une chaussure noire" for the film by Yves Robert). This album would sell more than 300,000 copies. What catches your attention the first time you listen to it are the beat-box phases(vocal reproductions of a rhythm, sound or scratches in the place of a rhythm box and a DJ) interpreted by Leeroy, Samuel and Sly who adapted this style to French tastes although it was previously set aside by the French but still common in the United States with Razel des The Roots, one of the reference groups of rap.

Without forgetting, however, the other important groups in their eyes like A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, with a very polished sound. Moreover, the omnipresent derision on this album, even the very theatrical interludes of "Malade imaginaire", the beat-box demonstration of "Pitchy & Scratchy Show" as well as the beat-box cover of Anita Ward's "Ring my Bell", will set them apart from the so-called hip hop "purists", because S.S.C. doesn't try to look behind the polyphonic pirouettes to find the deep meaning of the lyrics.

Contrary to other rappers who only "sing/shout" about hate (anti-social, anti-police), the business and easy girls, the S.S.C. prefers to operate differently following the "technique de la double claque": funny yet profound. This allows them to talk about subjects as delicate as racism ("La preuve par trois"), the traffic and devastation of hard drugs ("Que dit-on?") among others, without falling into the habitual clichés.

The radio hype of the song "Angela", a single that first wasn't chosen to be released by the big radio stations, just like the album, is not everyone's cup of tea. Also Prod By, one of the two producers with DJ Fun, was afraid to get stuck with the permanent label of a "comical" group. This artistic misunderstanding didn't prevent the maxi from selling more than 600,000 copies (in August 2000) to become of the hit of the summer and to make Saïan known to the public. But far from the logic of record business economics where you have to release single after single, the S.S.C. preferred to follow up on stage, a sort of laboratory where they experimented with new vocal feats. In this way the group exploited the space to its fullest like a cafe-theatre group where everything is choreographed to perfection, which is far from being easy for six people. In their show, they mixed short sketches, covers of rap hits or pop songs, a beat-box and breakdance demo in order to obtain an attractive show for the public and themselves. They proved this on the stage of the Transmusicales of Rennes in December 1999, and many other times with more than 150 stages in a year and a half where they literally set the audience on fire. We are far from the rap concerts with a hot and heavy atmosphere which sometimes ends in a brawl.

The months that followed were marked by their numerous individual or collective participation on compilations: against AIDS ("Les Lascars Contre le Sida" September 2000) , cover of "Marche à l'Ombre" by Renaud (compilation "Hexagone 2001 ...Rien n'a Changé", March 2001), and the movie soundtrack for "La Squale" (November 2000). Then our six rascals returned to the studio where each of them wrote his texts after having found a common subject. From all of their efforts "X Raisons" would be born in October 2001 produced by L'Block who brought the S.S.C. and a few friends together. Here we find the same inspirations as on "KLR" by adding a better orchestration thanks to the contribution of "real" musicians. The inexhaustible mix of ragga, soul ("Il était une fois"), salsa ("A demie nue"),, of interludes which are still as burlesque with a home-made interpretation of Voodoo Chile" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, a Creole lesson as well as sped up a version of "Tourner la page" by Claude Nougaro, showing once again the preponderance of derision and the artistic eloquence of the clique.

Despite everything, their lyrics behind the humour, are still deep, even more biting than on "KLR". Thus, they criticise the police and their relationship with the "little savages" in the form of little stories punctuated with morals ("Polices'"). They don't hesitate either to talk about the negative effect bad religious teachings can have especially when it is used to justify violence ("Au Nom de Quoi"). All the taboos are thrown out the window because our troublemakers also evoke suicide ("La Dernière Séance") and AIDS ("14-02-2002"). We also note the nostalgia of certain songs ("19-20ans") and naturally a tribute to their friend KLR. This album would earn them the Victoire de la Musique for the best rap/groove album 2002. The group sold some 80,000 copies in France and more than 100,000 on exports. Their reputation goes beyond borders, Europe is now showing a closer interest in these rappers who have already performed in New York during the final of the DJ competition in 1999. Many tours have been organised throughout Europe where the six super-warriors received a warm welcome. Moreover, they took part on the album by RZA of the Wu Tang Clan ("The World According to RZA" to be released in 2002), and in the company of French and European rappers in collaboration with Alpha Blondy on his last album ("Merci") for the song "Wari".

At the end of 2003, Saïan Supa Crew appeared on the fund-raising compilation "Opinion sur rue" (the proceeds of which were donated to organisations campaigning for children’s rights).

The following year found the members of Saïan Supa Crew temporarily going their own separate ways. The crew had originally been formed as a fusion of three different groups and, when they called a temporary halt to their collective work, Saïan Supa Crew rediversified as Explicit Samouraï, OFX and Simple Spirit.
Explicit Samouraï, featuring Leeroy, Specta (who definitively cut his ties from S.S.C. at that point) and Eddy Kent (temporarily working outside the Crew), are due to release their debut album, "La Danse du sabre," later this year.
As for Vicelow and Freniksi’s group, OFX, they brought out their album, "Roots," at the beginning of February 2004.

After completing their solo albums and various other collaborations, Saïan Supa Crew regrouped and began work on their third collective album, "Hold Up", released in the autumn of 2005. The album, which revolved around the Crew's favourite themes – parties, girls, clichés about the French suburbs and musical nods to Africa and the French West Indies – was infused with the group's usual positive verve and energy. However, even more so than on their two previous albums, Saïan Supa Crew introduced a number of hardhitting songs with a message. These included "Zonarisk", "Jacko", "Mama" and "Rouge sang" (which took a long, hard look at the way in which former colonial powers had exploited Africa).

Musically speaking, "Hold Up" revolved around the Crew's trademark mix of wild intros, beatbox interludes and a natty fusion of soul, jazz and reggae. For the first time in their career, Saïan Supa Crew invited a number of guest artists on to their album. These included Will.I.am from the American band Black Eye Peas, the Californian artist Oh No (who produced his own track on the album), Camille and the French singer Patrice (who recorded a cover of Third World's "96 Degrees in the Shade"). "Hold Up" was hailed as an album reflecting the group's new musical maturity and is due to be followed by a series of tour dates in 2006.

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Having left their more than original mark on the French rap microcosm, the S.S.C. is unmistakable among other bands. Finally, as with rap itself, their philosophy is not to go round in circles. Thus, we have to hope that their next albums stand out and don't leave any hip hop fans indifferent.

December 2005