Faada Freddy and Ndongo D began playing together while still at high school and went on to form the group Lion Klan in the 80s. Their musical tastes at the time were greatly influenced by the records Faada Freddy's uncle, Boubacar, passed onto them, namely the work of Africa Bambaata, Grand Master Flash and all the main acts on the breaking American rap scene. Meanwhile, Faada Freddy and Ndongo D mastered the techniques of 'smurf' and breakdance and followed the shows of black DJ Sydney on French TV. 

In 1993 the pair went on to meet Daara J’s ‘third man’, Lord Alaji Man at a 'free-style' party in Dakar organised at “Métropolis” (now the “Café de Rome”). The three hit it off immediately, pooling their musical talents and exchanging ideas and they soon began playing local gigs in Médina, Colobane and Centenaire (the three Dakar neighbourhoods they come from). Needless to say, the trio made an instant impact with their hard-hitting lyrics tackling sensitive issues subjects such as religion.

Daara J went on to bring out their first cassette album in 1994. The album, entitled simply Daara J, went on to sell over 15,000 copies and this success encouraged the trio to pursue their musical career and concentrate on hip hop. The early 90s proved to be a veritable golden age for rap in Dakar – indeed, following the phenomenal success story of Positive Black Soul it is estimated that some 3,000 rap groups sprung up on the local scene.

Daara J came to France for the first time in 1996 to promote their cassette album. And the talented threesome went on to play a concert in Paris where they impressed a producer from the Déclic record label. He signed the trio on the spot and the Senegalese threesome soon found themselves in the studio, re-recording the songs from their first Dakar cassette album with Mad Professor and Bubbler. Daara J’s first CD album, Daara J, was released in 1997 on Déclic and distributed by Sony Music.

The trio went on to release a second album, entitled Xalima ("quill and ink"), in 1998. This ambitious project, designed as a sort of ‘past, present and future’ trilogy, was mixed and recorded in Senegal with the help of an English and a French sound engineer. Bringing their album out in a year when the world was commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, Daara J delved into this particularly painful period of African history. On their hard-hitting song Gorée they even invited a suprise special guest star, Joseph N'Diaye, curator of the Maison des esclaves (House of Slaves) on Goree Island (which lies in Dakar Harbour). N’Diaye’s contribution was to evoke the hardships suffered by the slaves on their terrible voyage to the Americas.

Xalima also featured guest contributions from Youssou N'Dour’s bass-player, Habib Faye (on Identité) and his percussionist Mbaye Dieye Faye (on Xalima and Gorée). Introducing traditional instruments such as the kora and the balafon, Daara J created their own distinctive African hip hop sound. French group Les Neg Marrons also came along to guest on Le Défi and Jamaican ragga star Patra put in a guest appearance on Come and Get it.

Daara J hit the road in 2000, embarking upon a major European tour which took them across France, Belgium, Spain and Germany where, at the end of May, they appeared at the 12^th edition of the “Africa Festival” in Wurzburg alongside the likes of Youssou N'Dour.

At the end of 2000 the trio released a special "mix-tape", entitled Exodus, which was destined for their African fans. The “mix-tape” featured eight tracks infused with a vibrant mix of rap, raga and soul. It included two tracks which would feature on Daara J’s 2003 album (namely Sign Up and Magg Dan).

Boomrang, Daara J’s next album was recorded in various Parisian studios and released on the group’s new label BMG in February 2003. The album, which features big American rap-style production, includes an impressive list of guest stars such as young Malian diva Rokia Traoré (Le Cycle), Disiz La Peste (Paris Dakara), Dee Dee Bridgewater's daughter China (Hip Hop Civilization) and last, but definitely not least, Sergent Garcia on Esperanza. On Exodus, the first single release from the album, Faada Freddy's superb vocals hammer home N'Dongo and Lord Alaji Man's hard-hitting lyrics which point the finger at problems caused by traditional society, but also denounce modern evils such as globalisation.

Parallel to the release of this new album, Daara J kicked off a major French tour in mid-February. This tour included countless dates up and down the country and also found the Dakar trio supporting Les Rita Mitsouko at Le Grand Rex in Paris (on 27 February).

With one foot in the past and the other firmly in the future, Daara J continue to forge their own distinctive style of African rap, fusing black music with the phrasing of street kids in the African capitals.

February 2003