''Cinquième As'' is the fifth studio album by

MC Solaar Claude Honoré M'Barali (; born 5 March 1969), professionally known as MC Solaar (), is a French rapping, rapper of Senegalese people, Senegalese and Chadian people, Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop musi ...

, and was released in 2001. It is slightly different from his previous works because of a stronger emphasis on a string background. The album gained exposure in the United States after " La Belle et le Bad Boy" was heard on an episode of ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...

''. Musically, the album features more R&B themes featuring a layering of a female voice on a few tracks, and it is especially notable and true to the MC Solaar character which is strong emotion expressed in the delivery and lyrics. The album pays tribute to

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, where he spent his childhood. He uses the album to condemn the role of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

in developing nations. This is most apparent on the track "Les Colonies," where the lyrics state, ''"Dans cette ère de négoce où ne vivent que les big boss/ Rentabilité - instabilité - imbécillité/ N'ont fait qu'augmenter les taux de mortalité,"'' meaning, "In this era of trade where only the big bosses live/ Profitability - instability - imbecility/ Have done nothing but increase rates of mortality," referring to policies of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

and

. MC Solaar also discusses the condition of African immigrants in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He himself emigrated with his family to the suburbs of Paris as a

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated wi ...

, and he talks about this experience in the song "Leve-toi et rap".

's message is seen throughout the lyrics and the visual design of the album. The album cover is a picture of a group of men, including the artist himself, all shirtless, as if trying to convey an image of slaves about to embark on a

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting Slavery, slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea ( ...

. However, upon taking a closer look, it appears that the men are African

wrestlers Wrestling is a Martial arts, martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling ...

. The theme of wrestling and fighters pays homage to the African presence in

.Helenon, Veronique. “Africa on Their Mind: Rap, Blackness, and Citizenship in France.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 151-66. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Pres

Track listing

# Introdiction – 1:53 # " Solaar Pleure" – 4:57 # "Lève-Toi et Rap" – 3:29 # "Les Colonies" – 4:01 # " Hasta la vista mi amor!" (intro) – 0:15 # "Hasta la vista mi amor!" – 3:23 -Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # " La Belle et le Bad Boy" – 3:12 -Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # "La La La, La" – 3:51 -Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # "Arkansas" – 1:39 # "Baby Love" – 4:07 # "Dégâts collatéraux" – 4:00 -Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # "RMI" – 4:19 # "C'est ça que les gens veulent" (feat. 9respect) – 4:05 # "L'aigle ne chasse pas les mouches" – 3:12 -co-Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # "Hiphopaloorap" (feat. Don Xeré Delavega) – 1:45 # "Le Cinquième As" – 3:48 -Produced by Kurser/ Fabrice # "Playmate" – 3:02 # "L'homme qui voulait 3 milliards" (feat. Bambi Cruz) – 3:03 # "Si je meurs ce soir" (feat. Black Jack) – 3:59 # "Samedi Soir" (hidden track) – 2:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinquieme As 2001 albums MC Solaar albums 2000s French-language albums