Abderraouf Derradji ( ar, عبد الرؤوف درّاجي; born 10 December 1989), known professionally as Soolking, is an Algerian singer and rapper. He started his career under the pseudonym MC Sool until 2013 before adopting his new stage name. He incorporates reggae, soul, hip hop and Algerian
raï
Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed to ''sheikh'' (Ara ...
in his music.
Life and career
Derradji was born in Algeria in a northern suburb of the capital
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
, also known as Staouali. His father was a percussionist and he started very young in a rock band incorporating music and dance. He arrived in France in 2008, but returned to Algeria to be included in the Algerian rap formation Africa Jungle. The band released two albums.
He started his solo career in 2016 and is signed to the label Affranchis Music launched by
Sofiane. He had an initial success with "Milano" and "Guérilla" before a phenomenal success with "Dalida", an homage to the singer
Dalida
Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...
, sampling her hit "
Paroles, paroles
"Paroles, paroles" (; "Words, words") is a song by French singer Dalida featuring French actor Alain Delon. It was released on 17 January 1973 as the lead single from her upcoming album '' Julien'' (1973). Lyrics describe the conversation of a m ...
". On 2 November 2018, Soolking released his debut solo album ''Fruit du démon'' that was certified Gold in France. The singles "Guérilla" and "Dalida" were certified Platinum.
2019 accident
On August 22, 2019, Soolking held a large concert at
Stade 20 Août 1955, accompanied by
L'Algérino,
Fianso, Alonzo and
Dhurata Dora. During entering the stadium five people died due to the stampede. Soolking said after the concert that if he knew what happened he would have cancelled the concert, and one of the reasons for the accident was that tickets were sold more than the stadium capacity.
Discography
Albums
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charting songs
Various releases
*2016: "Vida Loca"
*2016: "Barbe noire"
*2017: "Fuego"
(feat. Ghost ST)
*2017: "Dounia"
*2017: "Yeah!"
*2017: "Blanco Griselda"
*2017: "T.R.W"
(feat. Alonzo
Alonzo is both a given name and a Spanish surname. Notable people with the name include:
Mononym
*Alonzo (rapper), French singer and hip hop artist, formerly Segnor Alonzo of Psy 4 de la Rime
Given name
* Alonzo de Barcena, 16th-century Spani ...
)
*2017: "Bilal"
(feat. 7Liwa)
*2017: "Mi Amigo"
References
External links
Soolking Official-
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most vis ...
{{Authority control
Algerian rappers
1989 births
Living people
21st-century Algerian male singers
21st-century rappers
Male rappers
People from Algiers Province