Bastien Vincent, known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Maska (born 21 May 1985 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

), is a French rapper and dancer. He is a founding member of the French rap/hip hop collective

Sexion d'Assaut Sexion d'Assaut (), formerly known as 3ème Prototype (for "Troisième Prototype" ; en, "3rd Prototype"), is a French hip hop band formed in 2002, composed of eight Parisian rappers. They are signed to independent record label Wati B, which i ...

. In October 2014, Maska released his first solo album'', Espace-temps'', which ranked 14th on the Top Albums in France.

Early life

Originally from

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

, he grew up in

in the 9th arrondissement while mingling with his friends, most of whom would later become part of the hip hop group Sexion d'Assault. He grew up in a rich neighborhood despite his family having a substandard income, a situation much early in Bastien's life which would leave him with feelings of unease. Having experienced a musical awakening quite young thanks to his parents, Maska became a fan of French rap who, unlike Gims, ended up receiving a rather American musical education, influenced by

Sisqó Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for " Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and

Johnny Clegg Jonathan Paul Clegg, (7 June 195316 July 2019) was a South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist, some of whose work was in musicology focused on the music of indigenous South African peopl ...

Career

Sexion d'Assaut (2002–2013)

Around 2003 Maska obtained his baccalaureate and proceeded to undertake higher studies. He wrote songs and rapped alongside his acquaintances

Black M Alpha Diallo (born 27 December 1984), better known by his stage name Black M (originally Black Mesrimes), is a French rapper, singer, songwriter and member of the Sexion d'Assaut group. In 2014, he released his first solo album, entitled '' Les ...

and

Barack Adama Sexion d'Assaut (), formerly known as 3ème Prototype (for "Troisième Prototype" ; en, "3rd Prototype"), is a French hip hop band formed in 2002, composed of eight Parisian rappers. They are signed to independent record label Wati B, which i ...

. He mentioned having been saved by music and religion in the lyrics of his single "La tâche". Maska released several records with the group

, including two studio albums, '' L'École des points vitaux'' in 2010 and ''

L'Apogée ''L’Apogée'' is the third official album by French rap group Sexion d'Assaut composed of Maître Gims, Lefa, Barack Adama, Maska, JR O Crom, Black M, Doomams, and L.I.O. Petrodollars. This album was released on March 5, 2012 in stores and av ...

'' in 2012, as well as three mixtapes, two street albums, a live album, three DVDs, a compilation and a reissue.

Solo career (since 2012)

After the success of the

, in October 2014, Maska released his first solo album entitled '' Espace-temps'', which ranked 14th on the Top Albums in France. Before the release of the album, he uploaded the music video for the song "Rahh". He also offered a series of videos, Espace temps, including: "Mon mal être" (feat. Dr Bériz), "Un grain de folie", "Ca va rire", "Parcours de rêve", and "Laisse passer l'artiste". On March 14, 2014, Maska unveiled the first track of his next album "Drapeau Taché de Sang". During Planète Rap of

, he also unveiled an excerpt from a new song entitled "Prie pour moi" featuring Gims, which was released in full on the Internet on May 9, 2014. After more than two years of work, on October 13, 2017, he revealed on his first mixtape, ''Akhal-Teke'', then a second one, ''Préliminaires, Vol. 1'', released on June 29, 2018, where he introduced a radical change of style. From September 2018, he worked on his third mixtape, ''Préliminaires Vol. 2'', which was released on March 29, 2019.

Achievements

'' Subliminal'' of Gims, "Où Est Ton Arme?". Being a founding member of the

group, Maska takes part in many of the collective's most notable songs: " Avant qu'elle parte", "Ma Direction", "Problèmes D'Adultes", "Cérémonie", "A Bout de souffle" or even "Ils appellent ça". Maska contributes to the writing of collective lyrics, collaborating frequently with French singers such as

Kendji Girac Kendji "Girac" Jason Maillié (; born July 3, 1996), also known mononymously as Kendji, is a French singer-songwriter. He is the winner of season 3 of the music competition '' The Voice: la plus belle voix'' as part of Team Mika. He has released ...

, Vianney,

Dadju Dadju Djuna Nsungula (; born 2 May 1991), better known by the mononym Dadju or at times Prince Dadj, is a French singer. He was signed to the label Wati B and in 2017 signed with Polydor Records of Universal Music Group. He was a member of the ...

Zaho Zahera Darabid ( ar, زهيرة درابيد ; born May 10, 1980), known by her stage name Zaho (), is an Algerian-Canadian R&B singer. Biography Zahera Darabid was born on May 10, 1980, in Bab Ezzouar, a suburb of the Algerian capital Alg ...

Discography

With Sexion d'Assaut

;Studio albums * '' L'École des points vitaux'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) ;Compilation albums * ''La Terre du Milieu'' (2006) * ''

Les Chroniques du 75 Sexion d'Assaut (), formerly known as 3ème Prototype (for "Troisième Prototype" ; en, "3rd Prototype"), is a French hip hop band formed in 2002, composed of eight Parisian rappers. They are signed to independent record label Wati B, which ...

'' (2009) * '' En attendant L'Apogée: les Chroniques du 75'' (2011) ;Mixtapes * ''Le Renouveau'' (2008) * '' L'Écrasement de tête'' (2009) ;Live albums * '' L'Apogée à Bercy'' (2012)

Albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

Featured in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maska Rappers from Paris 1985 births Living people