Shaka Ponk (sometimes abbreviated as SHKPNK) was a French musical band formed in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 2002. They mix different forms of popular music into their songs in addition to

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

, although predominantly with an electronic and

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

sound. Their lyrics are mostly in English, although they sometimes sing in French and Spanish. In early 2022, Shaka Ponk announced that they would disband in 2024, after a final album and farewell tour, in order to focus on other musical projects.

History

Shaka Ponk is a

-based band formed in 2002 that blends

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, electronic,

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...

, and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

. They released their debut album, ''Loco Con Da Frenchy Talkin'', in 2006, and followed up in 2009 with ''Bad Porn Movie Trax'', spawning the singles "How We Kill Stars" and "Do". In 2011, the band added a female vocalist, Samaha Sam, and released their third album, ''The Geeks and the Jerkin' Socks'', in June. The band released two albums simultaneously in 2014, titled ''The White Pixel Ape (Smoking Isolate to Keep in Shape)'' and ''The Black Pixel Ape (Drinking Cigarettes to Take a Break)''. They issued ''The Evol in 2017. ''Apelogies'' followed in 2020. In early 2022, the band announced their upcoming disbandment due to Frah and Sam wanting to focus on the Freaks, a musical project dedicated to protecting the environment, which they formed in 2018. They released a final, self-titled album in 2023, and launched a farewell tour, the Final F#*cked Up Tour, which concluded in 2024.

Band members

Past * François "Frah" Charon – lead vocals (2002–2024) * Cyril "C. C." Roger – guitars (2002–2024) * Steve Desgarceaux – keyboards, samples (2007–2024) * Mandris Da Cruz – bass (2007–2024) * Yohan "Ion" Meunier – drums (2007–2024) * Samaha Sam – lead vocals (2011–2024) * Gaël "Mesn-X" Mesny – guitar (2002–2004) * Matthias "Thias" Pothier – bass (2002–2007) * Jean-Philippe "Bobee O.D" Dumont – drums (2002–2007)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Reissues

Live albums

Singles

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

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups from Paris Musical groups established in 2004 English-language musical groups from France MTV Europe Music Award winners