Monsieur R

Monsieur R, (Richard Makela), is a French rap artist[1] whose work focuses on the political rap genre. His music features hard driven rhythms with thumping base lines, known as "old school", which conveys the hard reality of his environment. There is a rich legacy of 'reality rap' going back to 1982 with artists such as Run DMC and continuing with KRS-One, Public Enemy, Ice-T and Dead Prez. Monsieur R is originally from Belgium. His parents were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (DRC) formerly known as Zaire before its independence. Monsieur R was born in 1975, in Belgium where he spent his early years. He and his family moved back to the DRC when he was 3 years old. The family migrated to Europe moving into the Seine-Saint-Denis area of Paris in 1989.

In his early career, he was a member of the Hip Hop group "Menage À 3". In 1998, 2001, and 2002, he produced compilations against the far right, called Sachons Dire Non.

After releasing his solo debut in 1997, Au Commencement and two more albums (Mission' R (1999) and ANTICONstituellemen (2000)), he finally achieved recognition outside France with his 2004 album, Politikment Incorrekt, which featured U.S. and French rap legends Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mobb Deep's Prodigy, KRS-One and Rockin' Squat as well as popular R&B artist, Akon. There was much debate over this album, as in July 2005, he was accused by the Mouvement Civique Militant, a nationalist organisation, of inciting of racial hatred after they had listened to the song "FranSSe".