Shurik'n

Shurik'n is a member of the superstar French rap group IAM who made his chart-topping solo album debut in 1998. Born Geoffroy Mussard on March 11, 1966, in Marseille, he co-founded IAM in the late '80s with fellow group members Akhenaton (born Philippe Fragione), Freeman (Malek Brahimi), Khéops (Eric Mazel), Imhotep (Pascal Perez), and Kephren (François Mendy). After releasing an underground mixtape, IAM Concept (1990), the group made its full-length album debut in 1991 with ...de la Planète Mars on Virgin Records. The second IAM album, Ombre Est Lumière (1993), spawned the group's breakthrough single, "Je Danse le Mia," which hit number one on the French singles chart for eight weeks in 1994. The third IAM album, L'École du Micro d'Argent (1997), debuted at number three on the French albums chart and spawned a series of hit singles. By this point, the group members had begun embarking on solo careers, beginning with Akhenaton and his solo album debut, Métèque et Mat (1995). Shurik'n made his solo album debut in 1998 with Où Je Vis on Virgin Records. Debuting atop the albums chart, Où Je Vis spawned a pair of hit singles, "La Garde Meurt Mais Ne Se Rend Pas" and "J'leve Mon Verre." A couple years later Shurik'n collaborated with his brother, rapper Faf Larage, on the album La Garde (2000), which reached the Top 40 of the albums chart. In subsequent years, Shurik'n reunited with IAM for the commercial blockbuster albums Revoir un Printemps (2004) and Saison 5 (2007), plus the in-concert recording Live au Dôme de Marseille (2005). ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi