Doc Gynéco

Born Bruno Beausir on July 7, 1974, Doc Gyneco is a Guadeloupean/French ragga/rap/hip-hop artist who got his start at the age of 19 with the hip-hop outfit Ministère AMER. The group split soon after, and Gyneco signed a solo deal with Virgin France. His debut for the label, 1996's Premiere Consultation, which was the result of recording and writing in Los Angeles with the American producer Ken Kessie, turned out to be magic in France, scoring a number of hit singles. Liaisons Dangereuses, his second full-length, was released in 1998, and continued his streak of well-received albums. In 2001, after a rather long layoff, Gyneco returned with the guest star-heavy (Wu-Tang members, Gregory Isaacs) third long-player Quality Street. Although up until this point Doc Gyneco's albums sold well and kept him in the public consciousness, his singles never really passed muster with the pop public, and his reputation was more well-known for his stance on the status of women, whom he (seemingly) did not hold in that high of regard. Charges of misogyny aside, Gyneco pressed further onward, and in 2002 finally found a winning formula with the album Solitaire. The singles were hits, and the album won the Victoire de la Musique award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album of the Year. While the next few years would be relatively quiet for the MC -- aside from some controversial political statements and stances -- Doc Gyneco did manage a best-of collection in 2004 and a new album, entitled Homme Nature, in 2006. Peace Maker was released in 2008. ~ Chris True, Rovi