an eleventh album for the French-Senegalese hip hop singer Booba  – The Hip Hop African

Released on February 9th, 2024 Ad vitam æternam is the eleventh album released by the multi awarded French-Senegalese hip hop singer, Booba. It was an unexpected return to the musical scene as he had previously claimed that “Ultra” , his tenth album, would be the last one.

Very renowned on the French hip hop scene, Booba – from his original name Elie Yaffa – was born in 1976 in Sèvres in the North of France. His father is Senegalese, he is a very famous model and animate French funk nightclubs in Paris.  After the divorce of his parents, Booba is raised by his mother (of Belgian origin) in the South of France

He adopts his artistic surname “Booba” in reference to his Senegalese cousin, Boubakar,  after his first trip to Senegal. When he comes back he starts doing music with Ali, a French singer of Moroccan origin. If their album is the first independent album to be rewarded with the gold record, Booba then faces an 18 months sentence in prison. Over his solo career, Booba will then go from artistic successes to scandals. 

In Signé, fifth song of its last album Ad Vitam Æternam, Booba echoes one of his most famous songs : DKR. With very similar musical construction, both songs exploit the life of members of the Senegalese diaspora living in popular outskirts in French cities. In both, Booba also makes many references to Senegalese cultural references, historical, political and current social issues. 

If Signé starts like this : 

C’est pas l’rrain-té qui m’quitte

(Denza)

C’est pas l’rrain-té qui m’quitte, c’est moi, j’quitte le terrain

–

It’s not the hood that’s leaving me

(Denza)

It’s not the hood that’s leaving me, it’s me, I’m leaving the hood

DKR – which stands as an acronym for the Dakar airport – starts like that on a similar rhythm:

C’est pas le quartier qui me quitte 

C’est moi j’quitte le quartier 

–

It’s not hood that’s leaving me 

It’s me, I’m leaving the hood

In French train-té (terrain in verlan, slang) and quartier both stands for the hood. Booba thus expresses his willingness to escape the hood, which is infused by rivalry for money, drugs and violence.

In Signé he mentions violence and how killings are frequent in these hoods.

T’as cru t’étais quelqu’un? T’allumes, on t’éteint

On arrive en ‘Ghini, on revient du D1

Les grands tuent les petits, comme Abel et Caïn

J’suis sur Prometheus, pas l’tapis d’Alladin

Neuf mois dans l’utérus, dans l’cerceuil à la fin

–

You thought you were somebody? You are looking for trouble, we turn you off

We arrive in ‘Ghini, we come back from D1

The big ones kill the little ones, like Abel and Cain

I’m on Prometheus, not Alladin’s carpet

Nine months in the womb, in the coffin at the end

In DKR he mentioned drug trafficking and the money interests that surround it :

Envoie le hasch’, les millions cash

Faut mailler, mailler, mailler 

–

Send weed, millions of dollars

You need to make money, money, mone

An issue that is also recurrent in Signé :

Ni plata, ni plomo, ils ont fait que parler

Neither plata, nor plomo, this was bullshit

He mentions current social and societal problems undergone by Senegal and Africa in general:

In DKR he talks about forced marriage :

Africa, tu n’as pas d’âge

Ils veulent te marier, marier, marier

Ton nom de famille sera prise otage

À quoi sert d’être lion en cage?

–

Africa, you’re ageless

They want to marry you, marry you, marry you

Your family name will be taken hostage

What’s the point of being a caged lion?

and also of forced economic migration towards Europe because of the loss of job opportunities in Africa : 

Il aimait l’Afrique mais la mula l’a poussé à tailler, tailler

He loved Africa but money forced him to flee

Cultural references are made in both songs, as he mentioned the “tiep bou dienn”, a traditional Senegalese fish preparation. 

Booba refers to Senegalese colonial history in both songs. Talking about the “Tirailleurs Sénégalais”, Senegalese soldiers that joined the French military during WW2. Despite their help, they receive low recognition in France. Still, coming back from war they were admired by local people in Senegal. 

Pas récompensé comme un tirailleur, ce qui est dû n’se réclame pas

On m’a toujours dit d’aller voir ailleurs, j’suis revenu vainqueur à chaque fois

Not rewarded like a skirmisher, what’s due can’t be claimed

I’ve always been told to go elsewhere, and I’ve come back victorious every time

In DKR, he denounces the slave trade : 

Même noir j’pourrais rougir de haine

Esclave n’a pas de remise de peine

Ceux qui ne veulent pas faire de business

Je vous en prie, descendez là

–

Even black I could blush with hate

Slaves got no remission

Those who don’t want to do business

Please, come down here

The title Ad vitam Aeternam therefore seems to reflects the timelessness of Booba hip hop songs that echo the life of the Senegalese diaspora and infused by Senegalese cultural references.