Great French Songs with English translations » Hip Hop

Translation of La Rage by Keny Arkana

Chris — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:54:00 +0000

This is a translation of a rap track from Ken Arkana’s first album Entre Ciment Et Belle Etoile. Given the current tense situation in France over pension reforms, the reference in Keny Arkana’s first single La Rage to the civil unrest in France in 2005 has some pertinence.

The quality of rap & hip-hop coming out of France over the last decade or so has been strong, but if you’re not a fan of this sort of thing then this is probably not the track to win you over. Of course, if you’re listening to French music to help train your ears to the language, then this will give your brain a real workout!

The 19-track album can be picked up for just £3.99 on Amazon or £5.99 on iTunes – you can listen to clips directly from the Amazon widget on this page.

Translation of Coeur De Bombe by Diam’s

Chris — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:24:50 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I bought Diam’s latest album S.O.S., released on November 13th this year.

I have only one other Diam’s album, the 2006 Dans ma bulle and essentially S.O.S. is pretty much more of the same, that’s to say, very solid hip hop with the occasional track that stands out.

In fairness, I think there are a few more stand out songs on this album than on Dans ma Bulle and I think Coeur De Bombe is one of those tracks.

Interestingly it is the only track that I put in my “favourite french songs” playlist while I was listening to the album for the first time although I certainly don’t think it is the strongest track on the album.

In any case, it’s the song I am going to translate in this post!

There is a usage of the verb tomber “to fall” which means “to bump into”, as in Je suis tombé sur mon ami. I’ve left the translation of tombé sur une bombe in the chorus as “fell on a bomb” as I think the image is preferable to any other translation.

Translation of Je réalise by Sinik featuring James Blunt

Chris — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:19:43 +0000

The last translation was one of my favourites – it’s rare to find mainstream pop music with lyrics as interesting to translate as those found in Bénabar’s songs.

This next translation is just as interesting and is a result of my growing enjoyment of French hip hop.

Sinik is one of the heavy weights (poids lourds) of the French Hip-Hop scene. His forthcoming album, Ballon d’or to be released in December will be his last before he dedicates himself to a career as a producer.

Sorry that it’s been two days since my last post but I wanted to get this right and I hope I’ve done it justice.

The song Je réalise is from his 2007 album Le toit du monde (the roof of the world). It features British singer James Blunt – an unlikely pairing certainly seeings as James Blunt is not considered one of the most “street” of British pop acts. Sinik raps in French while James Blunt sings extracts from his song “I’ll take everything” in English.

It’s always rewarding to translate Hip Hop tracks – it’s not always so much fun to listen to James Blunt but he sounds fine here.