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.

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.

As promised, here is the full translation of Gilles Ecoute Un Disque De Rap Et Fond En Larmes by Abd Al Malik. Another monster translation of which I’m quite proud.

The lyrics to this rap track are so well written that they even the translation has come out sounding poetic and, as you know, I don’t usually treat poetry as the primary goal when I’m translating.

The French fondre en larmes “to melt into tears” translates as burst into tears or break down crying in English. The full title of the track translates as Gilles listens to a rap record and bursts into tears.

I have no MP3 clip widget for the site, but you can listen to extracts of the full album from Abd Al Malik’s official website and the physical CD can be bought from Amazon from the widget below.