Soolking, born Abderraouf Deradji on December 10, 1989, in Staoueli near Algiers, Algeria, is one of the biggest stars to come out of the Algerian and French rap scenes. He grew up around music, his father was a percussionist, and he performed with a rock band as a teenager before moving to France in 2008.
He returned to Algeria and joined the rap group Africa Jungle under the name MC Sool, then went solo in 2016 and adopted the stage name Soolking, signing with Sofiane's label Affranchis Music. After early hits like "Milano" and "Guérilla," he broke through internationally with "Dalida," and released his debut album, Fruit du Démon, in November 2018, which went Gold in France.
Soolking's sound blends Algerian raï with rap, R&B, reggae, and pop, and his lyrics often move between French and Algerian Arabic in the same song, as they do here, reflecting his own journey between Algeria and France.