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Abderraouf Derradji (Arabic: عبد الرؤوف دراجي; born 10 December 1989), known professionally as Soolking, is an Algerian singer and rapper. He started his career under the pseudonym MC Sool until 2013 before adopting his new stage name. He incorporates reggae, soul, hip-hop and Algerian raï in his music.
Life and career
Derradji was born in Algeria in a northern suburb of the capital Algiers, also known as Staouali. His father was a percussionist and he started very young in a rock band that incorporated music and dance. He arrived in France in 2008 but returned to Algeria to join the Algerian rap group Africa Jungle. The band released two albums.
He started his solo career in 2016 and is signed to the label Affranchis Music launched by Sofiane. He had initial success with 'Milano' and 'Guérilla' before achieving phenomenal success with 'Dalida',[1] an homage to the singer Dalida, sampling her hit "Paroles, paroles".[2] On November 2, 2018, Soolking released his debut solo album, Fruit du démon, which was certified Gold in France. The singles "Guérilla" and "Dalida" were certified Platinum.He released his second studio album, Vintage, in 2020.[3] On 26 May 2022, he released Sans visa, his third album.[4]
2019 accident
On August 23, 2019, Soolking held a large concert at Stade 20 Août 1955, accompanied by L'Algérino, Fianso, Alonzo, and Dhurata Dora.[5] During the entrance to the stadium, five people died due to the stampede. Soolking said after the concert that if he had known what happened he would have cancelled the concert. One of the reasons for the accident was that more tickets were sold than the stadium's capacity could accommodate.[6]
