After seven years of absence, the French hip hop artist, MC Solaar is back with a new album. “Comptine” is one of the song of the first part of the album released on March 14th. Called “Triptyque : Lueurs d’étoiles”, two additional parts are to be added to the seven tracks already released. Mixing different musical influences – from Brazilian sounds to French Touch and house – MC Solaar has stayed true to himself and his “Prose Combat” with very engaged lyrics. 

“Comptine” seems to be the darkest song of the album. Revisiting nursery rhymes, MC Solaar offers four verses riddled with internal rhymes and monorhymes where he denounces a couple of main contemporary world issues.

In the first verse, he harshly criticizes the government for their inaction towards climate change issues.  

“La COP2040 dira d’adopter l’éventail“

“COP 2040 will decide to adopt the fan.” 

He also denounces leaders’ corruption : 

“Manipulée par un communiquant qui sèmera la pagaille 

En gros, pollution contre cash dans une mallette” 

“Manipulated by a messy communicator 

Basically, pollution for cash in a briefcase” 

and give a very negative picture of the world future : 

“Tu peux dormir tranquille, je m’occupe de la planète 

J’te volerai des fèves et balancerai les galettes 

En fait, pour être honnête, note que le bien-être va disparaître 

Donc profite de la nature en traînant près des transpalettes”

“You can sleep well, I’ll take care of the planet 

I’ll steal your beans and throw away the “galettes”

In fact, to be honest, wellbeing is going to disappear 

So enjoy nature while hanging around the pallet jacks” 

In the second verse he denounces student poverty, lack of opportunities and misery overall : 

“Ça sent l’roussi, j’peux pas m’la couler douce 

De plus, la cellule me rappelle trop la chambre du Crous”

“This does not look good, I can’t take it easy. 

Besides, the cell reminds me too much of a cheap student dorm room”

“Le rêve, c’étaient des RS4 et des geishas, une S.A 

Et résultat, on est en d’ça du RSA”

“We dreamt of RS4 and geishas, a business

In the end, we are not even earning the minimum salary”

He ends with a troubling verse turning a famous nursery rhyme into a denunciation of gun violence. In the verse, he replaces the word “marionettes” (puppets) by “mitraillettes” (submachine gun) and “tours” (turns) by “trous” (holes). 

“Ainsi font, font, font les petites mitraillettes 

Ainsi font trois p’tits trous et puis s’en vont 

Ainsi font, font, font les petites mitraillettes 

Ainsi font trois p’tits trous et puis s’en vont”

“Thus they go, go, go little submachine gun

Thus they go, go, go three little holes and off they flow

Thus they go, go, go little submachine gun

Thus they go, go, go three little holes and off they flow”

Comptine is certainly the more brutal song of MC Solaar new release. However, all of them are combative and called for resistance; just as “Ils dansent” a joyful tune where he presents dancing as a form of resistance.