Kaaris (French rapper)

Armand Okou Gnakouri, known by his stage name Kaaris (/ˈkɑːrɪs/, French: [kaʁis]), is a French rapper, actor and record producer. Kaaris was born in Cocody, near Abidjan. At age 3, he moved to Sevran in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, northeast of Paris. Kaaris started rapping in 1999, and released his first mixtape in 2001. He returned to his native Ivory Coast for a while, but returned to France after political unrest in the country. In 2007, he released his street album 43ème Bima (pronounced "Quarante-troisième Bima"), that led to signing with a new independent label French Cut Music. However, his meeting with French rapper Booba and producers Therapy gave him his first recording with Booba, "Criminelle league" released as part of Booba's Autopsie Vol. 4. Kaaris had his first charting hit "Kalash", credited to Booba featuring Kaaris appearing in Booba's album Futur. Kaaris co-writes most of his materials in cooperation with a record producer duo, known as Therapy (made up of producers 2031 and 2093). On 21 October 2013, he released his studio album Or Noir on Therapy Music / AZ / Universal Music. It is considered as one of the most important in the history of French rap. With the 2014 reissue Or Noir Part 2, the album is certified platinum. On 30 March 2015, Kaaris released his studio album Le bruit de mon âme.de The record includes featuring including Lacrim, 13 Block or Future. In October 2015, he released a mixtape titled Double Fuck. On 11 November 2016, he released his third studio album Okou Gnakouri. The album includes featurings with Gucci Mane and Kalash Criminel. In early January 2018, the record was certified double platinum with over 200,000 sold copies. A year after the release of Okou Gnakouri, on 3 Novembre 2017, he released the album Dozo. On 25 January 2019, he released the album Or Noir Part 3, going back to a trap style and following his 2013 album. On 3 September, he released the album 2.7.0. He left Def Jam France and created his own label OG Record while signing for Lutèce Music, affiliated to Caroline France label. On 28 January, he released a common album with French rapper Kalash Criminel titled SVR. The name of the album is a reference to Sevran, the city where both rappers come from. In 2023, Kaaris featured in the Netflix film, "In His Shadow". A fight between Booba and Kaaris led to the temporary closure of Hall 1 at Paris-Orly Airport on 1 August 2018. Kaaris was given an 18-month suspended sentence and fined €50,000. *Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts. *Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts. Braqueurs (2015) Overdrive (2017) The Bouncer (2018) Bronx (2020) The King of Shadows (Netflix Film) (2023) "Booba and Kaaris: French rappers sentenced over airport brawl". BBC News. 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2020-09-17. "Kaaris - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-01-26. "Biographie de Kaaris". RapGame.org (in French). Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2023. Inc, LiveOne. "Kaaris - LiveOne - Music, Podcasts and more". LiveOne. Retrieved 2026-01-26. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help) Le InRocks: Kaaris - "Moi et Booba, on se retrouve sur le coté hardcore" (in French) "Ces moments de pop culture qui ont 10 ans cette année". Mouv' (in French). 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-02-15. "Les certifications". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-15. "[Chronique] Kaaris « Le Bruit de mon âme »". Toutelaculture (in French). April 2015. Retrieved 2023-02-16. "Generations". Generations (in French). 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2023-02-16. ""Dozo" de Kaaris est un peu décevant..." Hip Hop Corner : Actu rap français, US et culture (in French). 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2023-02-16. "«Or Noir part 3» : ce que l'on pense du nouvel album de Kaaris". leparisien.fr (in French). 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2023-02-16. "Ce qu'on a aimé, ou non, dans l'album « 2.7.0 » de Kaaris". Interlude (in French). 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2023-02-16. "Kaaris et Kalash Criminel : « Dans un album, il faut savoir proposer de tout, pouvoir plaire un peu à tout le monde »". Red Bull (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-16. Fatima, Ameen (17 March 2023). "In His Shadow Review: Complicated Family Thriller With a Dash of Witchcraft". Leisure Byte. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024. "Kaaris discography". lescharts.com. Retrieved 25 October 2013. "Kaaris discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Retrieved 2 February 2019. "Kaaris discography". ultratop.be/fr/. Retrieved 21 June 2026. "Kaaris discography". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 22 June 2026. "Top Albums (Semaine du 19 juin 2026)". Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique. Retrieved 22 June 2026. "Top Singles (Week 4, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 29 January 2024. Facebook Kaaris at IMDb