A new chapter opens in Booba’s career. While we thought we had seen everything from the legendary rapper from Boulogne-Billancourt, 47 years old and who has been operating for more than a quarter of a century in French rap, he has just launched a new challenge. : a few weeks after the release of his project “Ad Vitam Aeternam” to complete the most impressive discography in the history of French hip-hop, he arrives with his own series called “Ourika” on the Amazon Prime Video platform this Thursday, March 28. A long-standing project, in preparation for several years and of which the first extracts were recently revealed, which is finally seeing the light of day. Producer, co-creator of the show with Clément Godard and Clément Gournay but also screenwriter, B2O also takes some rather convincing first steps as an actor.
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Booba, an actor more present than expected!
Without revolutionizing the genre, “Ourika”, of which we were able to watch the first three episodes before its release, clearly fits in with other series devoted to the French suburbs and organized crime, like a program such as “Pax Massilia” released on Netflix at the end of last year. We can thus follow the crossed destinies of Driss, played by Adam Bessa, the wise youngest son of the Jebli family, led in particular by the formidable Moussa (Salim Kechiouche), who controls the cannabis business in a popular town in the Seine. Saint-Denis (93), but also that of William, played by Noham Edje, a young police officer who is particularly determined and ambitious – and sometimes a little too naive. Enough to establish a real game of cat and mouse on a large scale, brought to life by directors Marcela Said and Julien Despaux.
The atmosphere is heavy, the image dark, and a series of riots, drug trafficking, arrests, dirty money, chases, prison… Not necessarily original, the story nevertheless remains well executed. Over the course of the first three episodes, we meet numerous characters, all more or less involved in a permanent race for money, sometimes a question of survival, sometimes a question of principle, but with ever higher risks in an escalation of gripping violence. and inevitable. We can also find in the casting a certain Usky, aka Marwen Zaibat, who is none other than one of the latest signings of the Duke of Boulogne on his legendary label 92i. But above all, while we thought that Booba was going to be content with a rather secondary role, he is in reality very present in the series, he who plays Métis. As in the French hip-hop scene, Elie Yaffa, his real name, is positioned as the big villain of this drama, the one who pulls the strings, and his menacing shadow never ceases to hover over each of the different protagonists.
The result is a program that is particularly easy to access and classically effective, which explores the realities and points of view of each person, by leading a judicious reflection on the different social mechanisms inherent to success and crime. In addition, we can enjoy a soundtrack – which we would have liked to be more present – which is always relevant, like the famous title “Listen bien” by Booba, from his first studio effort, the absolute classic that is ” Dead Time” (2002), to wonderfully illustrate this true open-air Greek tragedy.
