La Rumeur

The highly political underground hip-hop group La Rumeur is probably equally famous for its music and for the constant legal charges of defamation the French Minister of the Interior filed against the group's lead emcee Hamé. Based out of the Parisian suburbs in Élancourt, France, the six-piece refuses to censor its subversive lyrical content, which primarily discusses unspoken police brutality, and therefore doesn't receive mainstream radio play or press. Instead, the group spreads its message, sells its albums and promotes its shows by word of mouth. Coupling its provocative lyrics and social activism with melodic beats, La Rumeur has found a strong following in its native France and French-speaking countries around the world.