{"id":27838,"date":"2017-09-12T02:07:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T00:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=27838"},"modified":"2017-11-06T15:41:22","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T14:41:22","slug":"mhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/mhd\/","title":{"rendered":"MHD"},"content":{"rendered":"

My husband was recently listening to music that caught my ear. It was catchy and happy\u2014just what I needed to listen to at the moment. The artist, MHD, has become somewhat of a star in France since the release of his debut album last year. He’s played at Les Victoires de la Musique<\/a>, the French equivalent of the Grammys, and been a fixture of sorts on French TV. Perhaps you’ve already heard of him!<\/p>\n

MHD is the stage name of Mohamed Sylla. He was born in the 19th arrondissement of Paris in 1994 to Senegalese and Guinean parents. He writes and performs his own music, which draws inspiration from both African music and trap music, a genre that developed from hip hop in the Southern United States.<\/p>\n

MHD is only twenty-three years old, but he has been praised by the likes of Madonna and Drake and has gained quite an international following. His eponymous debut album became”double platine,” or double platinum, during its first year of sales. There are a great many good songs on the album, although my favorite one (the one I caught my husband listening to) is\u00a0“A Kele N’ta.”<\/p>\n

According to this article<\/a>, “A kele n’ta” means “ne choisis qu’elle.” In English, this would mean something like “Only choose her.” In interviews, MHD stated that he wrote it to recently married friends, trying to convince them to never cheat on their spouse. He states, “”Je fais tout pour qu’il ne choisisse qu’elle, qu’il n’aille pas voir ailleurs. Je m’adresse \u00e0 n’importe lequel de mes potes qui se mariera dans le futur mais j’ai \u00e9crit en pensant \u00e0 un mariage r\u00e9cent, plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment celui d’un grand de mon quartier.” (I do everything so that he would only choose her, that he wouldn’t look elsewhere. I’m speaking to each and everyone of my friends who will marry in the future but I wrote it thinking about a recent marriage, and more specifically one of an older guy in my neighborhood.)<\/p>\n

Here are the lyrics of “A Kele N’Ta” here:<\/p>\n

C’est plus qu’un pote c’est devenu un fr\u00e8re<\/em>
\nQuand j’marche avec lui, plus rien n’m’effraie<\/em>
\nOn a v\u00e9cu des choses qu’on peut pas citer<\/em>
\nEntre nous pas d’langue de bois, pas d’secret<\/em>
\nOn n’a pas chang\u00e9 les ann\u00e9es sont pass\u00e9es<\/em>
\nCertains nous ont l\u00e2ch\u00e9s<\/em>
\nOn s’est promis d’\u00eatre soud\u00e9s jusqu’au bout<\/em>
\nTu l’as choisie, vous deux c’est l’amour fou<\/em>
\nTu connais sa famille, elle connait la tienne<\/em>
\nDans les moments durs, elle partage ta peine<\/em>
\nN’aie pas d’inqui\u00e9tude t’es sa premi\u00e8re et derni\u00e8re<\/em>
\nAccroche-toi le bonheur t’appelle<\/em><\/p>\n

Eh, ce soir c’est ton jour<\/em>
\nL’ambiance peut d\u00e9marrer, on est tous dans la foule<\/em>
\nTout le monde est pr\u00e9sent<\/em>
\nPersonne ne veut rater \u00e7a, des petits aux grands<\/em>
\nLa famille au complet<\/em>
\nJ’vois l’bonheur dans vos yeux, nul ne pourra l’retirer<\/em>
\nCe moment restera grav\u00e9 dans ma t\u00eate<\/em>
\nDes souvenirs qu’on pourra se partager<\/em>
\n
\n<\/a>Eh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta, a nkele n’ta<\/em><\/p>\n

Vous passez des rires aux larmes<\/em>
\nLa premi\u00e8re naissance, la vie d’famille se construit<\/em>
\nElle t’a donn\u00e9 sa confiance forc\u00e9ment y’a des hauts et des bas<\/em>
\nC’est qu’une \u00e9tape \u00e0 franchir, cousine, tu sais<\/em>
\nN’\u00e9coute pas les gens<\/em>
\nTous les hommes sont pas pareils, c’est qu’une l\u00e9gende<\/em>
\nSi tu l’aimes, c’est r\u00e9ciproque<\/em>
\nJ’le connais par coeur, c’est quand m\u00eame mon pote<\/em>
\nJ’vois son sourire quand il passe la bague au doigt<\/em>
\n\u00c7a m’fait plaisir, \u00e7a m’fait r\u00eaver<\/em>
\nTout l’quartier s’est d\u00e9plac\u00e9 pour toi<\/em>
\nTon histoire ne fait que commencer<\/em><\/p>\n

Eh, ce soir c’est ton jour<\/em>
\nL’ambiance peut d\u00e9marrer, on est tous dans la foule<\/em>
\nTout le monde est pr\u00e9sent<\/em>
\nPersonne ne veut rater \u00e7a, des petits aux grands<\/em>
\nLa famille au complet<\/em>
\nJ’vois l’bonheur dans vos yeux, nul ne pourra l’retirer<\/em>
\nCe moment restera grav\u00e9 dans ma t\u00eate<\/em>
\nDes souvenirs qu’on pourra se partager<\/em>
\n
\n<\/a>Eh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta<\/em>
\nEh eh, mon ami a nkele n’ta, a nkele n’ta<\/em><\/p>\n

And the English translation:<\/p>\n

He\u2019s more than just a friend, he became a brother
\nWhen I walk with him, nothing scares me anymore
\nWe\u2019ve been through things that I can\u2019t mention
\nBetween us, there\u2019s no doublespeak, no secrets
\nWe haven\u2019t change, the years passed by
\nSome of them ditched us
\nWe promised each other to remain united until the end
\nYou chose it, the two of you, it\u2019s foolish love
\nYou know her family, she knows yours
\nIn the hard times, she shares your pain
\nDon\u2019t worry, you\u2019re her first and her last
\nHang on, pleasure is calling you<\/p>\n

Eh, tonight is your day
\nThe party can start, everyone\u2019s in the crowd
\nEveryone is present
\nNobody wants to miss this, from the little kids to the older ones
\nThe complete family
\nI can see pleasure in your eyes, no one will be able to remove it
\nThis moment will remain carved in my head
\nMemories that we\u2019ll be able to share<\/p>\n

Eh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta, a nkele n\u2019ta<\/p>\n

You guys go from tears to laughter
\nThe first birth, the family life is taking shape
\nShe gave you her trust, so inevitably there\u2019s ups and downs
\nIt\u2019s just a step to be taken, cousin, you already know
\nDon\u2019t listen to people
\nAll men are not the same, that\u2019s just a legend
\nIf you love him, it\u2019s mutual
\nI know him by heart, he\u2019s my friend after all
\nI see him smile while slipping the rings on your finger
\nIt makes me happy, it makes me dream
\nThe whole projects made the trip for you
\nYour story is only now starting<\/p>\n

Eh, tonight is your day
\nThe party can start, everyone\u2019s in the crowd
\nEveryone is present
\nNobody wants to miss this, from the little kids to the older ones
\nThe complete family
\nI can see pleasure in your eyes, no one will be able to remove it
\nThis moment will remain carved in my head
\nMemories that we\u2019ll be able to share<\/p>\n

Eh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta, a nkele n\u2019ta<\/p>\n

You chose her
\nShe chose you, destiny didn\u2019t make any mistake
\nA step was taken
\nThe best way to settle down is to unit
\nNow you\u2019re in the big leagues
\nYour parents will be so proud when they will see theirs grand children
\nMy friend, we\u2019re proud of you
\nShe\u2019s your girl, a nkele n\u2019ta<\/p>\n

Eh, tonight is your day
\nThe party can start, everyone\u2019s in the crowd
\nEveryone is present
\nNobody wants to miss this, from the little kids to the older ones
\nThe complete family
\nI can see pleasure in your eyes, no one will be able to remove it
\nThis moment will remain carved in my head
\nMemories that we\u2019ll be able to share<\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Eh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta, a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta
\nEh eh, my friend a nkele n\u2019ta, a nkele n\u2019ta<\/p>\n

You can watch the music video for “A Kele N’Ta” here:<\/p>\n