A French rap collective with an old-school hip-hop style, Sexion d'Assaut spent a half-decade fostering an underground fan base before making their smash hit major-label album debut with L'École des Points Vitaux in 2010. Hailing from Paris, the collective includes primary members Maître Gims, Lefa, Adams, Maska, JR O Chrome, Black Mesrimes, Doomams, and L.I.O. The band debuted with the mixtape La Terre du Milieu (2005), which was released on the group's own label, Wati B. More mixtapes followed, Le Renouveau (2008) and L'Écrasement de Tête (2009), as well as the occasional solo releases by some of the group members. Though Sexion d'Assaut had already been releasing full-length recordings for a half-decade, their first major-label effort, 2010's L'École des Points Vitaux, was billed as their proper album debut. ~ Jason Birchmeier