An antidote to the macho posturing usually associated with the Gallic hip-hop scene, French Moroccan rapper M.A.S. rose to fame thanks to a series of emotive tracks dealing with issues including domestic violence and his battle with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative condition that eventually results in blindness. Raised in the Ile-de-France commune of Trappes, he became a medical secretary before his MC skills first came to attention at the relatively late age of 27 thanks to a song that explained his illness to his then two-year-old son. After signing to La Fouine's Banlieue Sale Music label, he abandoned his initial plans for his debut album to team up with the likes of Vitaa, Kery James, and Tuffist on his first studio effort, 2012's Minute de Silence. ~ Jon O'Brien