Grand Corps Malade was the alias of French rapper and urban poet Fabien Marsaud. The moniker was inspired by a diving accident that left him permanently disabled and forced upon him the omnipresent crutch that became a signature element of his stage act. Upon discovering slam poetry in 2003, Marsaud began writing autobiographical verse. A friend suggested that he set his poems to music, and in early 2006 he issued the first Grand Corps Malade LP, Midi 20, a gritty collection decrying the racism, poverty, and isolation endemic throughout suburban Paris. The record proved an unexpected blockbuster, selling in excess of 300,000 copies and vaulting Marsaud to national recognition.