Sarko junior the home boy

Just when I was enjoying a Sarko-free day, the French presidential family has produced another fun story. Pierre, the president's 22-year-old son, has teamed up with one of the country's baddest rap artists and provided a song for his latest album. 

Sarko junior, a university drop-out, is a budding hiphop producer-composer who calls himself Mosey. He has until now avoided the limelight. When he was running for office, Sarkozy persuaded "Mosey", the elder of the two sons with his Corsican first wife, to stop wearing dreadlocks. He has persisted in his musical career and recently started an outfit of his own, which he calls Crime Chantilly, a play on Crème Chantilly, or Whipped Cream.

On his Myspace page, he describes himself thus -- in English.

Hey I'm Mosey a young Parisian producer, with my crew: da Crime Chantilly we produced hip hop, soul and rnb beatz. -Credited on the dvd of Jamel Debouze "100%Debouze". -Produced the hiphop track "La rue" by Poison.

[Picture above with Timbaland, US rap producer]

Poison is not a big star, but he's one of the angriest and most foul-mouthed of the minstrels from the banlieue ghettos who perform a French version of the US urban genre. The news of his collaboration with Sarko junior prompted mirth because the president, when interior minister, ordered the prosecution of half a dozen rappers for insulting the police. He became their bête noir with his drive to "clean out" la racaille, the lay-abouts or yobs, from la banlieue and, since his election, for creating a Ministry of Immigration and National Identity. 

Poison, who usually couples the S-name with an expletive, is now struggling to defend his street cred. He confirmed in an interview with Radio Générations, a rap station, that Mosey had written the track for his forthcoming album Mec de Tess (Guy from the 'hood).

Listen to it here, but beware of the foul language. Here are some excerpts with an attempt to convey the flavour.

I'm not a Sarkozy guy, I don't give a s.... Anyone who talks me down on this can suck my ... The guy brought me some music. He does good sh... I didn't know at the start that it was the son of Sarko.

When I found out, I blew a fuse and phoned him. He said 'Yeah, but Poison, I didn't wanna tell you 'cos you wouldn't wanna hang out wid me no more.' I told him, hey guy, no problem. Your father is one thing but you never done me wrong. We'll bust nobody's balls, we'll just do good stuff."

Poison, whose name is pronounced the English way, did not heed a public warning from Casey, a hiphop star, to beware of Sarko junior. According to Liberation, at a concert in late October, she said: "The son of Sarkozy is trying to pass off his productions under the name Crime de Chantilly. Watch out!".

Young Sarko's musical career had not been widely noted. His only reported appearance was as an industry guest at the European MTV Awards in Munich in November. The oldest Sarkozy child shuns the limelight which has been enjoyed more by Jean, the second son, who appeared in court a month ago to for failing to stop after his motor scooter collided with a BMW car. Jean combines his university studies with amateur theatre.

Both brothers are currently helping David Martinon, Sarko's spokesman, in his campaign to win the President's old seat as Mayor of suburban Neuilly in elections in March. While serving as Sarkozy's aide, Martinon performed with a band. The president persuaded him to tidy his hair and wear decent suits when he became spokesman.

The two older Sarkozy boys grew up in Neuilly, France's richest borough, mainly with their mother Marie-Dominique Culioli, a Corsican whom Mr Sarkozy divorced in the early 1990s when he married Cécilia, his last wife. Neuilly is the home to rock millionaires but could not be further removed from the suburban badlands north of Paris.

Sarkozy has been seeking to broaden Pierre's mind, taking him on presidential trips. He accompanied his newly-divorced father on state visits to Morocco and China last autumn. The President, who is a fan of Johnny Hallyday, Elvis Presley and other classical rockers, has, as the whole world knows, joined the music world in recent weeks as partner of Carla Bruni, the super-model who scored a recent hit in with an album of breathy love songs.

It seems that Sarko has finally overdone it with Bruni. Word yesterday that the couple may be planning marriage in February prompted dyspeptic comment in the media today. Libération said the President was behaving like King Louis XIV, the Sun King. It also called him a "soft version of President Putin". Le Monde delivered an anti-Sarko broadside headlined: "The king is naked."

Sarko defends himself in a full-dress news conference tomorrow morning. I'll be there.

   

Comments

[azloon]

just when we think it couldn't get any better it gets better. CB, you definitely drew the 'long straw.'

jena bush (dubya's daughter) was arrested for underage drinking (couldn't happen in france), billy carter (jimmy's brother) was arrested for urinating in public (as we now well know, also not possible in france), clinton's brother served jail time for drug dealing, and ron reagan jr. publically 'dissed' his president father.

so young sarko is in good company in the presidential family embarrassment category. now let's see if he can't turn this into someting a little juicier. say....like bringing a 'ho' to his father's wedding.

[alexis]

u is a momma"s boy all the way

[Hadleigh Roberts]

There's something universal about the offspring of influential people, isn't there?

Prince Harry and his Nazi outfit, Rudy Giuliani's daughter has been campaigning for Obama. I seem to remember some controversy about Tony Blair's sons, likewise with the daughters of George Bush and Dick Cheney.

Fame must clearly exacerbate youth-rebellion.

[Terry]

The US had Bush I and Bush II.

France can have Sarko I and Sarko II. Mark my words. hehe

We have suburbs boys here too that what to be urban, hip and cool.

[Daisy]

Vanilla Ice, anyone?

[Marguerite.]

C'est Une Famille formidable, ces Sarko !

[QCD]

Boy am I glad I changed my screen-name.

[jorg andersen]

I thought you were inventing this, but I realise you can't make it up. The Sarkozys are an incredible circus. It never stops.

[Valentin]

I could just not stop laughing. Charles, are you aware that your post goes in the category gossip ? It would do great in a "people" magazine :)

Here from a Sarko Diehard : is there anything reprobable in composing music for a band and wearing his hair long? :) Oooh, of course, presidential sons should always be in a smoking, walk rigidly and handwave the populace, right. Well no, they're humans too.

[Jake]

rapper huh?
He wouldn't last 2 seconds in da 'hood.
Just another no-talent, uneducated wanna be.

[dot king]

with carla's track record, maybe one of the juniors will be her next conquest . . .

[John]

Some people try to quit smoking, but perhaps some journalists should try to quit Sarkozy gossiping. The government should ban Sarkozy gossiping in all "places of conviviality" for a start. That would help people like Charles Bremner to quit.

Meanwhile, I couldn't resist telling Charles Bremner that Neuilly-sur-Seine is not the richest borough in France. That old myth! The income per household in Neuilly is "only" 62,646 euros per year. This is topped by Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in the western suburbs of Paris where the household income is 74,810 euros per year, and by the very exclusive western suburb of Marnes-la-Coquette where the household income reaches a ritzy 81,746 euros per year. And for those who like odd information, there are also two little villages in rural France which top Neuilly: Vasselay (1,129 inhabitants) in the Cher department and Valady (1,321 inhabitants) in the Aveyron department where the household income is 67,777 and 80,238 euros per year respectively. I have no clue why these two villages are so filthy rich.

[christopher muir]

Plantu's latest depiction in Le Monde of Sarkozy (now drawn in dark glasses) with his latest exotic purchase singing happily in a shopping cart, belongs to a new, rich era of French satire. To realise that it's the president himself who writes the plots makes these biting observations all the more hilarious. No doubt that young Pierre-Mosey will be a welcome addition to the already amazing cast of characters infiltrating once-hallowed ground..

[rockinred]

Poor little rich kid...deserves a bit of sympathy tho, at least he's trying to do his own thing and til now kept a low profile. Unlike his 'look at me' dad.

[Lily]

"Boy am I glad I changed my screen-name." (QCD)

LOL - Are you glad because you think 'QCD' is the better alternative compared with 'Mosey'?

[Rocket]

I dedicate the following song to Nicolas Sarkozy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnD3vz7mIsE

and here are the lyrics

http://tinyurl.com/2ua64f

"Meanwhile, I couldn't resist telling Charles Bremner that Neuilly-sur-Seine is not the richest borough in France"

Doesn't matter. Everybody says it is, so we should say so too. Who cares about the truth, Neuilly goes so well with Fouquet's &c !

[Ros]

I was thinking that Charles was a bit overdoing the Sarko business but have changed my mind - it's nice to have something to cheer up these dreary winter parisian days - so "Keep Right on to the End of the Road" Charles, (but when will it be?), & listen to Harry Lauder singing it ('tho have no idea who is Ysabella! http://youtube.com/watch?v=066aalCfpv0

[Ros]

The news conference is already on Le Monde's site - hope you're going to ask a question, Charles - am keeping it on , on purpose!
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/vi/0,47-0@2-3224,54-882723@51-984702,0.html

[Thomas V.]

Charles, rapper Casey is a woman...
As for Sarko Jr, that's another joke that will have France laughing for a while - and probably paying less attention to a new réforme.
But I pity the poor lad, who just can't have a normal life; many boys in France, including ones who come from rich families, are deeply influenced by hip-hop culture, and Pierre probably belongs to this case... as proves his moaning in order to be accepted by this rapper - albeit a rather poor one.
But the rap scene itself must not be shocked, for the rumour was already widely spread among it - so almost every main artist probably knew already.

[azloon]

[Charles, are you aware that your post goes in the category gossip ?] Valentin

gossip is a 'trifling, groundless rumor."

this is FACT, albeit one that would fit nicely in 'people' mag (for which i thank you, CB).

france is so used to having it's polygamous heads of state protected from media scrutiny that any factual reportage re the 'royals' seems to strike a nerve.

i can assure you, as can CB i am quite certain, that this 'rupture' from past media restraint/denial is le nouveau mode.

"gossip is a 'trifling, groundless rumor."

NOt only; it is also :

"rumor or report of an intimate nature, a chatty talk"

(Webster)

[azloon]

la nouvelle mode?

how about 'the new way."

i can't find my car keys. how can i expect to remember high school french?

but it won't stop me from trying.

[azloon]

what's 'intimate' about what sarko's son does for a living?

if his son were a cannibal, would you think that fact ok for the media to report and or examine? or simply irrelevant chatter?

[Valentin]

chit chat; little old women with nothing else to do, getting out at the door and talking about the neighbour's daughter in law's underwear colour and how she moved her hips a little bit weird, which certainly shows she has a lover, and who the lover would be, maybe that tall young man once paying a visit to the husband, yes that must be it.....

[Terry]

Charles:

Did you lose the rights to the old picture on this blog?