Intik
Encyclopedia
Intik is an Algeria
n rap/hip hop group consisting of four artists. The group raps in both Darija
(Algerian Arabic
creole) and French
and often drawing upon the violence all four experienced while growing up in turbulent Algeria during the 80s and 90s. The name Intik in Algerian dialect means “everything’s going great”, which is ironic considering the Algerian political unrest which the Intik focuses upon. Intik's front man is the rapper Youss (short for Youssef) with the other members being Reda, Samir, and Nabil.
in 1988, specifically at one protest in which the military opened fire on the assembled crowd of Algerians which included the to-be members of Intik. In an interview Youss discusses the moment when he knew he wanted to rap, "Because I saw [the events in Algeria October 5th, 1988]... I was scared I saw virulent violence with a capital 'V'. It was state terrorism
as it's called. A military that shoots the people. And I witnessed it. I even have scars from that... I was young in '88... beaten by the police." This state-terrorism inspired Youss to write about the government. He asked questions and he states that “the more you asked questions, the more you discover. And when you didn’t ask questions, you discover nothing. As soon as you begin to reflect, you begin to have answers.” It’s from these answers that he got his lyrics from and then expressed it in rap.
Reda, was already into rap. He was writing rhymes in Arabic as were Nabil and Samir as well. Youss was more into the reggae and ragga scene.
The group Intik was founded when Algerian artist [Youss] (who was determined to leave Algeria at the time) joined with the group and just “buckled down and worked”. At the time, Youss was actually just trying to help these men “make a better life for themselves” by getting out of Algeria and heading to France
. When Youss knew that he would be coming to France, he said that he wasn’t alone, and that he was a part of a group “just to get the visas”. The group rapped in both French
and Arabic. In terms of obtaining rap to listen to when Youss was just beginning his rapping career, he said, “it was really difficult but we had ways of getting hold of the music. There was always someone in England
or in France who'd send us cassettes”. The group was discovered by a successful French rap group IAM (band)
after they heard them at a festival. Due to the talent, a few well known artists wanted to be featured on their first album; however Intik wanted to create their own success without using already famous artists to help them.
, made two albums together, the self titled "Intik" in 1999 and Victoire in 2001, and also performed on a tour. After these accomplishments, Youss “wanted to do his own thing”, claiming that he “couldn’t go and do a third album because it was too draining”. Accordingly, Youcef claims that he was responsible for “everything” involved with putting together the two albums, which included writing the songs and managing the group. Youcef claims that the message of the group is a call to the people for peace.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n rap/hip hop group consisting of four artists. The group raps in both Darija
Darija
Darija is the group of Arabic dialects spoken by Maghrebi Arabic speakers. It is only used for oral communication, with Modern Standard Arabic used for written communication...
(Algerian Arabic
Algerian Arabic
Algerian Arabic is the variety or varieties of Arabic spoken in Algeria. In Algeria, as elsewhere, spoken Arabic differs from written Arabic; Algerian Arabic has a vocabulary mostly Arabic, with significant Berber substrates, and many new words and loanwords borrowed from French, Turkish and...
creole) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and often drawing upon the violence all four experienced while growing up in turbulent Algeria during the 80s and 90s. The name Intik in Algerian dialect means “everything’s going great”, which is ironic considering the Algerian political unrest which the Intik focuses upon. Intik's front man is the rapper Youss (short for Youssef) with the other members being Reda, Samir, and Nabil.
Founding
The four started rapping after experiencing the violence in AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in 1988, specifically at one protest in which the military opened fire on the assembled crowd of Algerians which included the to-be members of Intik. In an interview Youss discusses the moment when he knew he wanted to rap, "Because I saw [the events in Algeria October 5th, 1988]... I was scared I saw virulent violence with a capital 'V'. It was state terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
as it's called. A military that shoots the people. And I witnessed it. I even have scars from that... I was young in '88... beaten by the police." This state-terrorism inspired Youss to write about the government. He asked questions and he states that “the more you asked questions, the more you discover. And when you didn’t ask questions, you discover nothing. As soon as you begin to reflect, you begin to have answers.” It’s from these answers that he got his lyrics from and then expressed it in rap.
Reda, was already into rap. He was writing rhymes in Arabic as were Nabil and Samir as well. Youss was more into the reggae and ragga scene.
The group Intik was founded when Algerian artist [Youss] (who was determined to leave Algeria at the time) joined with the group and just “buckled down and worked”. At the time, Youss was actually just trying to help these men “make a better life for themselves” by getting out of Algeria and heading to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. When Youss knew that he would be coming to France, he said that he wasn’t alone, and that he was a part of a group “just to get the visas”. The group rapped in both French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Arabic. In terms of obtaining rap to listen to when Youss was just beginning his rapping career, he said, “it was really difficult but we had ways of getting hold of the music. There was always someone in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
or in France who'd send us cassettes”. The group was discovered by a successful French rap group IAM (band)
IAM (band)
IAM is a French hip hop band from Marseille, created in 1989, and composed of Akhenaton , Shurik'n , Khéops , Imhotep , and Kephren . 'IAM' has several meanings, including 'Invasion Arrivée de Mars'...
after they heard them at a festival. Due to the talent, a few well known artists wanted to be featured on their first album; however Intik wanted to create their own success without using already famous artists to help them.
Artistic Output
Youss says the signing of the group Intik with Saint George/Sony records was due to a song he wrote by himself before he had ever met the group. The song is titled, "Va Le Dire A Ta Mere, Va Le Dire A Ton Pere". That was the first song he recorded by himself, and then performed it later with the group. He claims that ultimately, that song is the reason Intik was signed. Youss claims that the group’s music is “a mixture of Chaâbi the traditional Algerian music, of Reggae, a bit of groove, and a bit of Raï too. The group, which fuses Western and Algerian cultureCulture of Algeria
The culture of Algeria encompasses the development of literature, music, religion and cuisine.-Literature:Modern Algerian literature, split between Arabic and French,and has been strongly influenced by the country's recent history. Known poets in modern Algeria are Mufdi Zakaria, Mohammed al Aid in...
, made two albums together, the self titled "Intik" in 1999 and Victoire in 2001, and also performed on a tour. After these accomplishments, Youss “wanted to do his own thing”, claiming that he “couldn’t go and do a third album because it was too draining”. Accordingly, Youcef claims that he was responsible for “everything” involved with putting together the two albums, which included writing the songs and managing the group. Youcef claims that the message of the group is a call to the people for peace.