Synopsis
The video connects Paris and New York through a transatlantic phone call between MC Solaar and Guru. Moving between separate urban locations, the two rappers deliver their verses in French and English while the camera captures street scenes, performance footage, graffiti, and members of the wider hip-hop community. The visual structure mirrors the song's central contrast between "the good" and "the bad," presenting the collaboration as a direct cultural exchange between French rap and New York hip-hop.
Factoids & Trivia
- Released in 1993, the track appears on Guru's *Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1*, the album that combined rap with live jazz musicians and guest vocalists.
- The video was filmed across Paris and New York, reinforcing the song's opening "Paris-Brooklyn" concept and its bilingual exchange.
- MC Solaar's parts are performed in French, while Guru raps in English. The video emphasizes this contrast through the artists' phone conversation and separate locations.
- The collaboration helped bring MC Solaar to a wider English-speaking hip-hop audience. It is widely regarded as one of the important early French-American rap linkups.
- The track was produced by Jimmy Jay, MC Solaar's longtime collaborator. Guru's invitation followed their earlier connection through a remix related to Solaar's debut-era material.
- The clip features appearances from figures connected to New York's early-1990s hip-hop scene, including Jeru the Damaja, Lil Dap, Big Shug, and Fab 5 Freddy.
- The song was released as a single in the United States in 1993, with "Le Bien, Le Mal" also receiving MTV Europe exposure during the promotion of *Jazzmatazz*.