Karim Fall, better known by his stage name Lefa (born 28 November 1985 in Paris), is a French rapper and dancer. He is a founding member of the French rap / hip hop collective Sexion d'Assaut. He has also released solo materials in 2015 and 2016. In June 2015 he released his debut solo album Monsieur Fall with big commercial success.

He was born to the Senegalese jazz musician Cheikh Tidiane Fall and his mother was a French choreographer and art therapist Christiane de Rougemont. He grew up in the 18e arrondissement of Paris and his beginnings were in breakdance.

He has closely collaborated with artists Black M and Gims, also members of Sexion d'Assaut, appearing on many of their albums. His friend Maître Gims named him Lefa (French slang for Fall, Lefa's family name). Later in 2013, he was reintroduced back in taking part in their 2013 tour but at much lower key, with Lefa deciding to concentrate more on his solo work. 2015-2016 was a veritable comeback with the release of the single "Quelques minutes" in 2015 and the album Monsieur Fall in February 2016.

Born of a Senegalese jazz musician father, Cheikh Tidiane Fall and a French choreographer and art therapist mother, Christiane de Rougemont, he grew up in rue des Abbesses located in Paris in the 18th arrondissement. During his teenage years he practiced dance, more specifically break dance. Before founding Sexion d'Assaut, he was part of another group called Assonance with Scrib'R, M.K.X, Maska, L.I.O. Petrodollars and Barack Adama.

Lefa is one of the first members of the Sexion d'Assaut, of which he is also one of the founders. It was Gims who baptized him Lefa (verlan de Fall). He is the member who made homophobic remarks during an interview in June 2010, which shocks and casts suspicion on the whole group.

The group then declared “not knowing the meaning of the word 'homophobic'”. Following the controversy, the group multiplied mea culpas and worked for militant anti-homophobia associations. In March 2012, the group released the studio album entitled L'Apogée. This is the last album in which Lefa appears with the group. After that, he left with his family to live in Morocco.

During 2012, Lefa no longer appears on stage with the other members of the collective, the group says he is “on a musical break” to devote himself to his personal life, but promises a return soon.

At the end of March 2013, Gims announced a possible return of Lefa in the Sexion d'Assaut during the 2013 tour. The latter confided in an interview that he would explain in his autobiography, released in 2015, this mysterious departure: "I have said I was going to explain why he was away. He is a music lover although he decided to take a step back. It's always been a guy like that Lefa. He often stopped, started again, stopped. There, he is in his period when he stopped, he is posed with his family. He had arranged it like this. But, out of respect for all the fans who follow us, we haven't talked about it openly, we haven't done any official stuff. I think it's best to explain this in a book". ...

Source: Article "Lefa (rapper)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Credits