1995 is a French rap group founded in 2008 in the southern part of Paris as P.O.S. The name was changed to "1995" in 2010 in reference to the year 1995, considered a "golden year" for French rap. The six-member group is composed of 5 rappers and one producer all coming from the 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris. 1995 are influenced by the spontaneous and positive vibes from the 1990 Frenchrap. The band name is pronounced in various formats like "Mille neuf cent quatre vingt quinze" or "Dix neuf quatre vingt quinze" or "un, neuf, neuf, cinq" or "un, double neuf, cinq". Despite offers for signing, the band has remained strongly independent through their own "Undoubleneufcinq" label.
The first five are rappers, whereas Lo' is a beatmaker and DJ. The rap group was established by Alpha Wann and Areno Jaz. Later on, it was expanded to include Nekfeu and Sneazzy. Fonky Flav' was met through some Myspace postings and became the producer of 1995's materials.
Career
After starting at rap competitions and open mic events in their various Paris and provincial venues, they realized the impact of the rap scene. They followed the establishment of various other rap collectives, founders Alpha Wann and Areno Jaz decided to expand P.O.S into a bigger formation paying tribute to the 1990s. The band released "Dans ta réssoi" that garnered quickly more than 5 million views on YouTube followed by "Hi Haters". They became a constant presence in different battles including the famous Rap Contenders. Their first EP containing 8 self-produced titles entitled La Source was released in France in June 2011. It reached #23 in the SNEP French official charts., and #7 in downloads in its first week of release. Their Facebook attracted 130,000 followers. and their YouTube accumulated 12 million views. Various members also release their own materials and projects like En Sous Marin EP by members Nekfeu and Alpha Wann, a net-EP by Sneazzy, or a mini-LP solo by Areno Jaz titled Alias Darryl Zeuja. In March 2012, their second EP was released under the title La suite distributed by Universal Music Group in agreement with the band's label. The band embarked on a tour and series of appearances in music festivals to promote the album. Paris Sud Minutethe first album of the collective was released beginning of 2013. It was chosen as "Best Urban Music Album" during the Victoires de la musique the same year.
