Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as … Read Full Bio ↴Pierpoljak
Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as the White Rasta, has not always espoused Rastafarism. Far from it, in fact. The singer has followed a fairly tortuous path to fame, with many ups and downs in his personal life, before achieving his current success.
Born in Paris on 7 September 1964, Pierpoljak (whose real name is Pierre) grew up in Colombes in the Paris suburbs. Pierre was a difficult adolescent who got into all sorts of trouble and in the mid-70s he got involved in the punk/skinhead movement. It was around the same time that he took his first steps as a musician, playing bass with a local band called Samu 92. Pierre’s passion for punk eventually led to him moving to London in 1981 where he threw himself into the violent, aggressive sound of the "No future" movement. Living in a squat in Stockwell, in south-west London, Pierre gradually came to discover reggae through his Jamaican-born neighbours, listening to the likes of Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals. This proved to be a big musical revelation for him.
Pierre eventually returned to France and got into trouble with the authorities, ending up serving time in Fleury-Mérogis prison. When he got out of jail, the young adventurer decided to take to the high seas, travelling round the Caribbean. Pierre signed up as a member of the crew of a cargo ship and spent the next few years sailing round the French West Indies and the Dominican Republic (an island he grew particularly fond of).
On his return to France, Pierre took up his old musical activities once again and began to make a name for himself on the Paris underground scene, performing under the pseudonym Brada Peter, then Peter Pan. He managed to get two of his earliest tracks onto the 1994 compilation "Earthquake", an album which also featured up-and-coming reggae stars such as Saï Saï and Tonton David.
Success story
By 1991, Pierre - who, by that point, had changed his stage name to Pierpoljak - was living in the countryside with a wife and child to support. He had started writing and composing his own material in his home studio and his songs soon came to the attention of a major label, Barclay, who offered him a recording contract in 1995.
1996 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s debut album, entirely recorded in the comfort of his own home. One of the songs on it, "La Music", ended up remixed by legendary reggae producer Clive Hunt and this boosted the success of Pierpoljak’s album, giving it a second lease of life. A few months later, a new version of the album was released as "En Jamaïca", featuring a number of Jamaican DJs toasting on several tracks including "Annie" and "Touriste à Babylone." Meanwhile, Pierpoljak threw a great deal of time and energy into the live circuit, performing a hectic round of concerts and appearing at the famous Transmusicales festival in Rennes in 1997.
After the experience he had acquired in the studio and on the live circuit, Pierpoljak decided the time had come to fulfill one of his oldest dreams and he flew out to record a new album in Jamaica with Clive Hunt. Working in the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Kingston Town, the French reggaeman teamed up with some of the hottest names on the local music scene including drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and guitarist Earl "China" Smith.
Pierpoljak’s second album, "Kingston Karma", released in June 1998, featured fourteen tracks with superbly-crafted lyrics. It also included an extraordinary reworking of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma", characterised by Pierpoljak’s signature vocal drawl. The first single release from the album, the catchy "Je sais pas jouer", set the tone for what was to come, proving that French reggae could finally branch out onto the musical mainstream and follow rap to the top of the charts
Pierpoljak set off on an extensive national tour in 1998, taking his infectious reggae sound up and down the country. He put in a number of appearances at major French music festivals during the tour and appeared at the Printemps de Bourges in April 1999.
After his own personal breakthrough on the French music scene, Pierpoljak embarked upon a collective project in 2000, aimed at demonstrating that Gallic reggae had now emerged in a league of its own. With a helping hand from Jamaican drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Pierpoljak got a number of young up-and-coming reggae stars such as Flamengo, Asher, Dynamik and Mathieu Ruben together with a bunch of reggae veterans including Daddy Yod, Supa John, Daddy Mory (a former member of Raggasonic) and Pablo Master. And the whole crew went into the studio together to record "+2coeur=soleil", a personal homage to Pierpoljak’s favourite sound.
Pierpoljak returned to the studio almost immediately afterwards on his own account to begin work on his next solo album, "Je fais c’que j’veux." Once again, he headed out to Kingston, Jamaica, to work with his old friend, Clive Hunt. But he took a very different approach from his first album, arriving in Jamaica with his songs already written this time. Musically speaking, Pierpoljak’s second album was a pure reggae affair, but in terms of the lyrics "Je fais c’que j’veux" drew heavily on the singer’s own personal experiences with a number of openly autobiographical songs such as "Né dans les rues de Paris" (Born on the streets of Paris) and the first single release, "Dépareillé" (The odd one out).
This second album proved to be a huge hit, earning Pierpoljak a double gold disc in sales. But, unfortunately, the singer fell ill while he was out on the road promoting "Je fais c’que j’veux" and underwent a prolonged stay in hospital. At this point, Pierpoljak began seriously questioning whether he had any kind of future in the music business at all. Beset by doubts, he decided to take to the seas once again, setting sail from the Martinican capital Fort-de-France and stopping off at the Canaries and Cape Verde along the way. It was while enjoying another brief stop in Grenada (the Windward Islands) that Pierpoljak happened to hear a burst of local ragga playing on someone’s radio. The experience rekindled his musical spark and, after not picking up his guitar once in four months, the White Rasta was suddenly motivated to start singing and playing again.
Back in Paris, Pierpoljak surrounded himself with positive vibes and threw himself back into songwriting with a vengeance. This proved to be a highly productive period for the singer. Finally, at the beginning of 2003, Pierpoljak headed out to the Tuff Gong studios once again to begin work on a new album.
Resolutely roots
September 2003 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s fourth album, "Stim Turban." This was intended to be a resolutely authentic ‘roots’ affair with no added effects or embellishments. This time round, Pierpoljak did not work with producer Clive Hunt, but took care of everything himself (from the songwriting and the arrangements to the final mix). In the making of this fourth album, the French reggaeman worked with the ‘crème de la crème’ of Jamaican musicians, forming a band called Stim Turban - after whom this fourth album was named. Following the release of the album, "Général PK" embarked upon an intensive series of concerts and performed at a number of major French and international music festivals.
After a trip to Tahiti, Pierpoljak was invited to perform at the Reggae Donn Sa festival in Mauritius in August 2005. He returned to the Indian Ocean region in November of that year for a concert in La Réunion.
In January 2006, Pierpoljak took part in a special ‘Francophone reggae’ night organised at the Elysée-Montmartre, in Paris. On this occasion Pierpoljak shared the stage with the likes of Tonton David and the Ivorian reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly. And he teamed up with the latter for a live version of "Si Si", a duet which featured on his album "Je blesserai personne" released in March 2006.
Working with an artistic director for the first time in his career (despite the fact that he had publicly ridiculed the profession of artistic director on his hit "J'sais pas jouer"), Pierpoljak recorded a number of new songs for his new album in France with French musicians. Then he headed off to Jamaica, where he hooked up with producer Clive Hunt once again and worked in a recording studio owned by Shaggy. Pierpoljak’s new album, "Je blesserai personne", was much more musically diverse than his previous work and less obviously formatted Kingston reggae-style. In fact, "Je blesserai personne" seemed to mark a major turning-point in the French reggae singer’s career, its release coinciding with him cutting off his dreadlocks and breaking away from his Jamaican look.
Another Pierpoljak album, entitled "Chéper", was released later that same year and sold exclusively at the singer’s concerts and via his website. Meanwhile, Pierpoljak appeared on the reggae compilation "Il est cinq heures, Kingston s'éveille" (performing his own reggae-fied version of "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle" by the group Il était une fois). He also recorded a duet with the Japanese artist Tomuya which featured on Tomuya’s album "Un Japonais à Paris" (released in March 2007).
July 2007 saw the release of "Tuff Gong Blues", an album distributed in Germany but not in France. In fact, the album was released in Germany not under Pierpoljak’s name, but under the pseudonym Pekah. The songs on the album (almost all of them in English) had been recorded around the time of "Je fais c'que j'veux" and were produced by Clive Hunt. The majority of them were written by Doniki (a singer who appeared on Pierpoljak’s first Jamaican album in 1997). "Tuff Gong Blues" featured seven duets with Jamaican artists such as Horace Andy and Anthony B as well as an interesting reworking of Dennis Brown’s reggae classic "Money In My Pocket." Coinciding with the release of "Tuff Gong Blues" in Germany, Pierpoljak performed a concert in Berlin at the end of July
Cultivateur Moderne
Pierpoljak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si t'es par hasard un de ces cultivateurs modernes
Sache que la main verte est l'expression de la création
Si t'es un moka de sensemilia mais pas de gras
Sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Si t'es paré pour le jardin enfile tes bottes et vient
Car une plantation reste secrète tu le sais bien
Tu ne dis pas n'importe quoi tu n'amènes pas n'importe qui
Les chasseurs et les gendarmes sont nos ennemis
Les fouineurs et les taxeurs le sont aussi
Si t'es par hasard un de ces dread horticulteurs
Ta passion pour ces fleurs est tout à ton honneur
Si t'es pas un moka soutiens nous les planta
Et sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Tu connais le développement la floraison et le gel
L'eau de pluie est la meilleure avec son pote le soleil
N'enlève pas les fleurs au début ton pied ne peut pas grandir
N'arrache pas toutes les branches man tu le fais souffrir
Boycotte la poudre chimique de chez Babylon Garden
Tu fabriques ton engrais naturel ça en vaut la peine
Si t'es par hasard un de ces cultivateurs modernes
Sache que la main verte est l'expression de la création
Si t'es un moka de sensemilia mais pas de gras
Sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Tu as besoin de matériel quand tu le fais à l'intérieur
Tu es seul avec Jah quand tu es à l'extérieur
Les productions chimiques en coeur du béton
Me rappellent ces poulets entassés sous les néons
La Skonka manipulée ne me procure pas c'que j'veux
Si je fume de la week c'est pour être pour près de Dieu
Si t'es par hasard un de ces dread horticulteurs
Ta passion pour ces fleurs est tout à ton honneur
Si t'es pas un moka soutiens-nous les planta
Et sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
The song "Cultivateur moderne" by Pierpoljak is a tribute to the art of gardening and specifically to the cultivation of marijuana. The song starts by praising all the gardeners who are getting ready to plant their crops. The lyrics then address those who are modern cultivators of marijuana, emphasizing that having a green thumb is a sign of creativity. The song goes on to explain that marijuana is a product of mother earth and that those who understand and respect her will reap the benefits of her bounty.
The chorus of the song urges modern cultivators to take their passion seriously and to support the cause of cultivating marijuana. The verses provide practical advice for successful cultivation, such as keeping the plants secret, using natural fertilizer, and avoiding chemical additives. The song also critiques industrial agriculture and the manipulation of marijuana for mass production.
In conclusion, "Cultivateur moderne" is a song that celebrates the art of gardening, the benefits of growing marijuana, and the connection between humans and mother earth. Pierpoljak's lyrics provide practical advice for those interested in growing their own marijuana in a responsible and sustainable way, while also cautioning against the dangers of overproduction and industrialization.
Line by Line Meaning
Toutes les équipes de jardiniers parées à planter
Everyone is getting ready to plant their gardens.
Si t'es par hasard un de ces cultivateurs modernes
If you happen to be one of these modern cultivators.
Sache que la main verte est l'expression de la création
Know that the green thumb is an expression of creation.
Si t'es un moka de sensemilia mais pas de gras
If you're a smoker of sensimilla but not of fat.
Sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Know that the weed comes from the belly of the earth, our mother.
Si t'es paré pour le jardin enfile tes bottes et vient
If you're ready for the garden, put on your boots and come.
Il faudra marcher dans la forêt par les petits chemins
You'll have to walk through the forest along the small paths.
Car une plantation reste secrète tu le sais bien
Because a plantation remains a secret, you know that well.
Tu ne dis pas n'importe quoi tu n'amènes pas n'importe qui
You don't say anything to anyone, you don't bring anyone.
Les chasseurs et les gendarmes sont nos ennemis
Hunters and the police are our enemies.
Les fouineurs et les taxeurs le sont aussi
Snoopers and tax collectors are also our enemies.
Si t'es par hasard un de ces dread horticulteurs
If you happen to be one of these dread horticulturists.
Ta passion pour ces fleurs est tout à ton honneur
Your passion for these flowers is all to your credit.
Tu connais le développement la floraison et le gel
You know about growth, flowering and freezing.
L'eau de pluie est la meilleure avec son pote le soleil
Rainwater is the best with its buddy, the sun.
N'enlève pas les fleurs au début ton pied ne peut pas grandir
Don't remove the flowers at the beginning, your plant can't grow.
N'arrache pas toutes les branches man tu le fais souffrir
Don't pull out all the branches, man, you make it suffer.
Boycotte la poudre chimique de chez Babylon Garden
Boycott the chemical powder from Babylon Garden.
Tu fabriques ton engrais naturel ça en vaut la peine
You make your own natural fertilizer, it's worth it.
Tu as besoin de matériel quand tu le fais à l'intérieur
You need equipment when you do it inside.
Tu es seul avec Jah quand tu es à l'extérieur
You're alone with Jah when you're outside.
Les productions chimiques en coeur du béton
Chemical productions in the heart of concrete.
Me rappellent ces poulets entassés sous les néons
Remind me of those chickens packed under the neon lights.
La Skonka manipulée ne me procure pas c'que j'veux
The manipulated Skonka doesn't give me what I want.
Si je fume de la week c'est pour être pour près de Dieu
If I smoke weed it's to be closer to God.
Si t'es pas un moka soutiens-nous les planta
If you're not a smoker, support us cultivators.
Et sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
And know that weed comes from the belly of the earth, our mother.
Contributed by Evelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@32s_one33
Toutes les équipes de jardiniers
Paré a planté!
Je dis si t'es par hasard
Un de ces cultivateurs modernes
Sache que la main verte est l'expression de la création
Si t'es un smoka de sensemilia, mais pas de gras
Sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
T’es paré pour le jardin enfile tes bottes et viens
Il faudra marcher dans la forêt par les petits chemins
Car une plantation reste secrète, tu le sais bien
Tu n'dis pas n'importe quoi tu n'amènes pas n'importe qui
Les chasseurs et les gendarmes sont nos ennemis
Les fouineurs et les taxeurs le sont aussi
Je dis si t'es par hasard
Un de ces dreads horticulteurs
Ta passion pour ces fleurs est tout à ton honneur
Si t'es un smoka soutiens-nous les plantas
Et sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Tu connais le développement la floraison et le gel
L'eau de pluie est la meilleure avec son pote le soleil
N'enlève pas ces feuilles au début ton pied ne peut pas grandir
N'arrache pas toutes ces branches man tu le fais souffrir
Boycotte la poudre chimique de chez Babylon Garden
Tu fabriques ton engrais naturel ça en vaut la peine
Je dis si t'es par hasard
Un de ces cultivateurs modernes
Sache que la main verte est l'expression de la création
Si t'es un smoka de sensemilia, mais pas de gras
Sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
Tu as besoin de matériel quand tu le fais à l'intérieur
Tu es seul avec Jah quand tu es à l'extérieur
Les productions chimiques au coeur du béton
Me rappellent ces poulets entassés sous les néons
La skanka manipulée ne me procure pas c'que j'veux
Si je fume de la weed c'est pour être plus près de Dieu
Si t'es par hasard
Un de ces dread horticulteurs
Ta passion pour ces fleurs est tout à ton honneur
Si t'es un smoka soutiens-nous les planta
Et sache que la beuher vient du ventre de la terre notre mère
@Dashu-Baba
Printemps 2023 on écoute toujours PK et on sort ses outils de jardin ☀️🌴
@gloomiz1
Je refuse de grandir et je reste avec toutes ces chansons
@KDD_-Donovan
Si je fume de la weed sais pour être plus prêt de dieu merci Pierpoljak 💚💛❤️
@biscottefragile8621
C'est la meilleur de son Album je trouve excellent !! 2021 toujours au top
@sylvainsissi6005
Je fais se que je veux et sa continuité selon moi. 🥰😋🤣
@quentinvernet6585
15 ans que j'écoute cet album je ne m'en lasse pas!!!
@franckturgis1547
Merci beaucoup
@stephanebelleguie5425
Du bon reggae français il n'y en a pas tant...
@audparadis1632
Grave ! Je crois bien qu'il habite dans ma ville, jle croise souvent ! En attendant il est pas très causant.. mais bon pas grave ! On kiff tjs autant
@teamscorp987fightforlife8
Pareillement bro bon son