Ma destinée

Among us, everyone wonders about the meaning of life
What drives us? Is it the pursuit of happiness or escaping the bad days?
Don't forget that choosing means giving something up
So many battles to fight in a destiny
There are too many dilemmas in my destiny,
Too many joys, too many pains in my destiny
Of victories and failures in my destiny
That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

80s, my childhood in Africa,
Kinshasa, between hope for independence, misery, and trafficking
I'm comfortable with my people around me
My grandma's Senegalese, my dad's a Bantu lyricist
Mobutu's dictatorship, the country is falling apart
Back then, we didn't know the situation was serious
It smells like drama, but I love my city, Kinshasa
During the week I go to school, on weekends to the madrasa
There are too many forces in my destiny
Too many childhood memories in my destiny
Too much nostalgia for Africa in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

September '88, Paris here I come for studies, not for the MIC
I land at Roissy, far from my roots and Kin
Here they talked to me about racists and skinheads, damn
Immigrant family, ordinary struggles in a home in Osny, my first neighborhood is Ravinière
Anyway, after living through the crisis
I quickly understood we’ll never be kids of the homeland
There are too many struggles in my destiny
Too many hopes, too many falls in my destiny
Too many paths, too many goals in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

'92 I write my first 12
I got the blues, first track about the streets, "the street as a wife"
In my head, it was a trip for my buddies
Who were eyeing the girls and vibing to my words, yo
Fired up too soon, I rap with Abdoulai and Walai
The guys from Cergy know my first punchlines
Devil Red got me started
I haven't forgotten, Philo and Prod helped me shine
There are too many rhymes in my destiny
Too many memories in Cergy in my destiny
Too much love for rap in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

October '93, devastating memories,
Why, I fuck the bailiffs, the cops, the movers.
It was hell, kicked out by losers,
I came from class and saw our stuff on the sidewalks
Too late, a woman and four kids thrown out on the street,
The fifth spat his hate at France, he's in custody,
How to recover?
Food, clothes, a family's life tossed out the window,
There's little cash in my destiny,
Too much anti-cop hate in my destiny,
Of grudges, of bitterness in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

On May 30, 2000, Inès was born
She's my niece, my love, I'm overjoyed when her arms wrap around me
Beyond everything, nothing has more value
Than my family, than my wife, those who loved me even in hardship
I know that without them it's hell
And I feel better every time I make them proud
Parents are a shelter, a guide,
And I hope, God willing, I’ll be a father too,
There are too many laughs in my destiny,
Too much love, too many smiles in my destiny,
Too many good times to live in my destiny,
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right

Okay, 2007 came to change the game,
I'm killing it with mixtapes, tight flow, and here’s my album,
May the competition forgive my talent,
In this case, you can hate, but I won’t sit back,
Not born in the ghetto, don’t give a damn about your rules
Your rap is too stiff, coming from the hood, I have other dreams
And I reveal to you that Youssoupha came to offend you
Because you’ve never heard French rap

In my destiny, too many hopes and stories in my destiny
Too many reasons to believe in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right
Too many dilemmas in my destiny,
Too many joys, too many pains in my destiny
Of victories and failures in my destiny
And that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right.