Born Laouni Mouhid in 1981, La Fouine grew up in Trappes, a distant suburb of Paris. In 2003, having made a name for himself on the rap scene with a freestyle appearance on the mixtape Violences Urbaines, La Fouine was signed to Sony. He also became a mediator for youth groups in urban areas for his town at this time and his first release for the label reflected this: Bourré au Bon, released in 2005, was a real album of the streets, featuring pop hooks and hard-hitting texts with a hopeful gist. His second album, 2007's Aller-Retour, was a playful, confident album that featured the Top 20 single "Qui Peut Me Stopper?" ~ Caspar Salmon