Didier Morville (French pronunciation: [didje mɔʁvil]; born 27 October 1967), better known by his stage name JoeyStarr,[1] is a French rapper, record producer and actor, from Saint-Denis, Île-de-France. He co-founded the French rap band Suprême NTM in 1989 along with Kool Shen.

JoeyStarr
JoeyStarr at the nominees lunch for the 37th César Awards
JoeyStarr at the nominees lunch for the 37th César Awards
Background information
Birth nameDidier Morville
Also known asDouble R, L'Expert de la maison mère, Jaguarr Gorgone
Born (1967-10-27) 27 October 1967 (age 57)
Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, record producer, actor
Instrument(s)Percussion, synthesizer, keyboards, bass guitar, turntables
Years active1989–present
LabelsEpic, B.O.S.S.
Websitejoeystarr.fr

Life and career

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Childhood and upbringing

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JoeyStarr is from a family originating from the French overseas department of Martinique. He had a difficult childhood, having been raised by his violent father until he turned 18. He was taken from his mother when he was five years old, and only saw her again 18 years later. He tells of a time when his father killed his pet rabbit and made him eat it.[2]

In 1985, he joined the military at Baden-Baden, "19 months of hell", an experience which he raps about in his album Authentik.[3]

After the army, he wandered the streets, sleeping in subways and alleys. He discovered drugs and hip-hop, and the latter changed his life.[2]

Suprême NTM

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JoeyStarr (2007)

During his time on the streets, he met another aspiring rapper, Kool Shen, who was also born in Saint-Denis. In 1988 they formed the group Suprême NTM alias NTM.[4] When the first single came out in 1989, he could not cash the check, since he could not provide an address or a bank account.

The group achieved record sales with their four albums, but split in 1998.

It had a comeback as announced on 13 March 2008.[5]

Personal life

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JoeyStarr had an infamous romantic liaison with French actress Béatrice Dalle, and the couple appeared on TV shows and promotional events. JoeyStarr has two sons, Mathis and Kalil, with his current girlfriend, hip-hop journalist Leïla Dixmier.[6]

In 1999, he was sentenced to two months in prison for physically harassing a flight attendant.[7] He was also sentenced to three months in prison and fined 2,000 euros for physically abusing a former partner. His criminal record includes 13 infractions.[8] In 2003, he was condemned for animal brutality for hitting a monkey on national television, and was heavily criticized in the press and by his fans.[9]

Awards and nominations

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Music
  • 2007: "Best rap artist" during L'Année du hip-hop Les trophées
  • 2008: "Best concert" during L'Année du hip-hop Les trophées
Acting
  • 2010: Nomination for "Best actor in a secondary role" during César Award for his role in Le Bal des actrices
  • 2012: Nomination for "Best actor in a secondary role" during César Award for his role in Polisse
  • 2012: Laureate for Patrick Dewaere Award

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album Charts Certification
BEL
Wa

FR
[10]
SWI
2006 La dernière année 20 3 36
2011 Armageddon
(Cut Killer, JoeyStarr & Kimfu)
171
Egomaniac 22 5 47
Mixtapes
  • 2006: My Playlist
  • 2007: L'Anthology Mixtape

Singles

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Year Single Charts Certification Album
FR
[10]
2002 "Gaz-L" 29

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes
2000 La Tour Montparnasse Infernale Joël
2000 Old School Isaac
2004 RRRrrrr!!! Wood Club Tester
2008 Passe-passe Max
2008 La Personne aux deux personnes Himself
2009 Le Bal des actrices Himself
2010 L'Immortel Le Pistachier
2011 Polisse Fred Nominated–César Award for Best Supporting Actor
2011 Nuit blanche Feydek
2012 L'amour dure trois ans Jean-Georges
2012 Les seigneurs Shaheef Berda
2012 Max Toni
2012 Do Not Disturb Man in Prison
2013 The Mark of the Angels – Miserere Frank
2013 Une autre vie Jean
2014 Colt 45 Milo Cardena
2015 Les Gorilles Alfonso
2017 Alibi.com MC Stocma
2021 Cette musique ne joue pour personne Jésus

Television

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  • 1990 : Le Lyonnais (1 episode "Taggers)
  • 2001 : Toc toc toc (TV mini series) as himself
  • 2002 : H - (1 episode, "Lucifer")
  • 2003 : 60 jours 60 nuits de Juliette Baudouin as himself
  • 2008-2010 : Mafiosa, le clan as Moktar
  • 2015 : Call My Agent ! as himself

References

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  1. ^ Joeystarr not Joey Starr. He said that in his biography.
  2. ^ a b "Magazine Digital - l'Obs".
  3. ^ "Tous ces pédés de militaires / Qui pendant, oui, presque plus d'une année / M'ont séquéstré, malmené / Sous prétexte de faire de moi un homme, un vrai"
  4. ^ Helenon, Veronique. “Africa on Their Mind: Rap, Blackness, and Citizenship in France.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 151-66. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Pres
  5. ^ SUPRÊME NTM - Le site Officiel
  6. ^ "RFI Musique - - Biography - JoeyStarr". Archived from the original on 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  7. ^ "LE RAPPEUR DE NTM FAIT APPEL DE - l'Humanite". www.humanite.fr. Archived from the original on 2008-03-18.
  8. ^ Blanc, Amandine (Oct 28, 2021). "JoeyStarr violent envers ses compagnes ? Il répond". Femme Actuelle (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  9. ^ "[monkeywire] Rapper Fined for Hitting His Monkey". Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  10. ^ a b LesCharts.com: JoeyStarr page
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