UK Guardian (2008)-French President Sarkozy's Son Is Hip Hop Producer

PIerre Sarkozy, a.k.a. Mosey, with Timothy "Timbaland" Mosely:myspace.com

(Story reported on 8 January 2008 by Paul MacInnes for the UK Guardian)

First, to France, where a burgeoning hip-hop talent by the name of Mosey is making waves with his beats, his hooks and his genetic similarity to President Nicolas Sarkozy. Yes, it turns out that the French president, who once called the disaffected youth of the banlieues scum, has himself sired wannabe pondlife. Which would be funny, if it wasn't so flipping predictable.

The story regarding the rise of Sarkozy's son Pierre in the French hip-hop fraternity is reported this morning in the Independent and the Times, but the Times' account is both haughtier and more dubious in tone, so we'll concentrate on that one.

"It emerged yesterday that Sarko junior, a hip-hop producer who calls himself Mosey, has written a song for Poison, one of the angriest minstrels from the Paris banlieue ghettos."

Minstrels - see, it's already off to a good start. Anyway, the piece goes on to explain that Pierre's transformation into Mosey has been a while in the making. Apparently, while Sarkozy was interior minister and pledging to clear the streets of "racaille" (which the Times translates as "layabouts"), he was also gently encouraging young Pierre to get the hell rid of the dreadlocks he was sporting at the time. While Pierre obliged, that wasn't the end of his love for Afro-Caribbean culture. In fact, it was only strengthened.

(Click here to read the full story on the UK Guardian website.)