Real name Éric Mazel, DJ Khéops is a French DJ and producer born in Marseille on May 4, 1966. A passionate music fan from his early teens, he quickly turned to hip-hop and the turntable, becoming one of the pioneers of the movement in France. A founding member of the group IAM alongside Akhenaton, Shurik'n, Imhotep and Kephren, he played a key role in defining the group's sound, both on stage and in the construction of its musical universe, contributing scratches, ambiences and samples. With IAM, he has been involved in all the group's major successes since the late 1980s, including the albums De la Planète Mars (1991), Ombre est Lumière (1993), L'École du Micro d'Argent (1997) and the following records that marked the history of French rap. Alongside his work with IAM, DJ Khéops has also been active as a solo artist and in collective projects. In 1998, he released the Sad Hill compilation, a concept album featuring a host of French and international rappers, with atmospheres inspired by Western film scores and dark sounds, followed in 2001 by Sad Hill Impact. These albums became benchmarks in French rap from 1990-2000. Khéops has also released mixtapes, such as the Opération Funk series (seven volumes between 2002 and 2011), and taken part in multiple collaborations. Still active alongside IAM and as a solo artist, he takes part in tours and recordings for France's most popular rap group.
