Black M (short for Black Mesrimes) is the stage name of Alpha Diallo, a French-Guinean rapper who first became known as a member of successful French hip-hop collective Sexion d'Assaut, which he joined in 2004. Diallo's colorful personality and tongue-twisting rhyme style, often involving onomatopoeia and humorous wordplay, made him one of the most celebrated members of the group. Sexion d'Assaut released numerous mixtapes and independent releases during the 2000s prior to the release of their official debut and mainstream breakthrough, 2010's L'École des Points Vitaux. In addition to his work with Sexion d'Assaut, Diallo released the collaborative EP Le Pacte (credited to Bakry et Black Mesrimes) in 2006, and appeared on singles by DJ Abdel and Major Lazer. Black M's debut solo album, Les Yeux Plus Gros Que le Monde arrived on Wati-B in March of 2014, and was an enormous success; the album went quadruple platinum, and every track other than the intro and interlude charted in the French singles chart, including the number one smash "Sur Ma Route." The album was reissued later in the year as Le Monde Plus Gros Que Mes Yeux, and included a bonus disc with eight additional tracks. Live album Les Yeux Plus Gros Que l'Olympia followed in 2015, and was available both as an audio CD/download or a DVD. Diallo's heavily anticipated second studio album, Éternal Insatisfait, arrived in 2016. The album was partially written as a reaction to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. However, it also had an optimistic, party-ready vibe to it. The album included guest appearances by Shakira (on "Comme Moi") as well as Manu Dibango and Amadou & Mariam (on bonus track "Je Suis Chez Moi [African Version]"). ~ Paul Simpson