MHD

Mohamed Sylla (born 10 September 1994), better known by his stage name MHD, is a French rapper from Paris, who is known for blending trap music with music of West Africa; a genre he coined as "Afro Trap". He was previously part of the rap collective 1.9 Réseaux. Born in Vendée to a family of West African extraction, MHD began his career as a rapper at the age of 18 while living in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Initially struggling to make a name in rap music –to the extent that he considered quitting the industry to work in foodservice– MHD became famous in the mid-2010s through material he published on social media. Soon after, he performed opening acts for artists such as Booba, was invited to present his work on nationwide radio and TV shows, and was invited to the Élysée Palace by then-President of France, François Hollande. His debut album MHD, released in 2016 and featuring collaborations with Fally Ipupa and Angélique Kidjo, sold more than 200,000 copies in six months. He later received international recognition, and has performed in locations such as Nongo Stadium in Guinea and Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands, and also toured in England, Senegal and Morocco. His second album, titled 19, was released in September 2018, featuring collaborations with artists such as Salif Keita and Wizkid. Since January 2019, MHD has been remanded in custody by the French police as part of an investigation about the death of a 23-year-old man in Paris in July 2018. Charged with voluntary manslaughter, MHD has claimed his innocence through his lawyer, and is currently waiting for trial.