Soolking built his name in France on a sound that takes some untangling: Algerian raï folded into trap production, Oriental samples surfacing under urban pop hooks, the occasional reggae or soul detour. By any commercial measure, the combination worked — nine diamond-certified singles in France, more than 3 billion streams, and three consecutive albums that charted in the top five. On Thursday, February 4, he plays Place Bell in Laval at 8 p.m.
About the Show
Born Abderraouf Derradji in 1989 near Algiers, Soolking grew up in a musical household (his father was a musician) and initially pursued dance before relocating to France in 2008. He returned to Algeria to perform as MC Sool with the hip-hop collective Africa Jungle, releasing two albums with the group, before relaunching his solo career in Marseille in 2016. His debut album Fruit du Démon arrived in November 2018, reached No. 5 in France, and went platinum within seven months. Vintage (2020) climbed to No. 3; Sans Visa (2022) peaked at No. 2 and went double-platinum. His single “Casanova” earned diamond certification and brought his catalog wider international reach. His most recent release, Africa Jungle Pt. 1, arrived in 2025.
The style draws from a wide pool. Press coverage describes it as “a vibrant mélange of hip-hop, urban pop, and trap, always infused with references to his Algerian and African roots” — he samples artists like Fairuz and Magic System, pulls in Latin accents, and shifts between rap and sung hooks without much ceremony. He also carries political weight: his 2019 single “Liberté” was a direct response to Algerian pro-democracy protests that led to President Bouteflika’s resignation. Beyond the charts, he has been credited with opening pathways for other Maghrebi artists in the French rap scene. Songkick lists Montreal as his second-most-visited city globally, and he has maintained a schedule of 14 to 22 shows annually since 2022. No support acts are listed.
Venue & Logistics
Place Bell is a 10,172-seat arena at 1950 Claude-Gagné Street in Laval, in the North Country region. Soolking carried 6.6 million monthly Spotify listeners and 4.2 billion YouTube views as of early 2026; the venue fits the scale. Showtime is 8 p.m.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Tickets went on sale October 15, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Buy tickets