K.Maro Makes English Debut And Clothes

10/07/08 3:39pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Quebec's K.Maro is set to unveil his English debut, Perfect Stranger, which will coincide with the launch of his Balbec clothing line.

Warner Music Canada will release Perfect Stranger on Oct. 28. K.Maro's (real name Cyril Kamar) fourth album was written by the Lebanon-born rapper and his longtime collaborator and friend, Louis Cote. If you're curious about Canada's top-selling hip-hop artist that you've probably never heard of, you can check out Perfect Stranger's first single, "Out In The Streets," on K.Maro's MySpace page.

Balbec is named after the Lebanese city of Baalbek. The clothing line will launch in late October and will reportedly stray from the baggy pants and extra large T-shirts that many other rappers wear and will instead focus on luxury clothes targeted at those who also wear Hugo Boss, Nautica and Ralph Lauren. You can see a promo video for it here:

K.Maro was born in Beirut in 1980. He and his family moved to Canada in 1995 after living in France. K.Maro has released three albums: 2002's I Am A L'Ancienne, 2004's La Good Life and 2005's Million Dollar Boy. His singles and albums have combined to sell more than two million copies worldwide, which apparently makes him Canada's top selling hip-hop artist. Sit down, Maestro.

K.Maro is also the CEO of K.Pone Inc., a label featuring Imposs, Ale Dee and France's Shy'm. K.Maro contributed to the songwriting and production of that last R&B artist's Mes Fantasies debut album, which was certified double-platinum in her homeland.

Torontonians should recognize the city in the background of this video for "Out In The Streets":

Here's the track list for Perfect Stranger:

"Intro"
"Out In The Streets"
"Take You Away"
"Let It Show"
"Never Walk Away"
"Good Old Days"
"Keep My Grind"
"Change The Game"
"Not Your Time To Go"
"Missing You"
"Take It Slow"
"Love It Or Leave It"
"Take You Away (Part 2)"
"Out In The Streets (Part 2)"
"Celebration"
"Outro"