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 in Paris at the age of 18. He found success in the mid-2010s through material he published on social media (notably music videos on YouTube) and in 2016 released his debut album MHD, which sold more than 200,000 copies in 6 months. He later received international recognition, and toured in Guinea, England, Senegal and Morocco. His second album, titled 19, was released in September 2018.
In January 2019, MHD was arrested by French police and charged with second-degree murder following investigation into a murder case dating back to 2018. While claiming his innocence, he was remanded in custody for 18 months, before being convicted of murder in 2023. In 2021, he released a third album, Mansa. He is currently serving a 12 year prison sentence.
Life and career
1994–2012: Early life
Mohamed Sylla was born in La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée, France) of a Senegalese mother and a Guinean father; later in life, he moved to the 19th arrondissement of Paris. As a child, he and his family would often listen to music from Africa; he cites Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Salif Keita and Awilo Longomba as influences. His cousin is French-Guinean Rapper Gazo.
2012–2015: Debut
In 2012, aged 18, Sylla a.k.a. "MHD" (a stage name derived from his first name Mohamed) joined 1.9 Réseaux, a rap collective in the 19th arrondissement. After years of spending time and money trying to make a breakthrough, he eventually quit the gangsta rap scene. He then started to make a living, first by delivering pizza, before landing a job as a waiter in a luxury restaurant in the 6th arrondissement; MHD has since talked about this experience, and the casual racism he was subjected to by the patrons. After getting his BEP restauration (French foodservice qualification) he began considering a career in the catering industry.
2015–2016: The rise of "Afro Trap" In August 2015, while on vacation, MHD posted a video on the Internet, of himself doing a freestyle over a song by Nigerian band P-Square. The video, which he said he did "just for fun", was received with success on social media, and the positive feedback inspired him to make a comeback into music. However, he had been disappointed with the world of French-language rap from his previous experience, judging there was too much influence from American trends. Taking from his parents' West African roots, he decided to provide diversity to the genre by adding cultural elements of this region into his music, such as musical genres, or singing verses in languages like Fula or Bambara. He coined this newfound genre as "Afro Trap".
Back from vacation, MHD began filming a music video for his freestyle song in his housing estate of the 19th arrondissement. Released in September 2015, the video, titled Afro Trap Part. 1 (La Moula) and featuring local youths dancing in the streets, garnered popularity on YouTube, prompting him to release more songs and videos. Afro Trap Part. 3 (Champions League), a song praising football club Paris Saint-Germain, is considered a breakthrough in MHD's music career, with the song and its dance moves becoming popular with supporters –and later, players– of the club. Soon, he was invited to perform opening acts for French rapper Booba, was featured in the soundtrack of the film Pattaya, and was invited to the Élysée –the French presidential palace– by then-President François Hollande on the occasion of a visit by Guinean President Alpha Condé.
2016–2018: Studio career
His first studio album, named after his stage name, MHD, was released on 15 April 2016. It includes six parts of his Afro Trap series and songs featuring Fally Ipupa and Angélique Kidjo. The album sold more than 200,000 copies in less than six months, earning a double platinum certification in France.
He made successful tours in Europe and Africa, and became an ambassador for clothing brand Puma.
In September 2018, while preparing the release of his second studio album 19, MHD stated on social media that he had become disillusioned with the music industry and that he might retire after the release of the album. His second album, titled "19" (a reference to the 19th arrondissement where he used to live) was released on 19 September 2018, including collaborations with artists such as Salif Keita, Dadju, Orelsan and Nigerian pop star Wizkid; as of 2019, it sold more than 75,000 copies.