Gims

Gandhi Alimasi Djuna, known professionally as Gims and formerly as Maître Gims, is a Congolese singer and rapper based in France and Morocco. He first achieved prominence as a member of the French hip-hop group Sexion d'Assaut before establishing a successful solo career in 2013. Known for blending rap and urban pop, he has sold millions of records and topped the French charts on multiple occasions.

Djuna was born on 6 May 1986 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), into a musical family; his father, Djanana Djuna, was a singer for Viva La Musica. In 1988, his family moved to France as undocumented immigrants. Djuna spent a difficult childhood living in squats and foster care until age 18. Raised in Paris, he studied graphic design and communication, adopting his stage name from his interest in Asian cinema and martial arts.

Djuna began his music career in 2002 by co-founding the group Prototype 3015, which later merged into 3rd Prototype and became part of the Sexion d'Assaut collective. The group achieved wide commercial recognition with releases such as L'Écrasement de tête in 2009, L'École des points vitaux in 2010, and L'Apogée in 2012. Early in his career, Djuna also gained notoriety in Parisian freestyle competitions and released his first solo extended play, Ceux qui dorment les yeux ouverts, in 2006.

In May 2013, Djuna launched his solo album career with Subliminal, released through Wati B and Monstre Marin Corporation. Featuring hit singles such as "J'me tire" and "Bella," the album achieved double diamond status for selling over one million copies. He followed this in August 2015 with his second album, Mon cœur avait raison, a dual-style project divided into rap tracks ("red pill") and pop-urban tracks ("blue pill"). The album produced widely recognized songs including "Est-ce que tu m'aimes?" and "Sapés comme jamais."

Djuna released his third studio album, Ceinture noire, in March 2018. The album topped the charts in Wallonia and featured the track "La même," which became the most played song on French television and radio in 2018. In December 2020, he released his fourth album, Le fléau, accompanied by the Netflix documentary Gims: On the Record earlier that year. That same year, he won International Artist of the Year at the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards.

In December 2022, Djuna released his fifth studio album, Les dernières volontés de Mozart, which earned platinum certification in July 2024. Alongside his album releases, he performed the official 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack song "Arhbo" with Ozuna during the tournament's closing ceremony. In September 2024, he released the EP Le Nord se souvient, featuring the track "Spider," which contributed to another top entry on the French singles chart.