Booba is the stage name of Élie Yaffa, a French rapper from the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, known as one of the major figures in French rap. He first rose to prominence with the duo Lunatic, whose only album, Mauvais Œil, came out in 2000 and became a landmark independent French rap album, widely cited as a first gold-certified independent rap album in France. He then launched his solo career with Temps mort in 2002, which established Booba as a solo artist and was certified gold in France.
His discography includes multiple studio albums plus mixtapes, reflecting a long-running career rather than a short peak. The most recognizable Booba eras span Temps mort (2002), Panthéon (2004), Ouest Side (2006), 0.9 (2008), Lunatic (2010), Futur (2012), D.U.C and Nero Nemesis (2015), Trône (2017), Ultra (2021), and Ad vitam æternam (2024). He has used several aliases throughout his career, including B2O and Saddam Hauts-de-Seine. In March 2024, Ourika, a gangland series associated with Booba, arrived on Prime Video, and he continues to remain in the news beyond music through ongoing legal and public disputes covered by French media in 2024 and 2025.