Sonata Arctica Unia and The Days of Grays (2007-2011) Is Unia and The Days of Grays a musical band? On May 25, 2007, Unia was released. The album's first single, "Paid In Full", was released on April 27, 2007. Was the album a hit? I don't know.
Who were the artist?
Who were the artists for the single Paid in Full?
On May 25, 2007, Unia was released. The album's first single, "Paid In Full", was released on April 27, 2007. On August 6, 2007, the band announced on their website that guitarist Jani Liimatainen had been asked to leave the band due to problems related to his conscription. He was replaced by Elias Viljanen who had already filled in for him in the band's Finnish and Japanese shows during the spring and summer.  In October 2007 Sonata Arctica headlined the ProgPower USA VIII. Later the band supported Nightwish across their 2008 tour of United States and Canada and headlined at the shows that Nightwish cancelled due to Anette Olzon's sudden severe sickness.  It was announced on September 4, 2008 that the band's first two albums would be re-released with bonus tracks by Spinefarm UK on October 6. The Days of Grays was released on September 16, 2009 in Finland and September 22 in the USA. Henrik stated that the new album would be in the same vein as Unia, but not as complex and darker. Singles from this album include "Flag in the Ground" and "The Last Amazing Grays". On August 28, 2009, the music video of "Flag In The Ground" was released to the web. The limited 2CD European edition of the album featured many of the album tracks with all instruments performed by a symphony orchestra.  The band also toured with DragonForce for the third U.S. leg of the Ultra Beatdown. In early 2010 they engaged on an Australian tour with Ensiferum and Melbourne band Vanishing Point. In April 2010, Sonata Arctica embarked on their USA and Canada Headlining tour for The Days of Grays. In October they headlined in Chile in support of the same album. CANNOTANSWER
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup consists of drummer Tommy Portimo, lead singer Tony Kakko, keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, guitarist Elias Viljanen and bassist Pasi Kauppinen. All the musicians of the band's history except Portimo also acted as backing vocalists.

As of 2022, the band has released ten full-length albums (three via Spinefarm Records and seven via Nuclear Blast), their most recent being Talviyö on September 6, 2019.

Biography

Formation and early years (1996–1999)
The band was founded by drummer Tommy Portimo and guitarists Jani Liimatainen and Marko Paasikoski in Kemi. At the end of 1995, lead vocalist Tony Kakko was added and bassist Pentti Peura joined in early 1996. Originally named Tricky Beans, they played hard rock rather than the power metal with which they grew to fame. Kakko explained that when he was invited to join the band, Paasikoski said the band was going to play "a mixture of Megadeth and Spin Doctors". During their early career, they recorded three demos which were never sent to a recording label — Friend 'til the End, Agre Pamppers and PeaceMaker. According to Kakko, the band's first name was based on one of their early songs, which was "about a lady who was tricky and I didn't really know what I was talking about (laughs)". Their first show was about to take place but they were still unnamed, so they had to come up with something.

In 1997 the band changed their name to Tricky Means, and from that point until 1999 their style was thoroughly worked upon and ultimately was drastically changed, acquiring a strong emphasis on the keyboard melodies and relying on an easily distinguishable rhythm line maintained both by the bass and the guitar. Vocalist Tony Kakko developed a clean singing style which relies both on falsetto and tenor voices. Kakko has stated that the change of sound was influenced by fellow Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. At that time, Pentti Peura was fired and Marko Paasikoski left due to a lack of gigging. Two months later the band got signed to a three-album deal with Spinefarm, which left Marko displeased. The band finally changed their name to Sonata Arctica, because they thought they wouldn't be able to sell metal albums with the previous name and also because Spinefarm asked them to do so. "Sonata Arctica" was suggested by a friend of the band: "sonata" for the music and "arctica" for their home (Kemi, in Northern Finland).

In 1997, they recorded a demo entitled FullMoon in Kemi's Tico Tico Studios, which was their first real metal recording. The line-up consisted of Portimo, Liimatainen, Kakko and new bassist Janne Kivilahti (who started first as second guitarist). The demo was sent to Spinefarm Records by a friend of the band and a recording deal soon followed.

Ecliptica and Silence (1999–2002)

Later that year, Sonata Arctica's first single, entitled "UnOpened", was released in Finland. Soon after, the band had closed deals with labels from around the world, prior to the release of their debut album. The debut Ecliptica arrived by the end of 1999 and had a worldwide release. Tony Kakko then decided to focus on singing and the band began seeking a new keyboard player. Mikko Härkin (ex-Kenziner) was eventually invited to fill the position.

At the beginning of 2000, Sonata Arctica was chosen to support the well-known power metal band Stratovarius throughout their European tour. Marko Paasikoski returned to the band to play bass in the wake of Janne Kivilahti's departure after the tour. According to Kakko, Kivilahti left because he thought they weren't going anywhere and Paasikoski was their first choice as the new bassist since he left just before the band got their first record deal.

Throughout Winter 2000/2001, the band worked on composing and recording their next album — Silence — which was released in June 2001. An extensive tour followed, which included concerts throughout Europe (together with Gamma Ray) and Japan. In 2002 Sonata Arctica made its first incursion to America, putting on shows in Brazil and Chile. A live album entitled Songs of Silence was also released that year, consisting of gigs from their tour in Japan. By the end of 2002, Mikko Härkin left the band due to personal reasons.

Winterheart's Guild and Reckoning Night (2003–2006)
In the search for another keyboardist, the band received many applications and two of them were invited for auditions. Since they were well aware of the candidates' ability, the band decided to pick the new member based on personality. To this end, they spent a night drinking with each of the potentials to find out which one would fit best into the band's personality and mentality. Henrik Klingenberg was eventually chosen and joined the band in time to take part in the tour that followed the release of Winterheart's Guild. With the end of their contract with Spinefarm Records, the band received invitations from most European recording labels and eventually opted for Nuclear Blast.

Their third album — Winterheart's Guild was recorded with the help of the seasoned keyboard player Jens Johansson from Stratovarius who recorded the keyboard solos, while Kakko took care of the basics. The album was released in 2003.

In early 2004, the band was chosen as the opener for Iron Maiden's Japanese tour. Additionally, Tommy Portimo became a father; his wife gave birth to a baby girl in March. Reckoning Night was recorded in three months and released in October, with Klingenberg introducing the use of the organ to the band. Both the single and the EP of this release remained on the top of the Finnish charts simultaneously for over six weeks. A promotional tour was to follow, but Sonata Arctica was invited by the popular Nightwish to join their European tour, and thus made a change of plans.

In early 2005, Nightwish invited the band to open the concerts of their North American tour. This tour eventually got cancelled, but the members of Sonata Arctica opted to still make a short tour, playing concerts in Canada and the United States. On October 21, 2005, Sonata Arctica opened for Nightwish at the Hartwall Areena, Helsinki.

In 2006, the band released a live CD and DVD entitled For the Sake of Revenge, which was recorded in Tokyo in February 2005. Then, Spinefarm Records released a compilation album to get the most out of their contract with the band, since Sonata Arctica had changed to another label. The compilation is entitled The End of This Chapter and was released in Japan in August 2005 and in Europe in May 2006.

A computer video game was also planned, based on Sonata Arctica characters and music. The name of the game was going to be Winterheart's Guild, after the album. The game was to be developed by Zelian Games, and was to be an Action-RPG in a style between Fallout and Diablo. The game was cancelled for unannounced reasons but a demo was shown at the Leipzig video game conference in 2006, featuring Henrik Klingenberg as the playable character. In December 2006, the band began recording their fifth studio album.

Unia and The Days of Grays (2007–2011)

On May 25, 2007, Unia was released. The album's first single, "Paid in Full", was released on April 27, 2007. On August 6, 2007, the band announced on their website that guitarist Jani Liimatainen had been asked to leave the band due to problems related to his conscription. He was replaced by Elias Viljanen who had already filled in for him in the band's Finnish and Japanese shows during the spring and summer.

In October 2007, Sonata Arctica headlined the ProgPower USA VIII. Later, the band supported Nightwish across their 2008 tour of the United States and Canada and headlined at the shows that Nightwish cancelled due to Anette Olzon's sudden severe sickness.

It was announced on September 4, 2008 that the band's first two albums would be re-released with bonus tracks by Spinefarm UK on October 6.
The Days of Grays was released on September 16, 2009 in Finland and September 22 in the USA. Henrik stated that the new album would be in the same vein as Unia, but not as complex and darker. Singles from this album include "Flag in the Ground" and "The Last Amazing Grays". On August 28, 2009, the music video of "Flag in the Ground" was released to the web. The limited 2CD European edition of the album featured many of the album tracks with all instruments performed by a symphony orchestra.

The band also toured with DragonForce for the third U.S. leg of the Ultra Beatdown. In early 2010 they engaged on an Australian tour with Ensiferum and Melbourne band Vanishing Point. In April 2010, Sonata Arctica embarked on their USA and Canada Headlining tour for The Days of Grays. In October they headlined in Chile in support of the same album.

Stones Grow Her Name (2011–2013)

In January 2011, the band hinted in an online interview for Metaleater magazine that they were writing songs for a new album while on their current tour. Elias is quoted as saying, "I've been working on some new riffs, quite dark. Tony's been stuck in his bed scratching notes about some girl and her 'Luna Lust'." Tommy states later, "We've just got back from Cozumel, we had a good time, had lots of beers, loads more sun and thought about putting a bit more Queen stuff back into the music again." In April, the band recorded a live DVD in Oulu, Finland, entitled Live in Finland, which was released on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11).

It was announced on February 20, 2012 through the official Sonata Arctica website that the new album entitled Stones Grow Her Name would be released on 18 May in Europe and 22 May in North America .

The Album's first single and video "I Have A Right" was released on April 18, the second single from the album, "Shitload of Money" was released on September 14.

The Stones Grow Her Name World Tour began in April with summer festivals until August. The band plans to spend the fall playing headline shows in Finland and then mainland Europe. Several shows have also been announced for North America in December.

Pariah's Child, The Ninth Hour and Talviyö (2014–present)

In a June 2013 interview concerning Henrik Klingenberg's own band Silent Voices, Henrik confirmed Sonata Arctica would go into recording for their eighth studio album in September 2013. When pushed for more information, he assured jovially: "If it doesn't come out by next year, we're in big trouble!" 
Concerning the progress and style of this new album, he also mentioned "The bulk of the album, we already have the demos ..." as well as "we want to focus on making songs that work live."

During rehearsals, Henrik mentioned on his blog that songs they were rehearsing for the new album seemed to hearken towards Sonata Arctica's earlier days. He also mentioned their plan to record a 10-minute track for the new album.

On August 26, 2013 the band officially announced on their Facebook page that Marko Paasikoski had left the band due to unsolvable issues with being part of a touring ensemble, and was replaced by bassist Pasi Kauppinen.
On January 9, 2014, the band officially announced via their official website that the band's next studio album, Pariah's Child, will be released on March 28, 2014.

Tony Kakko commented on the style of the new album as well as its album artwork upon the release announcement:

In summer 2014, the band re-recorded their first album, Ecliptica. It was released in October 2014. Tony stated that the band was hoping to record the songs in a manner faithful to the original, not in a manner that would completely change the feel of their original album.

On September 3, 2014, Ouergh Records announced a Sonata Arctica tribute album. The album, A Tribute to Sonata Arctica featured bands from across the globe covering Sonata Arctica songs, with a focus on newer bands that were influenced by Sonata Arctica. Prominent bands included: Xandria, Van Canto, Stream of Passion, Arven, Powerglove, and Timeless Miracle. The album was endorsed by Tony Kakko. The tribute album was released September 12, 2015.

On December 18, 2015, Sonata Arctica released a Christmas-themed single, Christmas Spirits.

In February 2016, the band announced their plans to start recording a new album and release it in the final quarter of 2016. In July 2016, they announced on their Facebook page that the yet-to-be-titled album was mixed. On July 21, they officially announced the album's title, album artwork, and release date on their Facebook page. Their ninth studio album, The Ninth Hour, was released on October 7, 2016. The artwork featured a future Utopian landscape with technology and nature in the balance.

In November 2018, the band revealed that they were working on a new album, which its production had finished in 2019. On June 21, 2019 they released a lyric video for "A Little Less Understanding" and revealed the name of the tenth studio album Talviyö which was released via Nuclear Blast on September 6, 2019.

Musical style and influences

When asked if the band identified themselves with power metal, melodic metal or none of them, Kakko stated:

In a 2007 interview with C.B.Liddell, Tony Kakko cited the English rock band Queen as his biggest musical influence.

He also cites Stratovarius' Visions.

Members

Current members
 Tommy Portimo – drums (1995–present)
 Tony Kakko – lead vocals (1996–present), keyboards (1996–2000, 2003, studio only: 2007–present)
 Henrik Klingenberg – keyboards, keytar, backing vocals (2003–present)
 Elias Viljanen – guitars, backing vocals (2007–present)
 Pasi Kauppinen – bass, backing vocals (2013–present)

Former members
 Jani Liimatainen – guitars, backing vocals (1995–2007), lead vocals, keyboards (1995–1996)
 Marko Paasikoski – bass (1995–1996, 2000–2013), guitars (1996–1997), backing vocals (1995–1997, 2000–2013)
 Pentti Peura – bass, backing vocals (1996–1998)
 Janne Kivilahti – bass, backing vocals (1998–2000)
 Mikko Härkin – keyboards, backing vocals (2000–2002)

Guest musicians
 Nik Van-Eckmann − spoken passages (2001, 2004)
 Timo Kotipelto − vocals (2001, 2012)
 Jens Johansson − keyboard solos (2003)
 Peter Engberg − acoustic guitars, bouzouki, viola caipira, banjo, chromaharp, cavaquinho, Q-chord (2007, 2012)
 Johanna Kurkela − female vocals  (2009)
 Pekka Kuusisto – violin  (2012)
 Lauri Valkonen – double bass (2012)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums
Ecliptica (1999)
Silence (2001)
Winterheart's Guild (2003)
Reckoning Night (2004)
Unia (2007)
The Days of Grays (2009)
Stones Grow Her Name (2012)
Pariah's Child (2014)
The Ninth Hour (2016)
Talviyö (2019)

Cover songs
 "Black Diamond" − Stratovarius (live, short clip in Stratovarius – Infinite Visions VHS/DVD)
 "Speed of Light" − Stratovarius (at the end of "False News Travel Fast" in Songs of Silence)
 "Fade to Black" − Metallica (Victoria's Secret, Takatalvi, A Tribute to the Four Horsemen)
 "Wind Beneath My Wings" − Bette Midler (Orientation)
 "Die With Your Boots On" − Iron Maiden (Last Drop Falls, Orientation)
 "World in My Eyes" − Depeche Mode (Don't Say a Word)
 "Two Minds, One Soul" − Vanishing Point (Don't Say a Word)
 "Still Loving You" − Scorpions (Successor, Takatalvi)
 "I Want Out" − Helloween (Successor, Takatalvi)
 "Out in the Fields" − Gary Moore (Paid in Full, Unia)
 "Hava Nagila" ("The Cage"/"Vodka" on For the Sake of Revenge and "Vodka" on Live in Finland)
 "Cowboys From Hell" – Pantera (live, Jani Liimatainen's Young Guitar DVD and Into the Storm bootleg DVD)
 "Hell Is Living Without You" – Alice Cooper (One for All, All for One)
 "I Can't Dance" – Genesis (Ecliptica – Revisited (15th Anniversary Edition))
 "Run to You" – Bryan Adams (The Ninth Hour)

References

External links

 Sonata Arctica's official website
 Sonata Arctica's official fanclub 
 Winterheart's Guild video game

 
Finnish heavy metal musical groups
Finnish power metal musical groups
Finnish progressive metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1996
Nuclear Blast artists
1995 establishments in Finland
"A Hunger Artist" (German: "Ein Hungerkünstler") is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in Die neue Rundschau in 1922. The story was also included in the collection A Hunger Artist (Ein Hungerkünstler), the last book Kafka prepared for publication, which was printed by Verlag Die Schmiede shortly after his death. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is typically Kafkaesque: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. "A Hunger Artist" explores themes such as death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure and the corruption of human relationships.  The title of the story has also been translated as "A Fasting Artist" and "A Starvation Artist".

Plot
"A Hunger Artist" is told retrospectively through third-person narration. The narrator looks back several decades from "today" to a time when the public marveled at the professional hunger artist and then depicts the waning interest in such displays. The story begins with a general description of "the hunger artist" before narrowing in on a single performer, the protagonist.

The hunger artist traveled around performing for curious spectators. He would sit in a cage empty of anything except for a clock and some straw, always attended by rotating teams of watchers selected by the public (usually three butchers) to ensure he was not secretly eating. Despite such precautions, many, including some of the watchers themselves, were convinced the hunger artist cheated. Such suspicions annoyed the hunger artist, as did the forty-day limit imposed on his fasting by his promoter, or "impresario". The impresario insisted that, after forty days, public interest in the hunger artist inevitably declined, but the hunger artist found the time limit irksome and arbitrary, as it prevented him from bettering his own record and fasting indefinitely. At the end of a fast, the hunger artist, amid highly theatrical fanfare, would be carried from his cage and made to eat, both of which he always resented. These performances, followed by intervals of recuperation, were repeated for many years.

Despite his fame, the hunger artist felt dissatisfied and misunderstood. If a spectator, observing his apparent melancholy, tried to console him, he would erupt in fury, shaking the bars of his cage. The impresario would punish such outbursts by apologizing to the audience, pointing out that irritability was a consequence of fasting, and then trying to refute the hunger artist's boast that he could fast much longer than he was allowed by showing photographs (which were also for sale) of the hunger artist near death at the end of a previous fast. In this way, the impresario suggested the hunger artist's sadness and poor physique was caused by fasting, when, in the hunger artist's view, he was depressed because of the premature cessation of his fasts. The impresario's "perversion of the truth" further exasperated the hunger artist. 

Seemingly overnight, popular tastes changed and public fasting went out of fashion. The hunger artist broke his ties with the impresario and hired himself to a circus, where he hoped to perform truly prodigious feats of fasting. No longer a main attraction, he was given a cage on the outskirts of the circus, near the animal cages. Although the site was readily accessible and crowds thronged past during intermissions in the circus show, few paid any attention to the hunger artist, partly because any spectators who stopped to look at him would create an obstruction in the flow of people on their way to see the animals. The hunger artist initially looked forward to the intermissions, but over time he came to dread them because they only meant there would be noise and disruption and a reminder that his days in the sun were gone. He felt oppressed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the animals, but he didn't dare complain for fear of drawing attention to the fact that he was more of an annoyance than an attraction.

Eventually, the hunger artist came to be completely ignored by the public, so much so that no one, not even the artist himself, counted the days of his fast. One day, an overseer noticed what looked like an empty cage and wondered why it was unused. He and some attendants poked around in the dirty straw and found the hunger artist, near death. Before he died, he asked forgiveness and confessed that he should not be admired, since the reason he fasted was simply that he could not find food to his liking. The hunger artist was buried with the straw from his cage and replaced by a panther. Spectators crowded about the panther's cage because the panther, who was always brought the food he liked, took so much joy in life.

Themes
There is a sharp division among critical interpretations of "A Hunger Artist". Most commentators concur that the story is an allegory, but they disagree as to what is represented. Some critics, pointing to the hunger artist's asceticism, regard him as a saintly or even Christ-like figure. In support of this view, they emphasize the unworldliness of the protagonist, the priest-like quality of the watchers, and the traditional religious significance of the forty-day period. Other critics insist that "A Hunger Artist" is an allegory of the misunderstood artist, whose vision of transcendence and artistic excellence is rejected or ignored by the public. This interpretation is sometimes joined with a reading of the story as autobiographical. According to this view, this story, written near the end of Kafka's life, links the hunger artist with the author as an alienated artist who is dying. Whether the protagonist's starving is seen as spiritual or artistic, the panther is regarded as the hunger artist's antithesis: satisfied and contented, the animal's corporeality stands in marked contrast to the hunger artist's ethereality.

Another interpretive division surrounds the issue of whether "A Hunger Artist" is meant to be read ironically. Some critics consider the story a sympathetic depiction of a misunderstood artist who seeks to rise above the merely animal parts of human nature (represented by the panther) and who is confronted with uncomprehending audiences. Others regard it as Kafka's ironic comment on artistic pretensions. The hunger artist comes to symbolize a joy-deprived man who shows no exuberance, who regards even his own tremendous discipline as inauthentic, and the panther who replaces him obviously is meant to show a sharp contrast between the two. Still, at least one interpretation is that Kafka is expressing the world's indifference to his own artistic scruples through the plight of the hunger artist.

Critic Maud Ellmann argues that it is not by food that we survive, but by the gaze of others and "it is impossible to live by hunger unless we can be seen or represent doing so" (1993:17).

Adaptations
 A comics adaptation of the story, illustrated by Peter Kuper, is included in Give It Up!.
 Introducing Kafka, a graphic novel written by David Zane Mairowitz and illustrated by Robert Crumb, examines Kafka's life and work and includes a retelling of "A Hunger Artist".
 The Hunger Artists Theatre Company staged an adaptation of the story entitled The Pledge Drive: Ruminations On The Hunger Artist, written by Jason Lindner.  In the play, The Hunger Artist was the host of a pledge drive in which the guests were other people who were bound by their identities.
 The music video for "Fly from Heaven" from Toad the Wet Sprocket's 1994 album Dulcinea was inspired by the story (though it changes the ending).
 A stop motion animated film The Hunger Artist by Tom Gibbons (2002, US, 16 minutes)
 A Japanese film adaption The Artist of Fasting by Masao Adachi (2016, Japan, 104 minutes)
Sinking Ship Productions' adaptation of "A Hunger Artist", created by performer Jonathan Levin, director Joshua William Gelb, and writer Josh Luxenberg, premiered in NYC in 2017 and was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards (Outstanding Solo Performance and Outstanding Puppet Design). The production played at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and continues to tour.

Notes

References
 Kafka, Franz (1996). The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, trans. Donna Freed. New York: Barnes & Noble. .

External links

 A translation of the story
 Efraim Sicher - "The Semiotics of Hunger"  Essay on "A Hunger Artist" and the concept of artistic hunger.
 Hunger Artists: Fasting Wonders  History of real hunger artists, from ShowHistory.com
 "A Hunger Artist" narrated by Marc Cashman a podcast of the story
 Analysis of "A Hunger Artist" on Lit React
 

1922 short stories
Short stories adapted into films
Short stories by Franz Kafka
Works originally published in German magazines Shtar Academy is the self-titled debut studio album by French hip hop collective Shtar Academy, consisting of rappers Badri, Malik and Mirak. It was released on 20 January 2014 by Fu-Jo, and distributed by Because Music, and peaked at number 63 on the French Albums Chart.

Background
Shtar Academy was started as a musical project in 2012 by record producer Mouloud Mansouri, who had previously served a jail sentence between 1999 and 2008 for drug trafficking. He had the idea for his project approved by the administration of the Luynes Prison. The prison administration also approved the construction of the Studio Hip Hop Convict, where the album was recorded, within the prison compounds, but reserved the right to censor any proposed texts by the prisoners that were deemed excessively violent or aggressive towards prison wardens, or presenting menacing lyrics addressed to judges, the police or to victims of crimes.

Prisoners detained for a year or more in Luynes were eligible to showcase their potential talents. More than 200 prisoners, almost the entire population of the prison, were briefed on the project, and initially around 30 of them expressed an interest and signed up for the project. Through interviews and assessments, and test performances conducted by Mansouri and co-producer Tony Danza, the number of eligible applicants was reduced to a dozen and eventually three of the most talented were chosen through a competitive elimination process to spearhead the musical project. Badri received a sentence of seven years, while Malik and Mirak were sentenced to three and four years imprisonment respectively. For a whole year, the three worked regularly on various workshops for songwriting, composition, and training for recordings and computer-assisted production. More than 30 well-known French rappers and producers volunteered their time supporting the project through mentoring and coaching. They also provided studio time and agreed to be featured in compositions by the prisoners, which were presented during a three-hour live show on 3 June 2013.

Single
"Les portes du pénitencier" was released as the album's lead single on 11 December 2013, but did not enter the French Singles Chart.

Music videos
A number of music videos for a number of the album's songs were released before and after the release of the album.
 A live performance of "Passez-moi le micro" was released on 28 August 2013, and doubles up as the song's official music video.
The music video for "Wesh les taulards" was released on 21 November 2013. Directed by Sarah Marx, the video was shot in an abandoned building in the absence of the members of Shtar Academy, as they were still incarcerated at the time. Several actors take the place of the three rappers.
 The official music video for "Primaire", featuring Lino, was released on 29 November 2013. It is primarily a lyric video, where the lyrics of the song appear as they are performed, along with other various illustrations in line with the song's lyrics.
 Two music videos were released for the regular (short) and long versions of "Les portes du pénitencier". They were both directed by Sarah Marx. The videos follow Mouloud Mansouri, who plays a prison inmate, as he lives through his sentence at the Hauts-de-Seine Prison and is finally released at the end of the video.
 The regular version's music video was released on 11 December 2013, as part of the single's release. It features appearances by Mirak, Nekfeu, Nemir, Alonzo and Soprano as they perform their verses of the song.
 Released on 3 January 2014, the music video for the long version of the song features an introduction to the story of Mansouri's life in prison, where the narrator also briefly speaks of Mansouri's life after prison and the formation of Shtar Academy. The rest of the artists featured in the song, except Keny Arkana, also make appearances in the video as they perform their verses of the song, including Orelsan and Gringe, who perform their verse together as the Casseurs Flowters.
 The music video for "Ça fait un bail", featuring Tunisiano, was released on 7 February 2014. It was shot at a prison, where Tunisiano plays an inmate being visited by his friend, Mirak, and features scenes where the two rap their bits of the song at a table as if they were having a conversation.

Track listing
All songs produced by Mouloud Mansouri and Tony Danza.

Credits
Credits for Shtar Academy adapted from Discogs.

Personnel

 Ali – Featured artist
 Alonzo – Featured artist
 Badri – Primary artist
 Bakar – Featured artist
 Blastar – Composition
 Cannibal Smith – Composition
 Disiz – Featured artist
 DJ R-Ash – Featured artist
 Doom Bada – Mixing
 Etienne M. – Mixing (assistant)
 Gringe – Featured artist
 Hits Alive – Composition
 Keny Arkana – Featured artist
 La Fouine – Featured artist
 Ladéa – Featured artist
 Leck – Featured artist
 Lino – Featured artist
 Malik – Primary artist
 Mirak – Primary artist
 Medeline – Composition
 Médine – Featured artist
 Mister You – Featured artist
 Mouloud Mansouri – Producer, composition
 Nekfeu – Featured artist
 Némir – Featured artist
 Niro – Featured artist
 Fred Nlandu – Mixing
 Nor – Featured artist
 Mitch Olivier – Mixing
 Nadir Photographie – Photography
 Orelsan – Featured artist
 Ovaground Prod – Composition
 Proof – Composition
 REDK – Featured artist
 Roro – Composition
 S-Pi – Featured artist
 Sat – Featured artist
 Skalpovich – Composition, mixing
 Soopa – Composition
 Soprano – Featured artist
 Street Scientist Beat – Composition
 Tékila – Featured artist
 Tony Danza – Producer, composition
 Tunisiano – Featured artist
 Vincenzo – Featured artist

Studios
 BPM Studio – Mixing
 Masterdisk Europe – Mastering
 Studio Hip Hop Convict – Recording
 Studio Davout – Mixing
 Studio Kilomaître Foundation – Mixing
 Studio Fabrik48 – Mixing

Chart performance

References

2014 debut albums
Shtar Academy albums
Collaborative albums
French-language albums