Talk:Keny Arkana

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Source dump

• "Keny Arcana" (in French). stylehiphop.com. February 2005. Retrieved 2009-01-11. - interview, answers to Qs:

• How and why did you become a rap singer? Comment et pourquoi est-tu devenue chanteuse de rap ?
• (guessing) Why the stagename "Keny Arcane"? Pourquoi ce blaze « keny arkana » ?
• Musical inspirations? Quelles sont tes inspirations musicales ?
• Info on the album (entre ciment et belle étoile) Est-ce que tu peux nous parler de ton album ?
• Why did you leave l'Etat Major? La question que tout le monde se pose, pourquoi as-tu quitté l’Etat Major ?
• Tous ces gens là, mon rap, y sera pour eux à la vie à la mort et que Dieu les protège... in reply to a shout-out question.

• "Interview avec Keny Arkana" (in French). fluctuat.net. Retrieved 2009-01-11.

• Babelfish has a helluva harder time with this one. However, it's clear that this interview provides much more context than the above. The last question (verbatim from bb trans): "Do you think that the ideas that you promulgate through your music are received and included/understood well?"

• de l’Epine, Annabelle. "Keny Arkana" (in French). 150DB. Retrieved 2009-01-11.

• Babelfish did great on this (verbatim):(Q) Where do you draw your faith? The hope which is in your texts? (Où puises-tu ta foi ? L’espoir qui se trouve dans tes textes ?) (A) I like the life. I love people. I like to like. In truth, it is so beautiful the life which one cannot create a hell like that! One all is imprisoned in our ramparts, in our barricades, but at the base, the heart of people is beautiful; it is a sun. The life is a sun. (J’aime la vie. J’aime les gens. J’aime aimer. En vrai, elle est tellement belle la vie qu’on ne peut pas en créer un enfer comme ça ! On est tous emprisonnés dans nos remparts, dans nos barricades, mais à la base, le coeur des gens est beau ; c’est un soleil. La vie est un soleil.)
• To which the interviewer asks "But precisely when you say “the rage, it is all that remains us”. It is not a little pessimistic on the contrary?" (Mais justement quand tu dis « la rage, c’est tout ce qui nous reste ». Ce n’est pas un peu pessimiste au contraire ?), answer: Yes perhaps. Let us say that it is all that they leave us, it is all that thus remains us. But the rage is an energy, it is an engine. It is that which pushes you to push the mountains! When I speak about rage, it is really this engine which makes you go beyond the hearsays, which pushes your conviction with further. The rage, it is not an end in itself. The fight is not an end in itself either. One fights so that tomorrow one does not have to fight any more. (Oui peut-être. Disons que c’est tout ce qu’ils nous laissent, c’est tout ce qui nous reste donc. Mais la rage est une énergie, c’est un moteur. C’est ça qui te pousse à pousser les montagnes ! Quand je parle de rage, c’est vraiment ce moteur qui te fait aller au-delà des on-dit, qui pousse ta conviction au plus loin. La rage, ce n’est pas une fin en soi. La lutte n’est pas une fin en soi non plus. On lutte pour que demain on n’ait plus à lutter.)

Problem with dates?

If she was born in 1982 (which the French wikipedia entry confirms), then she wouldn't have been 12 in 1996 as the article says. The French wikipedia entry says she started rapping her own texts at the age of 12, and in 1996 I think it says (my French is almost non-existent) that she starts to produce. Should this be changed? Sindinero (talk) 01:32, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

I've been having one hell of a time finding any English sources on her. I'm willing to bet the French WP has it down right. So yeah, it should be changed :-) Xavexgoem (talk) 01:57, 7 February 2009 (UTC) Be bold and fix it! :-)

Real name

I don't know what is the source for the name "Onora Dafor".. I don't think this is Keny Arkana's real name actually.

A better source can be found here on Discogs. If you look at the Lyrics Credits on track 14, according to the booklet, real name could be V. MONNIER.

Actually, while searching for more sources, I found a trial text clearly stating her real name (and her past address..) : https://www.doctrine.fr/d/TGI/Paris/2009/FRB62E9643EA9688369512

Seems like a reliatable source, doesn't it ? Mial-prod (talk) 15:49, 9 January 2023 (UTC)

This is from Ouest-France, "Née en 1982, Onora Dafor, alias Keny Arkana, se définit dans ses textes comme « une contestataire qui fait du rap ».".

Citation: "Cargö : Keny Arkana se lance à l'assaut de la ville". Ouest-France. 8 May 2013.

And from Le Nouvel Obs, "Depuis le premier maxi « Volume 1 » en 2003, les épigrammatiques « Le missile est lancé » et « Etat d’urgence »ou l’ailé « Désobéissance », Onora Dafor, de son vrai nom, s’insurge sans relâche contre « les puissants » ...".

Citation: Bouisset, Julien (7 August 2021). "Keny Arkana : « Je suis déçue que le peuple français ne se pose plus de questions »". Le Nouvel Obs.

And Topito, "11. Onora Dafor (Keny Arkana). Anecdote intéressante : Onora est un prénom d’origine irlandaise, alors que Keny est d’originie argentine et a grandi à Marseille. Rien n’a de sens..

Citation: Faribeault, François (1 June 2023). "Top 15 des vrais noms de rappeurs, la vérité enfin dévoilée". Topito.

My bolding in these quotes. I think there is a legitimate question about her real name that needs to be discussed. — Malcolmxl5 (talk) 17:56, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

This has also been discussed in frwiki back in 2017, fr:Discussion:Keny Arkana#Vrai nom, they currently don't list a real name. They appear to be concerned that their article might be the source (in a citogenesis way) for incorrect names. -- LCU ActivelyDisinterested «@» °∆t° 19:02, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

I suppose we could do the same? So few sources exist for either name that t's hardly essential information we're losing (and per BLPPRIMARY, the current source is a judicial record which seems to fly in the face of the polcy requirement to not use trial transcripts and other court records, or other public documents, to support assertions about a living person. Do not use public records that include personal details, such as date of birth, home value, traffic citations, vehicle registrations, and home or business addresses). —Fortuna, imperatrix 19:16, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I agree with that. Let's leave it out, it’s uncertain and not essential. — Malcolmxl5 (talk) 21:41, 18 February 2026 (UTC)