Silvère "Sly" Johnson first became known under the stage name The Mic Buddha when he was a member of the French hip-hop group Saïan Supa Crew. When the group broke up in 2007, the singer and beatboxer put his talents to work for other musicians. He toured with the singer Camille, performed on a Rokia Traoré disc, and collaborated with trumpeter Erik Truffaz in studio and on stage. He then buckled down to work on composing for his first solo album, which was released in 2010. The result of a radical stylistic shift, 74 drew from classic soul sources. The artist surrounded himself with drummer Cindy Blackman and bassist TM Stevens, and entrusted the arrangements to renowned producer Larry Gold (Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas...).