An uncommon MC: Mali-born Parisian Oxmo Puccino — born Abdoulaye Diarra, ‘Ox’ to his friends — he’s taken American street-smart hip hop and run it through his sophisticated metaphorical sensibility to bring an evolutionary lurch to French rap. His stunning 2005 Blue Note debut Lipopette Bar raised the bar, a jazz concept album inspired by film noir. Leading his Jazzbastards group, he limns the stories of the habitués of the demi-monde (gangster, cop, bouncer, moll) with genuine artistry.