by Jason AnkenyA member of the popular IAM collective, French rapper and producer Akhenaton also enjoyed considerable success as a solo act. Born Philippe Fragione in Marseille on September 17, 1968, he spent much of his youth in the neighboring village Plan-de-Cuques, discovering hip-hop in 1981. A frequent visitor to New York City, home of his Italian father's family, he received the nickname "Chill Phil" from American friends and began performing in Marseille clubs under that name with friend and DJ Eric Mazel, later known as Khéops. His first widespread notoriety was nevertheless as a writer after he published an influential essay, "La Deuxième Génération du Hip-Hop," in a 1988 issue of the fanzine Vé. That same year, after making his recorded debut on MC Choice's "Let's Make Some Noise," Fragione converted to Islam, rechristened himself Akhenaton (a name borrowed from the Eg...