Pierre Vilmet was born in Paris and grew up in the Parisian suburbs, first in
Savigny-sur-Orge and then in
Colombes. At the end of the 1970s, he played drums with the punk group
Samu 92, who nicknamed him "Pierrot le Fou". In 1978, he went to London to meet his favorite groups, like
Sham 69 or
Skrewdriver; there, he lived in a
squat, where he discovered
reggae. In 1995, after several prison stretches, then based in the department of
Nièvre, Pierre decided to record his first solo album at home. The
Barclay record label noticed him and produced his first album, entitled
Pierpoljak. One year later, in the Barclay premises, Clive Hunt offered him a stay in
Jamaica so as to record a remix of the song
La Music, released on his first album. Pierre's second album, entitled
Jamaican Rides, was released in 1996. Pierre, nicknamed Pékah at the time, again chose the option of the studios at the beginning of 1997, so as to record his third opus,
Kingston Karma. This album was a success and sold more than 350 000 copies. His fourth solo album, ''Je fais c'que j'veux
, was released in 2000 and was awarded with a double-gold. He won Victoires de la Musique in 2001 thanks to his song Maman''. During his concerts, many incidents were reported due to the singer's and the musicians' violence.
The fall In 2001, Pierpoljak fell ill. Following an intensive consumption of different substances such as
cannabis, tobacco,
ecstasy or
cocaine, a first
pneumothorax appeared in his left lung. After a stay at the hospital, he went to
New Caledonia for a festival. Soon after his arrival, he was arrested by the local police for having assaulted a stewardess during the flight. During his return to France, he contracted a new pneumothorax. In total, he had four stays at the hospital and underwent two operations. Then, he decided to leave for the
Canary Islands and
Cape Verde aboard his sailboat, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to reach
Martinique. This trip lasted nearly three years.
Comeback on November 8, 2006. Back in France, Pierpoljak began to compose his fifth solo album,
Stim urban, which was released during the summer of 2003. In March 2006, his sixth solo album,
Je blesserai personne, was released; during the composition of this album, Pierpoljak was helped by the Jamaican musician
Elephant Man. The following year, he released (under the pseudonym Pékah)
Tuff Gong Blues, an album recorded in 2000, simultaneously with ''Je fais c'que j'veux
. This album was composed by the Jamaican singer Doniki and his musicians. Soon after its release, Tuff Gong Blues'' was banned due to copyright issues with the lyricist and the musicians of the album, but also because of publication rights issues with the Barclay record label. Pierpoljak's eighth solo album,
Légendaire Sérénade, was released at the beginning of 2010. The following year, in September 2011, a best-of of Pierpoljak's works was released by
Universal Music. Pierpoljak released the album, entitled
Général Indigo, on March 2, 2015, followed by
Chapeau de Paille in 2017. ==Discography==