Élie Yaffa (born December 9, 1976 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France), better known by his stage name Booba is a French rapper of Senegalese and French descent, from Boulogne-Billancourt, a commune in the western suburbs of Paris. He began his career as a rapper in 1994. In 1996 he co-wrote, with Ali (the co-founder of Lunatic) "Le crime paie". And from 1997 to 1998 he was incarcerated for the robbery of a taxi driver. Lunatic went on to found their own label, 45 Scientific, and in 2000 released the much vaunted Mauvais Oeil.