Ärsenik – Gaëlino M'Bani (Lino) and Calboni M'Bani (Calbo) were born on 9 March
1992 in Villiers‑le‑Bel, Val‑d’Oise, France. The brothers, both of
Congolese‑Brazilian descent, formed the rap duo in 1992 and first appeared on
the 1995 compilation L'Art d'Utiliser Son Savoir with the track "Ball‑trap".
Their breakthrough came with the 1998 single "Boxe avec les mots", which helped
launch their debut studio album Quelques Gouttes Suffisent… on 5 June 1998; the
album reached Number 8 on the French charts and was certified double gold in
2001. In 2002, they released Quelque Chose A Su...