What is "sinsemilia"

Sinsemilia, also known as Sinsé, is a reggae band that was formed in Grenoble, France in 1990. The name of the group is very similar to sinsemilla, referring to cannabis which is unfertilised and hence seedless (literally "without seed" in Spanish).

The band first used this name in concert at the Fête de la Musique in 1991, referring to the reggae album Sinsemilia by Black Uhuru. This first concert drew one thousand attendants, and in the following fifteen years more than one million albums have been sold.

Since the success of their first album and their single Tout le bonheur du monde, Sinsemilia has helped French reggae gain the attention of the media. In 2005, because of the success of Tout le bonheur du monde, they were invited by the editors of France 2 to appear on the 1 pm news. They began their performance but were quickly interrupted because of their politically charged song Bienvenue en Chiraquie, which provoked a small media scandal.

Before their latest album, their involvement with politics increased substantially. The solo careers of two of the singers and keyboard player, and their changes to an anticonformist and anti-consumption perspective has significantly delayed the release of their next album.