bazbaz took the opportunity to explore new stylistic directions. these included reggae, soul, and the blues, but most importantly hip-hop. bazbaz dove headfirst into the rap and hip-hop idioms in the early 1990s, collaborating with french hip-hop musicians like joey starr, who ultimately appeared on his debut record, dubadelik, released in 1996. colored with gentle reggae inflections and characterized by bazbaz's typically humorous and seductive lyrics, the record was well received by the emerging french urban music community. dubadelik earned bazbaz a reputation as an underground up-and-comer, opening doors into other creative circles.