base. This popularity showed in the second album which sold more than 400,000 copies, nearly double the sales of the previous album. This success was notably due to the fact that they were less crude and refined their lyrics in order to produce a quality album. On 2 May 2006, Sniper returned to the French rap scene. A few weeks after its release, their album was placed a number 1 in sales. However, the group changed. DJ Boudj left Sniper. The reasons were not detailed but it would be considered to be an argument, ”as in any family", explained one of the remaining members of the group. At that time, the group marked a clear evolution reaching a certain maturity whose first steps had already been perceptible in their second album Gravé dans la roche. With the album Trait pour trait, Sniper reached total sales of more than 1 million copies for all three albums and thus confirmed themselves as one of the best rap bands in France. In three albums, Sniper convinced rap fans in France that they were interested in many quite different subjects, such as religion, international conflicts like Iraq–US, Palestine–Israel, or love, respect, resentment, various injustices and inequalities, immigration, the difficulties of life in the suburbs, the real/fake dream of the Western world and racism, etc. The group is subject to heteroclite influences: old style rap, in particular under the influence of Aketo, as well as drawing from texts in Arabic, sung by Tunisiano, but also Blacko's reggae work. The group confirmed that a fourth album would appear once they finished their respective solo albums. However, Blacko announced on 20 February 2008 that he had separated himself from the group since July 2007. Sniper's fourth album À toute épreuve was released on 26 September 2011 in digital format and on 3 October 2011 in physical form. In March 2016, the band announced that Blacko had rejoined the band. At a concert at La Cigale on May 28, 2016, they announced that they had started working on a new album. In January 2018 they confirmed that the album was nearly completed. Controversies The group has had several legal battles, notably for their lyrics in songs such as "La France" and for a song on the conflict in the Middle East called "Jeteur de pierres'" (Stone thrower). The group was acquitted by the court of Rouen of charges