Vol. 4: Du Nord au Sud
French Rap beyond Paris and Marseille (Pt. 2)
We continue with the second installment of our collection of French rap beyond Paris and Marseille. In Volume 1, we covered representatives and emerging talents in the country's north and west and "rap de campagne" in the country's centre. The second section will travel to the east, to the border regions with Germany, concentrating on the city of Strasbourg. From there, we'll continue south to Lyon, France's second-largest city with an emerging rap culture. Finally, we will go south, stopping in Nice on the Côte d’Azur and heading to the Pyrenees.
La France au rap français: mapping rap in France
This is not a comprehensive map of all French rappers and urban musicians because, at the moment, that would be a nearly impossible goal to complete given the surge of artists becoming renowned over the last decade. However, it is merely an exercise to try to discover all of the other regions where a burgeoning rap scene is blossoming, as well as its representatives and distinguishing styles. This mapping does not address the rap generated on French overseas territories in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean; that would be the subject of another publication.
Le Grand Est
We will now travel east to the Grand Est area, which includes major cities such as Metz, Nancy, and Strasbourg. Larry is the major representation of Strasbourgeoise rap. Coming from the Elsau area, he began his musical career about 2018 in a very family-oriented environment, with his parents in charge of his business administration. He gained popularity in 2019 after releasing a freestyle with Booska-P titled "Booska Beriz". That same year, he released the mixtape Cité Blanche, in which he discusses the challenges in his neighbourhood, particularly those related to drug trafficking. Elsau is referred to as a "priority neighbourhood" in France, which is a euphemism for excluded neighbourhoods that require social engineering. In the case of Elsau, it is very surprising since it is essentially located on the opposite side of the railway that separates it from the centre of Strasbourg, yet it is a somewhat inaccessible location. Cité blanche was a success, but the consecration came in 2021 with his first album Petit Prince and the series of freestyles En Pepé, which established him in the scene and opened the door to collaborations with rappers such as Hamza, Gambino la MG, Kerchak, and Sofiane. In early 2024, he released his second album, NCE. His style is regarded as versatile, modern, and appealing.
OKLM à Lyon
Heading south, we arrive at Lyon, France's second-largest city. Lyon is now the centre of a thriving urban scene, with various rappers earning national headlines with a variety of genres.
First, there's Sasso, a Lyonnais rapper of Moroccan and Togolaise heritage who lives in the Part-Dieu neighbourhood of Lyon's third district. In 2018, he was one of 11 talents chosen by Booska-P to be followed. In 2020, he released the first volume of his mixtape series Enfant de la Rue, becoming the first Lyonnais rapper to receive gold certification for his single "J'picole". Then, in 2021 and 2022, he released volumes 2 and 3 of the mixtape series, as well as the collaborative album 2 lions with Lyonnais rapper L'Allemand. His musical approach is heavily influenced by Jul's sound, with highly rhythmic beats and sticky melodies that contrast with his lyrics, which discuss the reality of the street as well as yearning for the past and escape from reality.
Staying in Lyon's central region, we encounter Ashe 22, a French rapper of Algerian heritage who was born in Bab el Oued in 1996 and emigrated to France as a child, settling in Lyon's La Guillotière suburb. After a rough adolescence that landed him in prison, he began his musical career in 2018, becoming a pioneer of the drill genre in France. His style is defined by a lack of melodies, dark sounds, and no mixing. His lyrics discuss drug trafficking, money, lean, weapons, women, cops, and justice in a raw, unfiltered manner. Between 2019 and 2021, he released five mixtapes that established him on the French scene. He has a good working relationship with rapper Freeze Corleone, with whom he will release a joint album titled Riyad Sadio in 2022. In 2023, he released two studio albums with important characters from the scene, including Central Cee, Soolking, Rim'K, El Grande Toto, Hamza, Gazo, Baby Gang, and Maes.
The next performer is So La Lune, a Lyonnais rapper of Comorian heritage who lives in the Mermoz area. He is considered a member of the French rap movement known as "la Nouvelle Vague" (the New Wave). He rose to prominence in 2020 with his debut mixtape, Tsuki. He released nine EPs in 2021, which helped him gain recognition, but it was not until 2022 that he truly joined the scene, having been chosen by Booska-P as one of the musicians to watch. During the same year, he released four EPs and his mixtape Fissure de vie, which featured notable musicians like as Green Montana, Da Uzi, and SCH while also filling La Cigale and L'Olympia. In 2023, he published his debut studio album, L'enfant de la pluie, which was heavily influenced by the Japanese universe he has used since the beginning of his career. His style is distinguished by melancholy melodic chanting and a broken, raspy, nasal, and exaggeratedly high-pitched voice. That musical manner contrasts with his lyrics' dark subjects, which include references to addictions, loneliness, death, and so on, all framed in a nocturnal discourse.
We'll hop ahead to the dormitory town of Vénisseux, south of Lyon, to meet Khali, another member of that new wave of French rap. From Morocco, he began his career in 2018 and released two EPs in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, he released his first studio album, Laïla, which earned positive reviews from reviewers. It was succeeded by Il me resemble pas plus in 2022 and 23- in 2023. His sound is regarded as deep and sad, with some chopping and singing flows, lyrics in French, English, and Arabic, with a strong contemplative tone.
Now we'll head north to Rillieux-la-Pape to meet Menace Santana. He became known in the scene towards the end of 2020. He is a representative of what has been dubbed "drill ténebreux" (tenebrous drill), hiding his face behind a mask while wearing gloves and a knife, copying the style of Jason Vorhees, the protagonist of the horror film Friday the 13th. He began releasing a series of freestyles under the name Freestyle Covid, which became very popular on streaming services. Then, in 2021, he published his first album, !, with some tracks receiving over 20 million Spotify streams. In 2022, he published his second album, Into the Darkness. His universe is extremely gloomy, with an ambience reminiscent of horror films and the invisible. His lyrics are highly harsh, frequently referring to illicit activity.
Finally, we'll discuss one of the rising stars of the French scene. The Algerian TIF, one of the 2023 reveals, moved to France at the age of 18 to study and establish his musical career, settling in Lyon. He began piercing with his song "3INIYA" in 2020, but it was not until 2022, with the release of his first album Houma Sweet Houma, that he became widely renowned. In 2023, he released his second album, 1.6, cementing his status as one of the rising stars of the French music business. His style is distinguished by the combination of rap, Andalusian music, and Algerian chaâbi, resulting in a hybrid sound that appeals to a wide range of audiences. His principal songs focus on nostalgia for his own country and the difficulties of migrating.
La relève du Sud
Finally, we arrive at the South of France. We will initially stop in the Cote d'Azur to find Nekfeu. He began his career in 2007 in several collectives after growing up in La Trinité, a town near Nice. He released two EPs with 1995 before releasing his debut solo album, Feu, in 2015, which won Best Urban Music Album at the Victoires de la musique. In 2016, he released his second album, Cyborg, which was certified platinum in two weeks. Following that, he began a career in filmmaking, appearing in two films. In 2019, he released his last album until date, Les étoiles vagabondes, which was declared double diamond four years later. Since then, he has stayed silent and invisible on social media, only appearing alongside musicians he admires, such as Kalash Criminel, Alpha Wann, Dinos, and S.Pri Noir, among others. He is a politically oriented rapper who supports a variety of social causes, and his style is very technical, employing complex rhetorical figures. He is regarded as one of the finest writers in French rap.
Moving west, we land in the small harbour town of Sète. There, we meet Demi Portion, a rapper of Moroccan heritage and proponent of independent rap in France. After a difficult childhood, he began rapping in the 1990s, and in 1999, he and Sprinter established the group Les Grandes Gueules, which still exists today. Inspired by La Scred Connexion, he laboured in the shadows for many years, using the internet to promote his music. He has recorded over a dozen mixtapes, one EP, and three studio albums, all of which reflect his vision of rap as a respected art form, with a focus on lyrics and melodies and the use of music as a bridge for connection rather than rivalry. He founded the Demi Festival in 2016, which is held in his hometown of Sète.
From Sète, we'll head to Toulouse to find Laylow, a French rapper of Tunisian and Ivorian heritage. He began his career in 2012, releasing collaborative EPs with the Toulousain musician Sir'Klo and the Montpelliérain Wit. In 2016, he released his first solo EP Mercy, followed by Digitalova (2017), .RAW (2018), and RAW-Z, all of which were huge successes, paving the way for his first studio album Trinity, which was released in 2020 and featured artists such as S.Pri Noir, Jok'Air, Alpha Wann, and Lomepal, and was certified gold. In 2021, he released his second album, L'Étrange Histoire de Mr. Anderson, which features Damso, Hamza, and Nekfeu, among others. His style is described as futuristic, with extensive use of autotune. Aesthetically, his universe is influenced by films like Matrix, Blade Runner, and even Tim Burton.
Staying in the same city, we encounter Bigflo & Oli, two brothers from Argentinian origin who started their career in 2015. The duo gained prominence in the French rap scene with their introspective lyrics, smooth flows, and catchy beats. Their debut album, La Cour des grands, released in 2015, propelled them to national recognition, earning critical acclaim and commercial success. Known for their socially conscious themes and authentic storytelling, Bigflo & Oli have continued to captivate audiences with subsequent albums like La Vraie Vie (2017) and La Vie De Rêve (2018). With their unique blend of rap and pop sensibilities, they have become one of France's most beloved musical acts, inspiring a new generation of fans with their insightful lyricism and infectious energy.
Finally, we arrived in Perpignan, near the border with Spain, to meet Capuccino. The rapper is originally from Tunisia and is a member of the #TeamNasDas collective, which is led by influencer Nas Das. He gained popularity in 2022 with his tune “La Location”, which he performed at Planète Rap, at Skyrock radio. Since then, he has continued to release dynamic and cheerful tracks while also collaborating with musicians such as DJ Hamida.
This closes our tour de France, where we discovered burgeoning communities and artists outside Paris and Marseille's typical rap hotspots. I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction and will include some of them in your playlist.
Now listen to it!
In our upcoming issue…
Vol. 5. Rap against racism: how Spanish driller counter right-wing racist discourse
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