Reveiews

Concerts

Le Zénith Nantes 12/03/19

A queue that stretches for hundreds of meters, fans waiting for hours, and seats used only to stand during the concert. No doubt - we are indeed at Gims concert.

Named Maitre Gims since his debut in his first band, called Sexion D'Assault, that pierced the eyes of the general public in 2010 with their title 'Désolé' became a classic in French Rap. This 33-year-old artist recently posted on social networks that he wants to keep only ‘Gims’ as a stage name. The Franco-Congolese star of the French scene is as comfortable with R'n'B, as he is with Pop music. He set fire to this Zénith of 8000 people. Gims - his real name Gandhi Djuna - may not have gone unnoticed thanks to his title 'Sapé Comme Jamais', broadcast in countless London nightclubs for months after its release.

However, he has served his audience across almost 10 years of a career, and has met the expectations of his fans during this concert. The singer is also a showman, thus combining frenzied melodies and engaging choreography. The artist, who has gained respect from many hits, has also come to interpret them on stage, from 'Bella' to 'Est-Ce Que Tu M'Aimes' which has exceeded 95 million listens on Spotify. The singer has nevertheless managed largely to interpret the songs of his last album Ceinture Noire released in March 2018 with the excellent titles 'Mi Gna', 'Corazon' featuring Lil Wayne and 'Tu Ne Le Vois Pas' featuring with Dadju - his own brother, who has also become an important figure in the French music scene.

© Appoline Montier

La Cigale Paris 18/03/19

Vibrant! This live show was so alive! Impossible to emerge unscathed from this event – it was filled with emotions and surprises!

It's impossible to miss the diversity spread throughout the concert, from the interpretation of the most touching and introspective songs from Gringe's latest album - whose real name is Guillaume Tranchant - named Enfant Lune. The heavy presence of meaning and emotion of the songs such as 'Scanner' - where the rapper of 39 years discusses the overdose of his little brother who left him in irreversible pain - and 'Pièces Détachées' - where he evokes the absence of his father and the repercussions that the absence of paternal figure had throughout his life - left a shock wave in this mythical Parisian concert hall.

The atmosphere is at its peak when the rapper who has already proven himself in the cinema - and who is also in the movie Damien Wants To Change The World - begins to resume the song '6:16 Des Histoires A Raconter’ when, suddenly, his eternal acolyte Orelsan joins him on stage to bring back together the flagship piece of the group they formed together named Les Casseurs Flowteurs.

In short, this concert was a perfect mix between joy, emotions and surprises! I’d say that Gringe gave everything he had to delight his fans and pushed himself to 1000% on stage, without ever forgetting to give us his flawless flow and sharp punchlines. This is the kind of concert we want more often!

© Judith Delourme16

Le Zénith Lille 31/03/19

«Little Polak will grow big»

Wow it was good, it was powerful, it was overheated! We can say that PLK from his real name Matthieu Pruski - young Parisian of 22 years old - set fire to the Zenith of Lille and smashed this dazzling gig! He didn't go halfway for sure!

The talented rapper nicknamed PLK - a contraction of the word ‘Polak’ which means Polish in slang - has been able to highlight its origins in the best way possible. We have to admit that he smashed everything from the beginning of the show by starting his show with the enraged banger '250'. Then he continued with his best hits and we were not disappointed with the energy released by the one who grew up in the 14th arrondissements of Paris. He unleashed the crowd when he played his audience’s favorite songs such as ‘Polak’, ‘Dis-Moi Oui’ and ‘Monegasque’.

Throughout the concert PLK interacts with its audience saying “It’s just the beginning, we start slowly for now but you’re not ready for what's coming next!” He knew how to heat up the crowd till the end of the show when he interprets ‘Emotif (Booska P)’ and ‘Dingue’ with a boiling energy. In brief, this gig was really “un truc de dingue”! [e.d: 'a crazy thing' in French] We’re still asking for more!

© Fanny Hill Scott

Albums

Blackbird DJ ELITE

24/05/2019 Blackbird Entertainment

Wow, it's a real shock! Since the beginning of the year 2019, I had not yet listened to an album with so many emotions! DJ Élite has set the bar very high, so high that other DJs wishing to release a mixtape of this type might have trouble competing with such a project.

He’s often seen as the DJ of Nekfeu and S-Crew - being beatmaker, sound engineer, DJ and producer proves that he’s first and foremost an artist in his own right.

The concept is simple, Elite - whose real name is Eliott Pullicino - who's director of the recording studio and the Blackbird label - will gather his most faithful comrades on an album as sweet as bloody. Between summer production like 'Notting Hill' with Doums, or 'J'Perds Le Contrôle' with Changerz, or the remarkable title 'J'Avance' with Georgio, or big banger 'Don't Really Know' with Aaron Cohen and Kemal, passing through the accoustic ballad 'Morning Mist' of Anaïka, it's impossible not to find happiness. The young artist of 28 years succeeded the humble feat of adding his own musical signature without ever distorting the flow of each other featured artist.

Similar to a surprise pouch filled with treasures, the album of DJ Élite is already one of my favorite albums of 2019. English friends, you should immediately listen to this incredible mixtape between English artists and French ones and hear them working their voices together in the most beautiful way possible! This is a MUST LISTEN without any moderation, because it's surely the album that will make you love French Rap.

© Fanny Hill Scott

Deux Frères PNL

05/04/2019 QLF Records

You have obviously seen the posters of the output of this album in the London underground, and you probably ask yourself: "Who are they?". The answer is here: it's PNL, two ambitious brothers with the ability to surpass others and who managed to enter the legend of French Rap. Oh yes, nothing more.

The third album of the two brothers Ademo and N.O.S from Paris, was able to mark the spirits with its breathtaking beats, sincerity and enthusiasm that have created two forces that nothing seems to stop. They were able to come back in force by appearing at the top of the Eiffel Tower in the single 'Au DD' which marked their return.

This new album is more introspective than before, and Tarik and Nabil – from their real names - have laid bare as in 'Deux Frères', one of the flagship pieces of the album where they explain the bonds that unite them as well as the more melancholy sound in 'La Misère Est Si Belle'. They seem to make a statement about what they have become over time and what success has not changed; their deep melancholy. Throughout the album we can see that the instrumental itself manages to serve the emotion, accompanying the variations of the voice.

In my eyes, PNL has just signed his best album here and he is sure he will be remembered by a good number of people. Once again, PNL manages to beat all records, remaining a legend of French Rap as they always said "The world or nothing".

© Appoline Montier

Tristesse Business LUIDJI

26/04/2019 Foufoune Palace Bonjour / MCA

What about this album left me speechless? A perfect mix of sensuality, sensitivity and self-giving, supported by soft, new and ambitious production.

Luidji, the young rapper from Paris, who debuted in 2011 and signed his first feat with Dinos, delivers us a perfect mix of emotion and sweetness that resembles the perfect symphony of The Weeknd while adding much more energetic and vibrant production that brings a real charisma to this album. There is a kind of extreme sincerity and sometimes even disconcerting, because it becomes more and more rare to find an artist who simply speaks about himself, his life and experiences without egotrip becoming more and more banal in rap. Luidji talks about him, though, I'm sure everyone can understand his lyrics through songs like 'Vent D'Hiver' and 'Tu Le Mérite'. Huge amount of love for 'Nazaré', that we found fresh and innovative with its production. The same for 'Plus Haut' which gave us chills and reminds us without a doubt the musical sensitivity of Sampha.

For fans of catchy songs that don’t neglect the lyrics, you can't miss out on 'Femme Flic' and 'Neon Rouges' which are songs that bring incomparable authenticity to other albums released in recent months. He says in 'Veuve Cliquot' and his groovy beat that he's "not in the ranking of rappers to follow" and we wanted to reverse the trend and put forward the one which, in our eyes, deserves much more credit.

© Fanny Hill Scott

Paradise HAMZA

01/03/2019 JWU / Warner Music France

Hamza’s second album, is it worth it? Yes, definitely.

After long months of waiting, Hamza has finally released his new album entitled Paradise, it’s enough to announce the colour of this new album released in March 2019. Often described as one of the Belgian breakthrough of recent years, Hamza offers to his fans a quality album with unexpected collaborations like the sound 'HS' with SCH, 'Minuit 13' with Christine And The Queen - renowned Chris now - and Oxmo Puccino one of the pioneers of French Rap or even ‘Dale x Love Therapy’ with Aya Nakamura the female artist of the year in France.

True to form, Hamza stucks to his own style that perfectly reflects this condensate music both depressed and naughty. This album of 17 tracks retains similarities with his previous album 1994. Lots of people talk about this album and react about it on social network, especially on Twitter. The debates go on between generations and different opinion. Hamza completely stands out from other rappers by revisiting R'n'B music with his mastery of the autotune and his innate sense for the beats.

After one week of release, Paradise achieved a good start with a total of 9,362 albums sold. There’s no doubt that Hamza keeps his title of “Sauce God” once again, as he renamed himself since his beginnings in music.

© Gloria Dominiak

Festivals

From 23/03/19 to 31/03/19 From 27€ to 41€

We went to Lille in the north of France on Sunday March 31st to discover the Rap scene of this Lille festival and we were not disappointed! Sunday was the last day to close the festival but also the one that put the Hip-Hop scene ahead - no less than 5 concerts that took place at the Zenith of Lille - which can hold up to 8000 people - and yet despite the size of the place, it emanated a friendly atmosphere as if it were a small, private concert. We were surprised to feel this sensation in the middle of this crowd filled with overflowing energy.

Who was there? We start slowly with the artist Nusky, a young rapper with a unique and promising style, before seeing Kikesa on stage. The young man from Nancy is known for his song 'La Dernière Fois Que Je Parle De Toi', and he’s considered a rapper in the making - assimilating Pop and Hip-Hop with disconcerting ease. We then start to build pressure with Georgio and his live show at more than boiling point. In all honesty, I’ve never seen an artist as close to his audience and with such energy to share. [e.d: Our interview with Georgio is available here in our latest issue]. Caballero & JeanJass - two Belgian rappers known for being shifted in their Rap, arrived on a stage with a scene for their show - a car and telephone booth. Much more chill and melodic than the other three previous artists, they were able to bring us a breath of fresh air in this Zénith. It's finally PLK to show on stage when the atmosphere is at its peak. The young Parisian of Polish origin has managed to keep his audience always so excited and ready to create pogo for each song.

Our favourite? We can’t deny that we had a huge crush for Georgio, simply and surely because he went into the crowd, his microphone in hand, and participated in the chaos created by his audience. We had never seen this from an artist as established and known as Georgio!

Around the festival? The prices are those of a festival; a little expensive without being too excessive. To entertain the public between each performance, the festival-goers were able to have access to some activities, such as photobooth and merchandising, without forgetting the famous and essential refreshment bar to go to refresh themselves and to serve a pint.

© The Magazine Team

From 03/04/19 to 07/04/19 From 35€ to 75€

What about this high-colored festival with a breathtaking French rap scene? It was dazzling, even divine! Surely the best festival of 2019 so far. La crème de la crème.

Who was there? The real question would be: who was not there? Impossible not to find fitting shoe for his foot for lovers of Hip-Hop! Are you rather conscious of lyrical Rap? Youssoupha, Dinos and Scylla & Sofiane Pamart were there to seduce you musically and lyrically. You do not want to take the lead and preferred to listen to the new hits out recently? No worries, Maes and RK should delight you in this case. Still not what you're looking for and preferred bigger banger with a unique and recognizable flow among a thousand artists? Nepal and Doums should leave you speechless for sure. Heavyweights of the French Rap such as SCH - joined on stage by PLK. Through the emerging artists such as Di#se, or the international legends and essential artists such as GrandMaster Flash were all present this Sunday, April 7 to finish this festival in style with more bubbling concerts than ever before.

Our favourite? It’s a struggle between the flow and the rhythmic of Nepal, the unique and catchy beats of Doums - on which we are about to dance all summer with the song 'Notting Hill' he recorded with DJ Élite for Blackbird album - and the more refined style of Dinos. It's impossible to choose between these three, it would be like separating the three musketeers! We let you decide and give your opinion on the question.

Around the festival? Nothing to say - there was something for everyone! Bars, restaurants, refreshments - all available between each concert. Impossible to be bored and lose love for this festival for even a minute! With reasonable prices and adapted to the average age present on the scene - between 18 and 25 years - the festival Chorus has set the bar very high! This is without counting on the sublime setting and the breathtaking view of the venue La Seine Musical nestled on an island in the middle of the Seine in Boulogne-Billancourt, one of the most beautiful residential areas of Paris.

© The Magazine Team