Albums Review

LAYLOW

L'Étrange Histoire de Mr.Anderson

07/2021 © Digital Mundo

In July 2021, the French rapper Laylow released his second album named “The strange story of Mr.Anderson”. This album is particular; as we can guess in the title, the album narrows the story of a mysterious guy called Mr.Anderson. In this narrative album, Laylow added up some scenes of daily life with the voice of a narrator, a clever mishmash that testifies to the artist’s creativity. During the whole album, we’re in this particular atmosphere — between dream and reality — that could remind us of the universe of Tim Burton. The name of the album can actually echo to ‘The Strange Christmas Of Mr.Jack” too.

In this project, we can also notice the quality of the text. In the song “Tu Comprends Maintenant”, linked to the song “HELP !!!”, Laylow tackles the theme of domestic violence and people's inaction about it. A sensitive subject that can be disturbing because of its freezing realism.

The style is daring, sought and brilliant. Faithful to the artist’s universe that made him “special”. “Special”, as in the title of his featuring with Nekfeu, which was particularly appreciated by the public. Laylow collaborate with many artists for this album such as Nekfeu, Damso, Alpha Wann or Hamza; some featuring highly requested have delighted their fans.

In this album of 20 tracks, Laylow’s a rapper, an actor, a narrator and a director. To understand all the subtlety of the work, you should listen to his first album named Trinity. It could be really interesting to understand the bionic universe in which the artist progress since then.

© Anna Hias

SCH

JVLIVS II

03/2021 © Maison Baron Rouge // Rec.118

In three months time, 2021 is already over and we can say that we have been spoiled this year in the Rap Game. Of course, I’m talking about albums such as Booba’s one or Laylow but as you probably understood, the project I want to talk about for now is SCH’s one. What the hell was that!?

The S has just offered us 19 tracks of pure genius. Despite the number of tracks, there’s no repetitive aspect. Each flow and instrument are different, SCH hit really hard with this album. There are sung egotrip and powerful chorus as in “Fournaise”, “Zone À Danger”. As for the first opus of the same name, a real storyline emerges from the project. But if we could express some doubts about volume 1, SCH comes here more confident and determined than ever and it we can feel it. He didn’t hesitate to put his emotions at the heart of this project as in “Loup Noir” where he evokes the loss of his father.

The 28-year-old Marseille-based rapper also comes out of his comfort zone as in his feat with Freeze Corleone. The clip is a real masterclass! It’s beautiful, damn it’s fucking beautiful... Big up for the track “Assoces” which is without a doubt one of my favourites with “Loup Noir” and “Euros” where SCH alternates between different types of flow with a disconcerting ease.

Obviously, some will say that they didn’t like it but we can say that we loved it! We really loved it! It’s rare in Rap these days to discover albums with so much potential, and just for that, we can thank SCH for that.

© Samson Gorski

SQUIDJI

Ocytocine

05/2021 © A+LSO

Despite my French being patchy (at best!), I've always loved listening to music from different countries, in particular French Rap. Admittedly, I haven't kept up to date with the scene for quite a while; that is, until I heard this album. For me, Squidji has been the portal back into the French Rap world - dare I say, triggering the oxytocin.

The sound of the album encapsulates the city, and love, and life. Squidji portrays a man broken on a journey through the trials of love in conflict, addiction, chance encounters, and introspection. Provoked by emotion, Squidji delves into the depths of human connection, longing for love, and the importance of understanding in relationships. With features from Lous and the Yakuza, Josman and Disiz La Peste, Squidji sensitively tackles feminist issues (positioning Lous and the Yakuza as the spokeswoman), heartbreak and recklessness on some of the stand-out tracks - notably ‘CI- CRATRICES’ (Scars), ‘A.M.O.U.R’ (Love), and ‘SUBARU’.

‘PARIS C’EST NOIR’ (Paris Is Dark) and ‘OXYGÈNE’ (Oxygen) showcase Squidji’s smooth and emotive vocals, while ‘STRIPPER’ and ‘PARADIS BLEU’ (Blue Paradise) provide a welcome contrast to the darkness. The bittersweet and melancholic undercurrent of this album strikes a chord, and the atmospheric interludes colour the auditory experience.

Through the maturity represented here, Squidji’s ability to introspect truly shines, and facilitates real connection with his listeners. This is a debut album, and his ability to authentically depict his experiences seems second-nature to him. With his roots in the underground scene and quiet confidence evident, it's an exciting time for Squidji. As one of the stand-out albums of 2021, ‘OCYTOCINE’ proves the perfect accompaniment to late-night drives through the city.

© Samara Husbands

DAMSO

QALF Infinity

04/2021 © Trente-Quatre Centimes

Unlike his previous communications strategies, QALF Infinity was planned and highly anticipated by the public. This second part completes the Greek alphabet that he started in 2017 with his magnificent project Ipséité which is today one of the references in the French Rap.

Enough blah-blah-blah let’s talk about music. Personally, I liked QALF which is a great quality album. But, I remained a bit “hungry” because it lacked “the spices” I needed to make me jump off my couch. But that was without counting on INFINITY’s release! The project really conquered me from the first note to the last one. Between dirty flow, melody, topline, sound and so on, this project perfectly completed the first part released a few months ago.

I had a real crush on “Morose” where we see a Damso show us his musical palette in an extraordinary way. The song is full of several ways of rapping flows that the Brussel rapper manages to mix with disconcerting ease. Special mention for “Vantablack” where we find an angry artist with a kick worthy of the greatest Rap leaders! If I can give you one piece of advice, don’t make it listen to your parents. “TheVie Radio” is also one of my favourites, I’ve been waiting for Damso on a piece like this for a while, but I’ll let you discover it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!

To make a brief conclusion, I think you understood that I loved the project at 2000% and QALF INFINITY is definitely a project I'll keep on listening to in a few years time as the album was so good. Another tip: if you listen to the album with headphones, it will allow you a guaranteed immersion! After 2 projects in only a few months apart, when’s the next Dems project?

© Van's

OBOY

No Crari

09/2021 © Studio Vova

Oboy, this young rapper of 24 years from Val-de- Marne in the Parisian region has just hit hard again with his new album called CRARI. After the release of his first projects named Southside in 2018, then Omega in 2019, Oboy’s back with a bigger project now. Just one year after the release of his MAFANA EP, Oboy shows his ultimate evolution through his latest album, and we’re delighted to discover it!

I can promise you an assured journey in a dark and melodic universe - in total adequacy with the rapper’s image. In 2018, when he made his debut in the Rap Game, he initially remained rather discreet until he could finally show what he was really able to do in music. Through an album of 14 solo songs without any featuring, Oboy showed the extent of his abilities to succeed in the Rap Game.

Oboy can be proud to be qualify as the Best Scorer of the season, a well-deserved success and we can say that he deserved his place among the great icons of French Rap.

© Firdaous Ab

KEKRA

Kekra

06/2021 © AllPoints France // Believe Music

Kekra, the Parisian artist already present in the French Rap for several years, has just delivered his latest project called Kekra. Indeed, it may surprise that an artist names his album in the same way as his stage name, personally, I find it rather original and daring. One of Kekra’s particularities is the anonymity that he has kept for so many years with different styles to hide his face. Once again, this is a choice that I love as we can 100% focus on his music.

Ultra-productive, avant-garde or even controversial, Kekra offered us 17 tracks in the same vein as his many other projects. Big crush on “Number 9” which is a song where you can feel a confident Kekra about his art - something that I really appreciate about him. The album’s hit single “Phénomène” released a few days before the full album is really good and was rather well received by the public. Now let’s talk about “Pas D'Amis” the album outro - what a perfect ending! A soaring sound, a quality mix, and a brilliant artist created a perfect track! However, in my opinion, the real masterclass of the project is “Laforet”, I had never heard Kekra surf this way on a beat. Everything’s well-calibrated, we really have the impression that the artist and the instrumental are one. Of course, I certainly lack objectivity since this is my favourite title, but I highly recommend it, make your mind!

As you will have understood, I enjoyed the album, the sounds I quoted are definitely great. Unfortunately, on a full album, I find it difficult to fancy every song even if Kekra remains an artist that I love. Be reassured, my overall opinion remains positive! To enjoy an album, nothing’s better than to make your own judgement!

© Van's

FELUKAH

KawKabi

05/2021 © Abu Recordings

‘‘The new Cleo-rap-tra’’

On the back of the success of her first two albums, Egyptian starlet Felukah is back with experimental EP KawKab - translating to ‘planet’ in Arabic. Hailing from Cairo, New-York based Felukah is paving the way for women in hip-hop. Her music tackles deep topics with the dreamy flow of the Nile.

With a clear progression from her previous sound, she takes the listener on a neo-soul, psychedelically charged hip-hop journey. Kicking off with ‘PSA’, she is unapologetic about the relentless pursuit of her dreams, while ‘What She Does’ is “an ode to inspiring women everywhere”. ‘Ascension’ (my personal favourite), lulls you with its dreamy start (reminiscent of A$AP Rocky’s ‘L$D’) and unexpectedly switches to a hard-hitting Kendrick-style flow tackling the struggles of youth. With ‘Love On The Comedown’ Felukah proves her versatility with a heavy indie-rock bassline, which complements her silky vocals surprisingly well. The dark undertones of this piece provide a haunting contrast to the celestial beats and perception-altering feel.

While the indie-rock and shoegaze influences are clear, Felukah is unafraid to cement her position as a key player in today’s Hip-Hop arena. This piece marks an exciting shift for Felukah and makes the perfect accompaniment to a dusky sunset over the ocean.

© Samara Husbands