8 minute read
Reviews // Albums & Concert
BEKAR
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Mirasierra
04/2022 © Panenka Music
The rapper from Roubaix has long been a part of the French Rap rookies for a time that’s now revolute: Bekar is on the main stage now. Bekar just launched the sequel of his EP MIRA : MIRASIER- RA. He explained is choice on Instagram: "Mirasierra is the name of the neighborhood where I was born in Madrid, it also means "look at the mountain" in Spanish. It’s also an allegory that I like because we’re always facing an obstacle to climb."
Let's get to the heart of the project: musically what does it sound like? The nine additional tracks are relatively varied and it’s fabulous. I appreciate a lot the fact that each track is different and has its own universe. The transition between "La branche" and "59db" pleasantly surprised me. "59db" which is also featuring his Roubaix sidekick: ZKR. The track is clearly a tribute to their city that they describe in the best way. The second guest of MIRASIERRA is Captaine Roshi... what a pleasure! The two artists gave us a high-level performance! As I like to say: the guest respected and honoured the invitation.
MIRASIERRA is - as you can imagine - a project that I really enjoyed, particularly "DEHØRS". The lyrics, prods, feats, topics... have totally made sense to me. From now on, we can only wait for one thing: the long-awaited first album of BE. We also wish a bright future for the artist and his music.
© Van’s
JAZZY BAZZ
Memoria
01/2022 © 3.14 Production
Perfectionist could be the adjective to best describe Jazzy Bazz. Member of Grande Ville and L’Entourage, two eminent music collectives, Jazzy is a 32- year-old rapper from the 19th district of Paris.
Memoria his fourth album is quite a good example of what he loves to cherish. No boundaries, no limits. Just doing things right. Sense, rhythmic, you can feel his talent, hard work and precision through his lyrics. he has real ease to put down his words: fast and naturally. His flow is robotic and mechanical because of how easy it sounds but still, Memoria stays deeply poetic and human: true evidence of his abilities.
My favourite tracks on the project are "Zone 19" with EDGE, ".Raw Spleen" with Laylow, "P-Town Blues" and "Cœur, Conscience".
The different songs are homogenous with a few exceptions stepping aside from the tracklist while still being Jazzy’s signature. "Sablier" is one of them. Smooth with more space for melody and singing. The six feats of the seventeen tracks add texture to the project and create an opening for other musical worlds. Memoria is full of technique, rareness and futuristic vibes while still sounding like a timeless classic. Quality hits us at every listening session. It reminds us of the modest prestige of belonging to L’Entourage and last but not least, of being such a master in the art of rapping.
© Louise OH
LESRAM
Wesh Enfoiré
04/2022 © Malvado
Known for being a member of the groups Panama Bende or Tontons Flingueurs, Lesram, the 24-yearold rapper just launch his mixtape Wesh Enfoiré and we can say that’s a massive success! Talented kicker since his beginnings, he impresses with his raw punchlines and his melancholic flow.
Wesh Enfoiré is a10 tracks mixtape including two feats – well-chosen if I can say – with Alpha Wann (the close friend artist since his beginnings in the Rap industry) and his sidekick PLK (from the group Panama Bende too). This is where you realize that when an artist works with a friend... the result is impressive! In this opus, the prods’ choice and the themes are multiple: family, friends, money issues, conflicts, his hood in 93... Multiple but always with remarkable lyric ease.
I’ve always appreciated Lesram for this Rap atmosphere. He manages to rap about things we've already heard million times but succeeds in sublimating it with his pen and flow. The sound "Cnn" perfectly supports my opinion: a melancholic production with a kicked flow where the artist opens up about his life and his family. I also appreciated a lot the track "Seum", it’s truly well-written and we feel perfectly his sincerity.
In brief, this project reflects the artist and his different Rap skills on a high level. Lesram proved once again that he masters his art and that he can keep surprising us. We’re ready for the next project!
© Van’s
ZAMDANE
Couleur de ma peine
02/2022 © Black Palladium Music / Bendo Music
“The colour of my sorrow”. This is the english translation for “Couleur de ma peine”, Zamdane’s very first album. One tone, one mood, thousands of variations. Of emotions, following the long path of bitterness. Smooth but painful, honest but creative, this album tells us about the author’s journey.
Bam! Painful start. “Tout ce qu’il voulait” is the first track of the project, first story, first knife struck in the middle of our hearts. As speaking about someone else, watching himself from another side of his existence Zamdane tells us how he got to where he is today. Somewhere safer? Better? Who knows. Different for sure!
There are many parts we like about this record. It’s wonderfully well written. Which can be surprising when knowing Zamdane’s mother tongue is not French. He has been speaking it for several years now living in Marseille. He writes in French and Arabic.
Ayoub, his birth name means “the one who turns back towards God”. He does. This project is also about faith, especially in “Lettre à mon dieu”. When struggling against tough times, tough situations, losses, death, he prays harder and comes back. Stronger? Not really. Alive though. This is what matters, right? Keep going, growing from past mistakes. That’s how this album sounds to us.
© Louise OH
SO LA LUNE
Fissure de vie
05/2022 © Low Wood
If we had to talk about a rising star in French Rap these last 2 years, it would be impossible to miss the phenomenon So La Lune. His voice and his melodies they stay in our heads. It’s also important to note his constant activity in terms of releases since 2020. The quantity is there, certainly, but what about the quality? From my point of view, each projects were successful. This allowed the artist to see what is liked by his audience.
This album was very expected by the public. I personally really appreciated the effort of diversification in the prods and flows. Of course, the recipe remains the same since his past projects but isn't it for this reason that we appreciate So La Lune? His universe carries us away from the beginning of the album. The first track “Soleil Mourant” is a form of risky bet as we’re not used to see him on this kind of sound but it’s a frank success. The track “Déconnecté” also shows evidence of what I’m saying: the artist left his comfort zone while keeping the same codes that he knows how to rule.
Fissure de Vie is a project more than great. Indeed, So La Lune had to confirm his rise in the French Rap game where it’s competitive and he truly did it in the most beautiful way with this album. We have no doubt that his future projects now!
© Van’s
MADEINPARIS
03/2022 Les Étoiles, Paris, France
I had the honour of meeting MadeInParis on his first solo Parisian date on March 24, 2022 at Les Étoiles where only a few days after the announcement, the concert was already sold out. It’s safe to say that the fans were waiting for this event.
From his real name, Dave Wayne – a.k.a MadeInParis – is a rapper, singer, composer, photographer, graphic designer, director and a sound engineer, that’s definitely a lot of strings to his bow. The young prodigy has worked with the greatest artists, notably Aya Nakamura, on the “Djadja” world hit. He finally decided to launch his own solo career with his first mixtape in 2019 called Dopamine Effect.
What about this incredible concert? MadeInParis has offered us a quality tracklist with fleshy melodies up to tripping sounds like “Baby” feat Squidji or “Sentiments”. We even had the surprise of seeing Captaine Roshi on stage for the song “Champagne”. No doubt that the atmosphere in the concert room was at its peak.
A few weeks before the concert, he released his first album entitled Voulez-vous Couchez Avec Moi ? composed of 15 tracks with quality feats like the one with Luidji on “PornStar Martini” or Lestin on “Jeu Dangereux”.
In short, MadeInParis really smashed it with this gig, full of surprises and deep feelings. Actually, we already ask for more, we even want more!
