There is no denying Gazo and Tiakola are flying the flag for a new brand of international, but also fiercely domestic, French rap music. Whilst France has a rich heritage and cultural emphasis within rap music, in a similar fashion to the UK, the development of a truly distinct and homegrown scene has been a long time coming. Gazo and Tiakola are arguably the most complete examples to date of French artists rising purely through their commitment to creating their own brand of music which still feels distinctly French.
To this point; both artists draw on a range of influences outside of France, particularly across the channel and the Atlantic, but still manage to retain a distinctly French essence. Even their dedication to rapping/singing in French proves this point; both Gazo and Tiakola have had big collaborations with UK rappers (Headie One and Dave respectively), but there was no hint of a need to bend to suit the British rapper’s audiences. Instead, “22 Carats” and “Meridian” are shining examples of the crossover potential of true French rap music, and add context to why this blockbuster collaboration album between Tiakola and Gazo was so necessary in the first place.
With the release of La Mélo est Gangx, it was apparent that we were witnessing a watershed moment in the wider international rap scene. After all, it’s not every day two titans of one of the largest rap music markets in the world come together to deliver a project which can truly appeal to an international audience. But further to this point; Gazo and Tiakola are shining examples of French rappers making music that French people themselves really want to listen to. As a result, it seemed an opportune time to speak to both Gazo and Tiakola, getting the lowdown on the project, their success so far, and the future of French rap music.
First of all, how have you been? How does it feel to finally have LA MELO EST GANGX released?
T&G: “We are very happy to release this project, which has been close to our hearts since the first time we spoke about the idea.”
How have you found the initial reception?
T&G: “Very happy with the initial feedback. Beyond that, we know that this is a project people will digest over time, it will take several listens. The album is more experimental and technical than it seems and some will only understand what we were trying to do after several weeks of listening.”
Whilst you’re both superstars in France and increasingly so the wider world, you do come from quite distinctly different musical backgrounds. What was the inspiration for coming together as a duo?
T&G: “We do come from different musical backgrounds but in fact we have a lot of things in common; the work on melodies, subjects of the songs.
“The inspiration is our friendship really, the fact that we often found ourselves working in the same studio looking for ideas, new sounds, new experiments. In fact, that’s how the whole project was born.”
What was the first song you made on the album? Describe the experience of making it and thinking “yeah this this the one”
T&G: “The first song was “Notre Dame” and we knew straight away that we would keep this one, it has a quality that we really liked. We threw away a lot of songs but that one is special and it’s the first one we recorded.”
“AFRIKANBADMAN” strikes me as a track with crossover potential to the UK market, particularly with JAE5 on the buttons. What was it like working with him? Did you draw inspiration at all from the wider Afrobeats movement of people such as NSG at all for this track?
T&G: “Yes it definitely has shades of the British sound, we want to film the video in the Antilles too. I mean, it’s a timeless record, JAE5 really put this stamp on it. This sound can work for several international markets outside France. We really like working with guys from London, it opens the mind and creativity. They have other codes, other ways of making music and that is very interesting for us.”
It’s 8 songs until we get drill, but “100k” is an absolute banger and shows Gazo at his best in my opinion. Was it a deliberate decision to ensure this project had a touch of drill, but remained diverse in terms of its sounds?
Gazo: “I’ve been teasing this one for a long time on socials and the public has been asking for this one. The bit I posted was getting a lot of attention so I had to put it in the project. And that’s exactly what contributes to the diversity of it, a very kick heavy sound.”
Indeed, “100K” is followed by “200K’, which feels like Tiakola’s turn at making a solo Drill cut. Was there competition about who would conquer this sound best?
Tiakola: “The Gazo track already existed and I did some test bars over the production. I was immediately hooked on the results. We thought it was good that there were two solo tracks on the album and that there was continuity on the production and the composition there, so we made a beat and I jumped on. No competition between us, just a desire for overall harmony on the project.”
Why did you decide for these two songs to be similar in the sense of both sound but also being solos?
T&G : “That’s precisely what they are, they are similar in terms of the instrumental but we are each in our own sonic universe; Gazo with the kick and Tiako in the Mélo (melody – also Tiakola’s alias).“
As I mentioned, the tape is a unique collection of different sounds, really looking to maximise the sonic potential of combining the two of you. Was it a journey figuring out how you wanted this tape to sound, specifically with regards to choosing the right production?
T&G: “Yes, for us it’s very important to feel the alchemy of combining our two universes. We worked for a long time and worked very hard so that the project offered different colours. For the production sound too, we took the lead. We worked with a lot of different people, for example a big part of the mixtape was done in London but we even worked with a choir from South Africa.”
In addition, I heard you’re tapped in with Cortiez, hosting a range of pop ups to celebrate the launch of the tape. What is about Cortiez that connects with wider Europe so effectively?
T&G: “Yes, we had caught up with Clint several times and we share the same values, the same desire to break the codes and invent our own codes, our own rules.
“In addition, we found that his brand fitted in very well with the artistic direction of the project, so we launched the album with him. It was obvious we needed to collaborate on Product. The French public love Corteiz so much and we wanted to please the people.”
Gazo you had the chance to work with Russ on the “Reggae & Calypso” remix, what was that experience like? Did you record it in the studio together?
Gazo : “It was super quick, we were still recording the KMT project at the time, I was talking with Russ via socials. He told me about the remix, I sent him my part and we filmed the video the following week I think.”
France is the second biggest market for rap music in the world now. Why do you think it’s taken so long for the scene to take off?
T&G: “The French market has been very huge for a long time in fact. We created our own internal market, we are not modelled on the American one. We have our own canon, French rap is very influential. We have a rap history that dates back a long time and it is a very healthy culture which will continue to grow stronger, the trajectory is always upwards; the biggest concert sellers, the most streams. Rap is the leading genre in France and we know there were artists in the 2000s who fought to get us here, there many uncrowned Kings in the past.”
Where do you see the future of French rap heading?
T&G: “Always going higher, with more innovation. Artists are more and more creative, there is something for everyone, French rap has very good years ahead of it.”
What can your fans look forward to? Any chance of a collaborative tour?
T&G : “Yes we are going to do 4 special festival dates this summer. We’re going to do a big show as a duo, we’re working on that.”
Finally, how do you want this current moment to be remembered in the future? How do you hope this tape will go down in terms of cultural and musical significance?
T&G : “We hope to leave a mark on culture, they will understand we made a real contribution. We are not taking the easy route. We really tried to bring something different to mark the era.”