2015 was a breakthrough year for the UK scene all across Europe and other parts of the world. Fans from abroad have embraced our home grown talent in emphatic style after the spotlight had been shone so brightly on our island. With big movements being made across the old continent, the world is slowly but surely opening up to the UK scene and it’s array of different sounds and styles. But what do we know about our European cousins and their respective scenes?
In this new feature GRM International, we aim to show you guys the major players and artists to look out for in various different countries across Europe, kicking off with my birth place, France. The French scene is the second biggest Hip-Hop industry in the world behind the U.S, churning out multi-platinum selling artists since the 80’s and has always had a very strong independent underground scene as well.
So, who are some of the major players and artists to look out for? With such a large amount of very sick artists with so many different styles, it’s been really tough curating this piece, so I’ve gone for a straight forward format to show you just some of the heavyweights and give you an idea of who’s been doing what in 2015. (There are so many iconic legends within the French rap scene, this piece solely focuses on a few of the current crop of artists making waves within it, please don’t grill me on social media lol.)
Booba
One of those iconic legends goes by the name of Booba, who is still going strong and, to me, is still the boss of this French rap game. With a career spanning over 2 decades, millions of album sales, countless classic gems and a very long rap sheet of MC’s who’s careers he has ended, there’s not much Booba hasn’t achieved.
Hailing from Haut-de Seine on the outskirts of Paris, Booba started his career with another rapper who goes by the name of Ali. This duo birthed one of the best rap group French rap has ever seen with Lunatic, and their only joint album ‘Mauvais Oeil’ , which came out in 2000 (shortly after Booba came out of prison), is a classic and still talked about to this very day as possibly being the best French rap album ever made.
9 solo albums later (2 which dropped in 2015, work rate on smash!) and Booba is still relevant with his very unique voice and gangster charisma. Having dropped a lot of videos recently, I have chosen “4G” taken from his latest album ‘Nero Nemesis‘ (which came out on 4th December- the same day as arch rival Rohff’s album), which has a very dark beat to match his unique talkative flow that only he can master. In a year where he has been tested again in rap beefs and come out on top (again), Booba shows why his longevity is not slowing down any time soon.
Lacrim
If Booba is still the boss of the French rap scene then Lacrim is king of the streets! Having signed to Def Jam France and released a critically acclaimed album “Corleone” which went number 1 in France, it’s been a good couple of years for him musically. Frequent collaborations with major U.S rappers (French Montana, Lil Durk and Migos to name a few) has also allowed him to showcase his talent and gritty tales to a wider audience.
However, it hasn’t been easy for him to put all of this together and kill the game the way he’s been killing it. In March 2015, Lacrim was sentenced to serve a 3 year sentence in prison after being accused of involvement in dealing arms (finger prints were found on an AK-47 in Marseille allegedly). He then went on the run for the following 8 months to pursue his career and drop video after video like “Gustavo Gaviria” (one of my favourites from this period). He spent a lot of time abroad to achieve this, and to be honest, I don’t blame him when he had such a golden opportunity with his crazy buzz. He eventually gave himself up in November, like he said he would, and in December he even dropped a brand new mixtape; ‘R.I.P.R.O Vol 2’. I have chosen “Marabout” which is taken off the mixtape and is also his latest video to have dropped. This is gritty and as real as they come, with Lacrim always honest and unfiltered in his raps, one of my favourite rappers to touch the mic in France. Liberez Lacrim!
Gradur
After a breakthrough year in 2014, Gradur cemented his place in 2015 as a major player in the French rap scene with a successful album ‘L’homme Au Bob‘, which featured Migos and Chief Keef.
Coming straight out of Roubaix in the north of France, this ex soldier is putting the game under martial law with his heavy hitting flows condensed with a very well worked technique and his trademark explosive energy.
It’s been another very productive year for him with the release of ‘SheygueyVara 2‘, the follow up to ‘SheygueyVara 1‘ a mixtape/album series (to be honest they sound like albums to me). He has shown just how versatile he really is by being just as comfortable on hard hitting rap anthems, to stories about love and of course lighting up the club scene with a volley of hits that have a certain dance feel to them. He has even done a remix to Krept & Konan’s “DWMT” entitled “#DisLeur”.
I’ve gone for one of his latest videos taken from his latest mixtape ‘SheygueyVara 2’ entitled “#Sheyguey11” for a few simple reasons; it’s a hood banger with a crazy video and mad energy to it. This is super crud.
Jul
Rapper Jul from my hometown of Marseilles has had a breakthrough year too, having taken the French rap world by storm with his fifth album ‘My World‘ which he released on 4th December (another one!) and has been the real winner in terms of album sales.
His style is very unique and his attitude to music is not confined to the traditional boxes that rappers get wrongly put in by various media outlets (who don’t really know what they’re talking about, but whatever init), with his club inspired and high energy infused tunes being played everywhere in 2015.
I have chosen his latest video “Dans L’appart” as it is by far my favourite tune of his so far and the video is brilliantly shot in the theme of the controversial cult social French drama“La Haine” (which premiered at the 1995 Cannes film festival where it received a standing ovation, earning Matthieu Kassovitz the award for best director). I am slowly becoming a fan of Jul’s with these kind of gritty bangers! Sick!
SCH
A very different newcomer who has a good year is SCH. Another rapper coming straight out of my hometown of Marseilles (Aubagne to be precise), the 22 year old rapper definitely brings a different kind of wave to the game.
With a unique style of rapping and a certain dress sense which screams Marseille mobster at times, I have grown to really appreciate what he brings to the table. For me it’s like the madness of Gainsbourg meeting the attitude of Jacques Mesrines.
His 2015 release of mixtape ‘A7‘ saw the Def Jam France artist showcase his crazy bars and his sometimes lavishly French lifestyle inspired videos such as “Champs-Élysées” and “Morpheus” .
I was torn between the video for “A7” and “Gomorra” but in the end settled for the latter, just to show that unique wavey Mafioso style he brings. With certain parts shot in the infamous “no-go” estate of La Scampia in the Italian city of Naples and others in our beautiful city of Marseille, the theme is very mob inspired with a very interesting story line to follow.
Nekfeu
Nekfeu has been a stalwart in the French rap scene for quite a few years now. His group 1995 are a very popular crew who often top the French charts with a different approach to their music. He is also part of larger crew altogether called L’Entourage (which also include the other members of 1995).
I had to put him in this list because once again this year he has hit the ground running with a series of very sick visuals such as “Ma Dope” and “Mon Ame” all of which are taken off his latest album ‘Feu‘.
I had to choose the video for “7:77 AM” which features Californian artist 86 Joon because the tune is something different but… fam, the video is MOVIE!!!
Deen Burbigo
Next up I’ve gone for a bit of a dark horse. Also a member of rap crew L’Entourage, Deen Burbigo is probably one of the best lyricists in France with a true art of crafting something special every time he touches the mic or enters the booth.
This video dropped a week or so ago and the beat is remix of a classic Booba track “Temps Mort” where producer Dtweezer flips the original sample and comes up with a piece of musical genius.
This is a personal favourite right now and I’m hoping that it’s the sign of something big in the pipeline.
And finally a couple of artists to look out for in 2016. …
PNL
I have to start with PNL, the new rap group taking the French scene by storm formed of two brothers called NOS and Ademo.
Their debut album ‘Le Monde Chico‘ topped the iTunes album charts despite the duo not signing a record deal with a label, doing any interviews and refusing to give away information about themselves on social media.
Their latest video “Tempête” was partly shot in London and is in their usual mysterious style of slow tempo’s about the frustrating emptiness and mind-numbing grind of the lives of small-time drug dealers on French estates. I love this duo and the world they take you in every time you blast their tunes!
XV BarBar
Last but certainly not least is the group they call XV BarBar which may I say are … SUPER WAVEY!!! This super rap group combine many different styles and a lot of energy to deliver a truly sick new age sound to add to the French rap scene.
Their debut project ‘Le Gun Ou La Rose‘ has been on heavy rotation on my phone since it dropped and the video to the opening track of same title is seriously on a different vibe, hence why I have decided to make this my final pick of the lot. I predict a big future for these guys too.
Well there you have it, a wide range of what the French scene has to offer at the moment, but this is only scratching the surface. There are a lot of talented artists doing their thing in a BIG way and it’s only right that I salute the whole French rap scene. From the heavyweights to the smaller underground artists who are the bloodline of this massive scene, also a big shout out to everyone behind the scenes making this all possible. Vive le rap français!
P.S. I think more collabs between the UK scene and the French scene would be seriously sick! Let’s make it happen…
Words: @CeeUKHH