LUIDJI

Luidji is the story of a guy who sinks, but rises again. His debut album, Tristesse Business Saison 1, is really just the finishing line of a winding, dented artistic path. It’s a dense 17-track project, closed in on the steamy spirit of this southwest Parisian, who also spent his youth in Aubervilliers and La Courneuve. But before arriving at this album, Luidji groped his way. It was in the mid-2010s that his name began to create a stir, in the wake of his collective La Capsule (which includes Dinos & Beeby). The founder of the Foufoune Palace collective (which also includes rapper Tuerie, winner of the Joséphine de l’année award) advocates “soulful” rap, of which his project Saison 00 is the archetype. A real commercial success, the album has been praised by journalists such as Mehdi Maïzi, Neefa and Narjes Bahhar. And it’s very tempting to call it an album of maturity, given Luidji’s move away from butt stories to tackle more sensitive and universal subjects, as always with his legendary nonchalance.

“He’s not on the official list of “rappers to watch” because he’s undoubtedly already a long way off!” – France Inter