CLIP
An’Om x Vayn: “Pas parfait” and the Art of Introspection
An’Om x Vayn are an unconventional duo within the French rap scene. Hailing from Saint-Étienne, a city far removed from France's traditional…
Hellsinky author
ZEZ XXI — Mazdak Vafaei Shalmani
Mazdak Vafaei Shalmani, also known as ZEZ XXI, is a Franco-Iranian writer-director and journalist. Active in French-language rap media for more than fifteen years, he contributed to Rapunchline and later worked with Vice France and France Maghreb. He founded Hellsinky in 2018 and leads UrbanTrackz, developing stories across music, documentary cinema, urban culture and social memory.
Published work
MUSIC FOCUS
Believe, IDOL and Major Labels: Who Controls Independent Rap?
Believe, IDOL, The Orchard, Virgin Music Group and ADA: behind these names, largely unfamiliar to the general public, lies a battle that…
MUSIC FOCUS
Rap and the Law: From N.W.A to Freeze Corleone and BORO700
On October 21, 2026, French rapper BORO700 is scheduled to appear before a Paris court over lyrics referencing Mohammed Merah, the Bataclan…
CLIP
NAALA: “À toutes celles,” A Song Against Domestic Violence
With “À toutes celles” (“To All Those Women”), Chilean-rooted singer NAALA delivers a piano-driven ballad addressing domestic violence and the difficult journey…
CLIP
Tency, “Boss Up” and the New Voices of West Indies Rap
From Les Abymes to the wider Caribbean music scene, Tency belongs to a generation of artists who have shaped their sound at…
StreetPress
France-Africa: Towards a New Generation of Partnerships
In a collective op-ed devoted to relations between France and African countries, twelve figures from diplomatic, political, civic and economic circles are…
NEWS RAP
Saifond Takes “Holo Horema” on an International Tour
Driven by the success of Holo Horema, Saifond is entering a new phase with an end-of-year tour spanning Africa and Europe. From…
MUSIC FOCUS
From Sexion d’Assaut to Kaaris: When Homophobia in French Rap Reaches the Courts
From the controversies surrounding Sexion d’Assaut to Kaaris’s upcoming trial, homophobia in French rap has gradually shifted from being primarily a cultural…
![[Interview]: Pascal Tessaud: Rap Videos as a School of Filmmaking](https://hellsinky.art/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/interview-pascal-tessaud-a-lecole-du-clip-video-768x432.jpg)
MUSIC FOCUS
[Interview]: Pascal Tessaud: Rap Videos as a School of Filmmaking
Pascal Tessaud, a filmmaker known for his hip-hop films Brooklyn and Beatbox, Boom Bap, has recently completed his second feature film, Dans…
CLIP
Thimoty Ndomatezo: “Ramène-moi”, Gospel and Spirituality
“Ramène-moi” is a single by Thimoty Ndomatezo, a singer-songwriter and performer born in Saint-Denis, France, in 1999, to a family originally from…
MUSIC FOCUS
Why Ben PLG Is Not the “Orelsan of Northern France”
There is something almost obvious about Ben PLG and Orelsan finally meeting on a track. When StreetPress dedicated a documentary to Ben…
CLIP
Ben PLG & Orelsan Address Mental Health on “Mentir au psy”
Paradoxically, Ben PLG hardly has the typical credentials of a hardcore rapper. Northern France, once largely absent from the country’s mainstream rap…