In 2019, an entrepreneur explores rap’s historical sites such as Rapunchline, Rap2France, and others with the intention of acquiring them. After several hesitations, Rapunchline rejects the proposition of this exuberant and mysterious character referred to as “G.” However, the entrepreneur succeeds in acquiring Rap2France and its networks, which include numerous entities: the Facebook pages RapFrançais, Rap2France.com, France Rap actualité, Rap2France Instagram, and the Rap2France website.
Léo Gauthier: The spider’s web of rap!
Since the early 2010s, rap sites have become accustomed (for some) to selling sponsored articles on their sites and sponsored content on their pages, with notable exceptions such as Booska-P, Générations FM, RapElite, and a few others. This practice is not illegal and is followed by many mainstream media outlets.
Here is the list of sponsored articles presented by a salesperson in August 2023:
Starting from the networks and content of Rap2France, G attracts all networks to him with the same technique. He first offers a large sum of money, not to the editorial team, but to a journalist chosen within the team. This sum represents an advance on the work the journalist will have to do, often amounting to 3000 or 4000 euros. Underpaid journalists have no trouble accepting and spending the money. After spending it, they become dependent on the system and can no longer refuse requests from generous donors. Thus, they are under his patronage and repay their debts 50 euros at a time, the price of a sponsored article.
This age-old technique has proven its effectiveness. We have never managed to obtain the complete list of services from “G” under his pseudonym “Léo Gauthier” on social networks because we are his direct competitors, his usual closed circle. However, according to all indications and various pieces of evidence that have reached us through “individuals” or “interposed issues,” at its peak, he may have even infiltrated Booska-P and Générations FM. These media outlets fear sponsored articles and organize promotions through dressing and banners.
According to the information that has reached us, in both cases, “G” would have paid a journalist in advance and kept them in quasi-economic slavery. The only problem today, now that the system has been uncovered, is that many independent press attaches, but not only them, know about “this system.”
While “G‘s” network was at its peak in December 2023, and we can say that it was active between 2022 and 2023, how did this “entrepreneur” attract all these independent (or not) clients to his network?
The creation of Léo Gauthier!
Many of our emerging artists have already received an email from Léo Gauthier (who has probably changed his name today) after releasing a video on YouTube. In reality, during a Facebook conversation with “G,” we realized that Léo Gauthier does not exist. It is an algorithm. His photo is on Google Image.
Léo Gauthier is an algorithm that scans all new releases on YouTube and sends an automatic email to all emerging rap artists who publish a new video on YouTube. A team of salespeople based in emerging countries is then tasked with playing the role of Léo Gauthier over the phone, by email, and on social networks. To ensure the interest of emerging artists, “Léo Gauthier” praises the ego of independent artists who have been selected by… the algorithm.
The “G” company is based in Hong Kong in total opacity. He himself is “unstoppable.” He travels from country to country and spends four or five months in different countries worldwide. He says he “avoids French taxation.”
After an initial crisis in 2022 with the Générations FM media, we learned about the existence and actions of Léo Gauthier (the algorithm) from a close friend of the radio. Then, a new crisis in 2023. Léo Gauthier or the “Léo Gauthier” system, which currently only applies to Rap, sadly suggests what this system would be like on so-called “traditional” media. Léo Gauthier will probably take another “name” soon, no doubt.
We received part of the list from Léo Gauthier from a press attaché named M.
