Booba and French rap share a passionate relationship, shaped by announced farewells and spectacular comebacks. His album Ultra was meant to symbolize the final chapter of a career that began with the seminal record Temps Mort, home to the classic Destinée. In an interview with Le Parisien, the artist stated that leaving the stage after his Stade de France concert would mean “leaving in the best possible way”.
Yet French rap — or rather the Rap Game — continues to hold the DUC captive. True to his taste for confrontation, Booba keeps asserting his dominance over the scene while unsettling his rivals, announcing a new project titled AD VITAM AETERNAM. While Ultra carried the aura of a farewell album, notably with its closing track Dernière fois featuring Bramsito, and brought together many artists introduced by Booba through his various labels — not forgetting Gato, loyal to the core — AD VITAM AETERNAM clearly positions itself as a continuation of his previous work.
For several years, a persistent rumor had been circulating around a project titled Blanco Nemesis. It originated from a screenshot shared by Booba, which fans — modestly dubbed “the pirates” — meticulously dissected. Many interpreted it as a subtle announcement of Blanco Nemesis, envisioned as a more melodic counterpart to the notorious Nero Nemesis.
Booba has now confirmed these speculations by unveiling Blanco Nemesis, whose first single, Seychelles, has just been released. Here, KOP deliberately sets aside his most aggressive rap instincts in favor of a lighter, more atmospheric approach. This shift is far from unprecedented: with Arc-en-ciel, Petite Fille, and more broadly the early use of autotune on 0.9, Booba established himself as one of the pioneers of what would later be known as “urban pop”, a style since embraced by an entire generation of rappers.
Booba releases Seychelles, the first single from Blanco Nemesis.
The instrumental production of this Caribbean-flavored track is signed by Zee Beatmaker. On Rap Genius, the producer is credited on tracks by Lestin and Svudvde, and notably produced Minuit and ENO for Lestin. The beat stands out for its smoothness and light rhythm, perfectly matching the atmosphere suggested by the title.
While Booba is known for excelling in “hard trap”, this is far from his first foray into more melodic territory. One might recall Validée, featuring Benash, a fully reggaeton-inspired track that remains among his most streamed songs. On his album DUC as well, he freely moved between multiple musical aesthetics.
Always tuned in to the freshest cultural references, Booba remains hyperactive on social media, a space he masters with precision. Some of his lyrics reflect this constant awareness:
“J’me fais sucer de-spee, Bakary Samake, jet-ski, jet-ski, super charge comme son fessier”
as well as this reference to Steve Mandanda:
“Carrière est longue comme Mandandhalsim, j’suis d’la géné’ qui assa-assine”
No visuals have been released yet…
