Damso unveiled his latest project, BĒYĀH, on May 30, 2025, following an enigmatic rollout only he could orchestrate. Staying true to his flair for mystery, he crafted a cryptic puzzle trail leading up to the album’s release — a hallmark of his discography. In William, a track from Lithopédion, he had already hinted at the end: “Last album, or maybe not — time will tell.” Talk of retirement is common among rappers, but Damso seems particularly drawn to the idea. He even suggested on RTBF that BĒYĀH might be his “ultimate work.”
But what does this cryptic title actually mean? According to the Damsologues — a loyal but often confounded fanbase — BĒYĀH might be derived from the Arabic word Ba’yah, meaning “allegiance.” However, that spiritual interpretation is only one layer of a broader artistic concept. In parallel, Damso released a science fiction short film, R.E.M Episode 0, screened only once in theaters, in the same vein as Nekfeu’s Les étoiles vagabondes. In this dystopian world, traditional currency has vanished, replaced by a neural network named BĒYĀH. A technological metaphor for our future, perhaps?
In an interview with RTBF, Damso described BĒYĀH as an introspective body of work, delving into themes such as memory, dreams, and consciousness. His aim was to deliver a fully immersive experience, both musically and visually. The title itself becomes a gateway into his universe. To mark the album’s release, he also dropped a visually stunning video for Impardonnable, in which he takes a few pointed jabs at Booba — artistic patricide has become something of a ritual for Damso.
Damso simply calls them “unforgivable.”
The production of BĒYĀH was entrusted to a quartet of beat craftsmen: Damso, Isma, Maxime Fleury, and Yuo. The latter two had previously teamed up on Deux mille by SCH, and have also worked with Beendo Z and Klem Schen. Isma, also known as Beatsbyisma, has produced for DA Uzi as well — notably on the track Mademoiselle.
BĒYĀH follows the lineage of hip-hop classics built around emotional piano loops — from Gravé dans la roche by Sniper to Still D.R.E. by Dr. Dre. The melancholy melody acts as a portal into the subconscious of a rapper who’s turned his inner chaos into poetic fuel. He recalls his childhood in the Congo on Graines de sablier, becomes a lone hitman in Mosaïque solitaire, and revisits the trauma of a lover’s suicide in Amnésie.
The punchlines hit hard and deep:
“Cotton fields still sing, was slavery ever abolished?
Emirates logged on the wallet, filling briefcases with cocaine
Heavy hearts tighten the noose around the neck
There’s no love left — they’re having kids just to save the couple”
The music video amplifies Damso’s signature dark, theatrical aesthetic. Surrounded by priestesses in a near-liturgical ambiance, he embodies a mystical figure, standing at the crossroads of mythology and modernity. The visual was directed by the duo Adrien Galo & Matthieu Allard, and produced by Kids. Adrien Galo previously helmed Rédemption Pt.1 by ZKR, and created stunning visuals for Sofia Essaïdi and Ibrahim Maalouf’s Autumn Leaves. Matthieu Allard directed the video for Benef by BRVMSOO featuring Dinor RDT.
