Genezio Prepares “Pour le Gang” With “Bloqué”

Genezio is an artist who has always stood apart. Hailing from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, in the 94 area south of Paris, he explained in a 2023 interview with Booska-P that his Cameroonian aunt — while he himself is of Congolese descent — passed on her love of African music to him, while his older relatives immersed him in French rap from an early age. Somewhere between rap and African music, the rapper found his own lane and developed a distinctly French take on bounce, drawing inspiration in particular from Young Thug and the Atlanta scene.

But Genezio has never limited himself to a single sound. From the beginning of his career, he has rejected labels and rigid classifications. In the same interview with Booska-P, he explained:

“We’re entering a new era, what they call ‘New Pop’ or ‘Melo’, but to me, there isn’t really a name for it yet. We’ll probably find one later because we’re still in the process of discovering these new sounds. All the artists grouped into these categories (WaïV, Tiakola, Rsko…) have their own thing, their own clearly defined universe, and putting them all in the same category reduces their music to melody alone, which is a shame. I think we’re simply hybrids. We’ve learned how to adapt and evolve through our music. You can’t always categorise everything and put everything into boxes. Music doesn’t need to be explained. You just have to be receptive to the musicality artists bring to their audience.”

His latest project shows just how far he has come. Les Dents du bonheur got off to a modest start, moving around 600 album-equivalent units in its first week, but has since surpassed 20,000 units. Genezio has also earned a diamond-certified single with El Gemano, his collaboration with La Mano 1.9, as well as a platinum single with OG featuring Niska. He has also climbed past 4.49 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

The artist is now preparing another project, Pour le Gang. Several of his recent singles share the same cover artwork, including Pas de refrain, 20 millions, Ça c’est mon Lossa and the recently released Bloqué. The latter fits perfectly into Genezio’s musical universe.

Genezio returns with “Bloqué” ahead of “Pour le Gang”!

According to the credits available on Spotify, the track was produced by Layback Music. The beatmaker can also be found behind Merveille’s track Mauvaise idée. Sitting somewhere between Afrobeats and contemporary urban music — without trying to force Genezio into yet another box — Bloqué could perhaps be described as an upbeat, melody-driven track. Genezio once again proves to be a natural bridge between African sounds, contemporary rap and feel-good, party-driven music.

Stylistically, the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges artist continues to rely on his signature gimmicks and melodies. Bloqué is hardly a revolution in terms of his sound, but that is precisely the point: Genezio has now developed such clear artistic markers that his musical identity is immediately recognisable.

The music video was created by Ologram Production. Playful, offbeat and highly original, it opens with Genezio sitting outside a neighbourhood grocery store before a group of vixens walk past. He eventually joins them, turning the small convenience store into an impromptu party.

Ologram Production is no newcomer to the scene. The production outfit has notably followed Kery James across several live performances and also directed Ninho’s LTP music video. From the cinematography and concept to the overall direction, the visual showcases a distinctive creative identity that could well attract more major rap artists in the future.