In a few weeks, Hamza will release his new album “Mania”, following the success of his previous album “Sincèrement”. Hamza, often referred to as the Picasso of French rap, has shaped his career through various “eras”. From the very beginning, he ventured into cloud music with “1995”. Later, with “Paradise”, he presented a dense and eclectic project, including a remix of the original soundtrack of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, alongside Oxmo Puccino and Christine and the Queens.
With “140 Bpm 2”, the Brussels-based rapper adopts the frantic tempo of Drill music, just as the genre is taking over the Francophone scene. In “Sincèrement”, Hamza opens up to the public, addressing his inner demons—addictions, isolation, doubts. “Sometimes, you feel very lonely even when you’re surrounded.” he confides. An introspective album, it was certified gold in just 12 days.
He’s now back with his latest single, “KYKY2BONDY”, taken from “Mania”. This track, a clear nod to Kylian Mbappé, echoes the football reference with the same cleverness as Booba in “KYLL”. But Hamza doesn’t stop there: he also revisits the codes of Atlanta’s Trap, popularized by Migos. He even includes an iconic line from their founding track, “Bad and Boujee”.
In an interview with QCLTUR in 2023, he talks about his collaboration with Offset. The American rapper, in Paris for Fashion Week, met Hamza through mutual contacts. The track was already ready, and Hamza didn’t hesitate to remove his own verse to make space for his prestigious guest.
Hamza is gearing up for his new project with “KYKY2BONDY”!
The production of this track is credited to Lucozi, a well-known Francophone beatmaker who’s worked with several artists, including SCH on “Tirer un trait” and Tiakola on “1h55”. But it’s his longstanding collaboration with Hamza that has created a real musical chemistry, from “140Bpm2” all the way to “Sincèrement”. He’s also behind the composition of the track made with DJ Snake, released in 2023. The production, inspired by the sonic world of Migos, further proves Hamza‘s ability to switch between different styles. Hailing from the northern part of Brussels, the artist is well-versed in these stylistic exercises, even if he doesn’t always vocalize it.
The tone of this track is undeniably egotrip, in the vein of “Bad and Boujee”:
“I take her to the Galeries Lafayette, yeah, Celine, Gucci, and Chanel, yeah
My girl, her pussy is so sweet, almost giving me diabetes
She walks into the room and I undress her like Justin and Janet
She robs a rapper every Saturday, she lights up her nose in the bathroom, hff”
Visually, Hamza draws heavily from the flashy aesthetics of American culture. He operates in a world where the “vixens” of “Bad and Boujee” hold the keys to a “Paradise” that’s just as seductive as it is dangerous, sometimes flirting with hell.
