Niro has long been a cornerstone of French rap — a true taulier (boss figure). In 2023, he surprised fans with a self-titled album that shot straight to the top of the French Top Albums chart, selling nearly 11,000 copies across all formats in its debut week.
Recently, the artist unveiled an ambitious new project: HAYATI: Du sable et du sang (EP. 1), scheduled for release in July. Always loyal to his raw authenticity, Niro continues to carve out a singular path in the current musical landscape. In a 2023 interview with Booska-P, he shared:
“These days, it’s all about the stats. Views, streams… But in the end, did you actually move people? That’s the real goal.”
To set the tone for this new chapter, he just dropped a powerful first single: Assimile — a raw, unfiltered track where Niro fully embraces his street roots with no filter.
Niro hits hard with Assimile!
The track was produced by two well-known names: Melo With Da Heat and Kiddy Luks. The latter recently worked with Damso on the song T’es mon DEL, while Melo With Da Heat previously delivered beats for Empire by Stavo and Arcadia by Bakari.
With its dark, tense, Western-inspired atmosphere driven by a haunting guitar riff, Assimile feels almost cinematic. The beat even nods to US rap classics, referencing the track Cowboys by the Fugees, off their iconic album The Score.
Niro delivers hard-hitting bars pulled straight from real life:
“The streets weren’t like your fantasies, this is Paname, my bro, not Atlanta
It’s a minefield out here, there’s money to be made, I’ve seen plenty talk slick and disappear”
A perfect echo to what he already told Booska-P back then:
“I can’t rap about things I haven’t lived. Even when I draw from what I observe, it still has to reflect who I am.”
The video, directed by Baeby Mama and produced by Digital Nak, reimagines the French street scene through the lens of a modern Western. The result is stunning. This visual duo has been steadily rising in the French rap game, with standout works like Nouvelle R by Guy2Bezbar featuring Jolagreen23 and Green Montana, Saturday by Favé, Bébé à moi by Guy2Bezbar, and Batmobile, filmed during a trip to Canada.
