SDM Joins the FC 27 Soundtrack With “Nzela”

Back in 1996, just a couple of years before France won its first World Cup in 1998 with the generation famously described at the time as “Black-Blanc-Beur”, Blur’s “Song 2” was blasting through a FIFA game that looked far less realistic than what players are used to today. Older gamers may also remember that FIFA was then competing with the brilliant ISS 64, a much more arcade-driven — and arguably more fun — football game…

Thirty years have passed, and as the far right and a new brownshirt tide slowly gain ground across a Europe that seems to have forgotten that we are the children of a continent once torn apart by chaos and war, there is a striking paradox: rap and Afro sounds now dominate the 120-track soundtrack of the 2027 edition of FIFA’s successor, renamed FC for licensing reasons.

While the 2024 edition put the spotlight on Ninho and his British counterpart Central Cee — strictly in terms of commercial numbers — the 2027 edition is betting on SDM and his track “Nzela”. “Nzela” is a Lingala word meaning “road” or “path”. And the rapper of Congolese heritage has been carving out his own path for quite some time. Shortly after signing with 92i, he earned a gold certification for “Ocho”. His latest project, “À la vie à la mort”, moved just under 30,000 units in its first week before eventually going double platinum. Some have already cast him as the natural successor to the Duc de Boulogne, who may have officially retired but continues to make high-profile appearances across French rap.

The rapper has always remained closely connected to his Congolese roots. Speaking to French newspaper Le Monde, he explained that his mother used to send him to Kinshasa every summer to stay with his grandmother, and that she wanted him to speak Lingala:

“I actually think I know more about rumba than I do about French rap.”

During an appearance on Quotidien, he made a similar statement:

“I know that better than I know rap.”

“Nzela” is both energetic and powerful. Built around an Afrobeat-inspired sound, the track reflects the cultural crossover that has reshaped French rap — a scene in which SDM has become one of the leading figures.

SDM brings the energy to the FC 27 soundtrack with “Nzela”!

The track’s instrumental was produced by Dson Beats. The Swiss-Mauritanian producer has worked with major international artists, including Tory Lanez on “CAP” and “Turn Back Time”, as well as Quavo and Takeoff on “Hell Yeah”. He has also produced records for Damso, including “Frère” from his latest project, and “Olala” for Rémy.

The result is a sun-soaked, high-energy Afrobeat track on which SDM delivers a confident, career-focused egotrip:

“And I promised myself (promised), that in the end I’d shine bright
They’ll judge me my whole life (my life)
I’ve taken a real detour, I’ve switched things up
Bet on it, I’ll do it, go ahead and bet (for real)
When it’s all over, make a movie about my career (for real)”

The track appears on the FC 27 soundtrack, where Justice, Theodora and SDM sit alongside Kendrick Lamar. Rap has taken over — and French rap has taken its place at the center of that shift.