Uzi: melody, street, style and a "Damaged Heart"
On February 19th, Uzi unveiled his first studio album. A compact project of 16 tracks, with no features inside, as the young rapper has stories to tell. Stories that mainly take place in the streets of Noisiel where he grew up, and apparently got into all sorts of trouble with his associates. He has plenty of stories about the streets or disappointed love, with a rather visual and precise writing style that quickly draws us in. While some compare him to Ninho, Uzi has cultivated his difference on this album as well as in his music videos. In terms of rapping style, he has a rather peculiar voice timbre and often oscillates between sung choruses as in "A la fête", with kicked passages, sometimes even shouting, like in his track "La Guitare". "Cœur Abîmé" offers a nice palette of diverse atmospheres, sometimes sunny ("Délégué"), sometimes much colder, but always playing a lot on the melodic side ("Bâtiment", "Madre Mia").
It's this mastery of melody that has made him the phenomenon he has become today. His album reached the top spot in streaming charts upon release, and third in the overall album charts across all media. It entered all playlists, ears, and minds with its effective and calibrated choruses. It must be said that he also knew how to surround himself with the best producers in French rap, including Junior Alaprod, Bersa, Heezy Lee, Shabz Beatz, Josh Roshinet, Hoodstar and many others. Names that are used to certifications, and who know how to make a track catchy or melancholic. If we add to that Uzi's raw, direct, and effective writing, this cocktail could only work.
The rapper's attitude also catches attention: insolence, a real sense of pose, style or staging (as in the video for his hit "A la fête"), we were able to glimpse this side of the artist's palette during his collaboration with PXP. PROJECT X PARIS As for you, you've probably read that when he decides to do something, he goes for it with follow-through: during the release party for his album, in his neighborhood of La-Ferme-Du-Buisson, a hundred people came to accompany him and attend a meal and a small homemade fireworks display. Uzi thus took the opportunity to thank the street for all the support it has offered him, since the time of his freestyles "Drive By" or "Akrapovitch". The young rapper from the 77 will now have to be reckoned with, as with "Cœur Abîmé" he has managed to confirm all the hopes placed in him. He has the future ahead of him and we hope to see him establish himself permanently at the table of the big names in French Rap and urban culture in general.
WHY THIS UZI x PROJECT X PARIS COLLABORATION?
Uzi is fully into streetwear and fashion, like many other current rappers. Clothes and aesthetics are now an integral part of a rapper's arsenal, who makes an impression as much through his music and lyrics as through his style. It's in this very street, very natural and current spirit that the collaboration between the rapper and Project X Paris was made. He therefore wore the clothes from PXP's new Men's collection with style and elegance, and it suits him perfectly, especially the entire range of tracksuits. Whether it's the unisex set with multiple PXP logos, which looks good in both colors, or the rather futuristic tie-dye set in design. Casual but classy, while remaining street, the result is very effective, like the Arsenal outfits that the rapper used for the video of his hit "A la fête", since certified platinum single.
The photoshoot took place in a large luxurious mansion hidden somewhere in Paris to best showcase the rapper and the latest PXP collection. It was an opportunity to see that the brand and the artist were indeed on the same wavelength. We were treated to various atmospheres, those where we chill on a couch in a tracksuit, or those where we decide to be a bit bolder with even more original pieces. The denim jacket with the PROJECT X PARIS logo on the chest above the left pocket is a must-have from this new 2021 Men's collection. Light, elegant and with camo patterns, it is one of the pieces that best suits Uzi, always maintaining that mix between streetwear and elegance.
But of course, what stands out the most from this collaboration between Uzi and PXP is his love for sweatshirts, especially hoodies, but also for checkered patterns, which he's bringing back into fashion more than ever. The plain red sweatshirt, with the brand logo embroidered in black, is flawlessly effective, while the two-tone checkered set (white / black) is rather original, but without ever straying into bad taste. The very street and quite extravagant look of the set, to which Uzi added a hooded sweatshirt, perfectly fits his universe, even though this kind of timeless piece was already fashionable among East Coast MCs in the USA in the 90s.
In any case, it was a pleasure to be able to collaborate with an artist like Uzi, accessible, very simple and with a genuine taste for fashion that was transmitted in the choice of pieces for the collection. His energy and positive attitude, which make him the darling of the public currently, make us hope to be able to collaborate with him again. But in the meantime, we wish him to continue to dominate the charts and streaming platforms. With 7000 sales in one week, his album is already a success, but we feel that he still has more under his belt and can go even further, which is why at Project X Paris we are happy to have worked with this young hope of French rap.