The banger has become an inevitable exercise in French rap, and in this game, Gambino La MG is one of the best. The young rapper from Les Ulis started rapping not so long ago, but he already has an impressive discography, and a real ease in front of cameras and lenses. The proof is in this collab between the rapper and PXP!
Les Ulis, a breeding ground for rappers
If we had to draw up a list of places that have strongly marked and influenced French rap, the 91 would be in a good position. But even in 91, there are schools, influences and filiations among rappers from the 90s to the present day. The school of Evry, Grigny and Corbeil, but also that of Les Ulis, which enjoyed a major boost in the 2000s under the impetus of Sinik and his monstrous national success. But "Niksi", as he's known today, was just the tip of the iceberg, and the pool of excellent, albeit lesser-known, rappers from Les Ulis is enormous: Grödash, and many others, almost all of whom have a real mastery of kicking, but also of clashes and battles. A bit like the fighters of the rap game, then, with rather punchy styles, quite angry and street rap. Aspects that we find again, 20 years later, in Gambino La MG, a young rapper from the same neighborhood. It's no coincidence that he regularly cites the glorious elders of his street as influences, people who inspired him to start rapping.
With his buddies from Les Ulis, they created a big Facebook group for all the young people in their town who wanted to rap. The group was called "La MG", for Mauvaise Graine, the two letters that have stuck to Gambino's nickname ever since. When they wanted to release a real track for the first time, the 7 more serious members got together and gradually the collective La MG as we know it today was born. But the more time passed, the more the young rapper also wanted to try his hand at a solo adventure, especially after a rather difficult confinement during the year 2020. So, via Instagram, he began a series of numbered, fairly short freestyles to become as viral as possible, and it was a success: some now count several million views, even after being re-published on Youtube. It can't be repeated often enough, but mastering social networking has become a must for today's rappers, and Gambino La MG does it very well. So well, in fact, that Sony noticed him and signed him to its Hall Access label.
Following the lightning success of his Insta freestyles series, he decided to follow this up with a series of featurings, in order to generate streams, visibility and money. A good idea, which led to him taking part in "Rentre Dans le Cercle", the show hosted by Fianso, as well as in "Classico Organisé", a multi award-winning project. At the same time, he also unveiled his first solo project, "En attendant Gambinerie", a hidden reference to one of Sinik's first solo projects, "En attendant l'album", released in 2004. For Gambino, it's a big 21-track project to introduce himself to a wider audience, announcing an album, "Gambinerie", which he will release in 2022. The rapper from '91, who is of Congolese descent, has made a name for himself on the French rap scene, with his music influenced by both drill and African sounds. With all these featurings and participations in various projects, the artist has shown that, in addition to being a hard worker, he is also versatile and at ease in all moods. And that, at Project X Paris, is something we love!
Gambino la MG & PXP, gangsta attitude
The good thing about these new-generation rappers is that most of them know how to control their image, manage it and even play with it, not hesitating to put themselves on stage. It's a refreshing change of pace, compared with the austere, strict image of the older generation. For Gambino, image is easy: he made his name on Instagram. So we were able to show him a whole range of outfits during the shoot, with a common thread being his desire to maintain a "gangsta rapper" image/attitude imported from the USA. The first outfit is a cult college style, which is very much in evidence in the rap game. The "Varsity" capsule is very much inspired by this kind of piece, and the rapper wears it perfectly, in front of the all-white Lamborghini. A hoodie with logo, two-tone, with the big "P" as logo, whose typography recalls that of university sports teams in the States. And, of course, the two-tone stripe jogging bottoms, for a great overall effect. Add to this a small pair of white TNs to complete the ensemble, and you've got a very effective outfit.
But the rapper isn't done with the Lambo, and the second outfit is truly emblematic of the French street style adventurer. A pretty white bob on his head, and an ensemble from the brand-new High Fly capsule, one of our must-haves for back-to-school 2022. Below, the loose jogging suit with dove motifs, in blue, paired with white TN. On top, a loose dove-patterned sweatshirt, again in blue, for an effective overall effect. Last but not least, the finishing touch: the square shoulder bag with coin purse, all adorned with Project X Paris logos. A style truly emblematic of today's French streetwear, very street, very functional and at the same time very chic and sharp. We then abandoned the Lambo for something more aggressive, a Yamaha snowmobile, and gave Gambino the MG, an outfit inspired by the gangsta codes of US rap. The Squad capsule is back, with new models for back-to-school 2022. Baseball-style striped jogging pants for the bottoms, a baseball-style striped hoodie with a big logo on the torso for the tops, and a pair of black sneakers, for an ultra-street outfit. Especially if you add the ski mask, a cult item in today's gangsta rap imagery.
We couldn't leave Gambino without letting him try on various pieces from the "Drill & Drip" capsule, which is fast becoming a must-have for this winter. The capsule features quilted parkas and down jackets, which not only keep you warm in December, but have also become essential items in the outfits of Drill & Drip enthusiasts. You could almost say that this capsule was designed for Gambino, who has rapped a lot in this style of music. Still wearing his ski mask, he slipped on a little down jacket sleeveless over a white hoodie, with beige multi-pocket cargo pants at the bottom. An extra pair of Nike and you've got a pretty iconic outfit for a driller. But it works even better with the large parka slipped on just after, a must-have piece in today's streetwear, ever since the advent of the UK drill. And all this with the Yamaha snowmobile, a reminder of the icy atmosphere that can sometimes prevail on the street. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Gambino la MG on this shoot, which produced some truly incredible photos. We wish him all the best for the future!
WHO WE ARE
Project X Paris is the desire to carry the streetwear movement since 2015 with increasingly stylish collaborations. A French brand of hype clothing available in over 30 stores, from more than 1500 retailers worldwide and on projectxparis.com 7d/7 24h/24.