Now that rap has become the dominant music in France, we're seeing the emergence of ever younger, talented artists. And RK is one of them. 21 years old, 5 albums to his credit, gold and platinum raining down, and a solid technical background that enables him to make the difference. Whether freestyling, on the radio or shooting for Project X Paris, the rapper sets the bar very high!
RK, from child prodigy to accomplished artist
If we were to list the favorite passions of France's urban youth, soccer and rap would surely top the list. We've lost count of the number of references rappers make to footballers in their songs. We've also noticed that more and more footballers are trying to get closer to the rap world, by appearing in clips, at showcases or concerts. The main reason for this is simple: soccer and rap have flooded the suburbs, which are the main source of talent in both music and sport. For young people living on the outskirts, often victims of prejudice, rap and soccer represented two obvious ways of rising socially and gaining recognition. RK, a worthy son of the town of Meaux (77), practiced both to the hilt in his early years. So much so that he thought about turning pro, before being caught up in injuries and street life. In the end, he turned to rap, but always with an eye on the world of football. And it's fair to say he did well: his first track, released in 2017, is called "1ère mi-temps #RiyadMahrez", named after the twirling Algerian winger who plays for Manchester City. It was a real hit for the young rapper, who had been rapping since he was a child, just like the grown-ups in his neighborhood.
Un carton qui l'a fait repéré par Sofiane, sorte d'Arsène Wenger du rap des années 2000 qui a mis la lumière sur tant de talents. Il faut dire que RK et Fianso avaient tout pour s'entendre, à commencer par un véritable amour du kickage très rapide, très agressif, en n'hésitant pas à crier parfois, comme à l'époque des bons bangers trap. Après ça, tout s'enchaîne très rapidement : une série de freestyles qui porte le nom des bâtiments de son quartier à Meaux, grande terre de rap depuis les 90's. Puis un premier projet, « Insolent », qui devient disque de platine en quelques mois. Très vite, on remarque que RK a commencé à opérer un changement dans sa musique, en y mettant plus de mélodies avec sa voix, plus de musicalité dans les instrus, même si le kickage reste présent sur pas mal de morceaux. Une recette gagnant avec laquelle il atteint régulièrement les 20 millions de vues sur ses clips. A ce moment là, on est en 2018, le rappeur a seulement 16 ans et son succès est déjà monstrueux. On aurait pu croire que le succès lui était monté à la tête, et qu'il se serait reposé sur ses lauriers mais il n'en est rien: le deuxième projet arrive quelques mois après, en avril 2019, et il s'appelle « Rêve de Gosse ». Avec des gros titres comme « Rédemption » ou encore « C'est mon sang » en feat avec Fianso, le prodige va encore frapper fort et faire de gros scores. Vient donc l'heure du troisième projet, « Neverland », qui sort à l'été 2020.
Here again, RK has taken a step forward, particularly in terms of communication. More present, he's more at ease explaining his artistic choices and pathways, and his approach seems increasingly clear and well thought-out. It's clear that the young prodigy has matured rapidly, and has even worked much harder on his aesthetic. Whereas his clips were quite similar to those of PNL in their early days, he has moved away from them, even if he has kept the taste for slightly "soaring" shots, and metaphorical images of coal. An artistically flawless project, quickly followed (perhaps too quickly) by "100 Rancunes" in 2021. A good project, but unfortunately not as successful as expected, but the rapper isn't one to give up. He's been at it since he was a kid, and he's staked everything on rap, so he's challenged himself and honed his mental skills to bring us his brand-new project, "Mentalité". Even more seasoned and composed, he's back with a vengeance, thanks in particular to the success of "Lola", the album's strong single. He still combines melody and kickage, and his effective themes revolve around the street, but also love, a sometimes complicated subject. But where he impressed us most was in the clip for the acoustic version of "Lola", with a sober but incredibly effective outfit.
RK & PXP, the sportiest collab
A light grey Stone Island sweater, light pants and a small pair of slightly smoky glasses - a flawless outfit. So we decided to take a closer look at the RK phenomenon, to see what we could offer that would be in keeping with this idea of stylish sobriety, while remaining in the spirit of sport, to retain its footballing, competitive side. Starting, of course, with the great classic, the capsule Signature. A sober, classy ensemble, with a white unisex Signature hoodie and white signature jogging bottoms. All worn with a pair of PXP sneakers, as they lent themselves particularly well to this classic and effective streetwear outfit. In the background, you'll notice the "cardboard workshop" atmosphere, with "PXP / RK" graffiti all over the place. In the same decor, we put him through a Tech ensemble that suits his love of soccer, with slim-fitting jogging bottoms and a zip-up hooded jacket in two shades of light gray. A few stylized logos can be seen on the torso and hood, which could refer to a technical garment or a soccer club outfit.
Next, a new atmosphere: you know us, at Project X Paris we like to change things up, to avoid staying in a comfort zone. This time, we're going for a "crime scene"-style decor, with tarpaulins and a few mirrors for stylish optical effects. For the outfit, we're sticking with something sober, with a little mood that's at once stylish, soft and comfortable with the brand-new Wavy Wear capsule. Two-tone wave-style jogging bottoms in blue, and a two-tone wave-style hoodie in the same color, and you're all set. All worn over a slightly oversized white tee, for the dual "style/relaxation" effect we've come to expect from rappers. Once again, the sobriety of design and color, a niche that suits RK just as well as ever. Our stylists were right!
Finally, we move on to the last outfit, the one that perhaps represents the most " street " trend at the moment: the outfit from the Urban Explorer capsule. A capsule with fairly technical pieces, to combine comfort, resistance to the cold and style for pacing the streets of your city. Or even basements with red brick walls, as was the case for RK during the shoot. Here again, he lends himself to the game, posing like a pro. The outfit featured a jacket with quilted yoke in gray, and jogging bottoms with quilted yoke, also in gray. Combined with a small pair of white sneakers, this is yet another example of a sober, stylish outfit that's very much on trend at the moment, with the omnipresence of techwear. As you can see, the shoot was all about sobriety and efficiency, not exactly what we're known for at Project X Paris. But the challenge was brilliantly met, thanks to a hot-headed RK who even kicked in a few lines for the social networking teasers. We'd like to thank him for all his hard work, and hope to be able to do it again soon!