Originally from one of rap's great lands, RK first got into rap naturally, to be like everyone else... before becoming one of the industry's leading lights. The young prodigy from Seine-et-Marne has unveiled his 5th album, always simple and effective, just like during his shoot for Project X Paris!
RK, a winning mentality
When it comes to the history of French rap, 77 is a bit of a forgotten child. While every department in the Île-de-France region has always tried to represent the region as strongly as possible through their rappers, artists from 77 are more discreet. And yet, this is a great land of rap, with great legends of the movement like 2Bal, but also other excellent rappers, like Uzi or A2H more recently. But the 77 department has a huge image deficit. But where there's a forgotten department, there's also a department that's developing its own ecosystem, its own style, its own way of operating, a little self-sufficient. It was in this environment that RK first came into contact with rap culture. In Meaux, and more specifically in the Beauval district, rap is omnipresent, so it was only natural that the future artist should start rapping. At first with his buddies, a bit to do what everyone else was doing, especially the older kids in the neighborhood who kicked a lot, dreaming of breaking through, but above all to pass the time.
Although he doesn't like being talked about in terms of age - he claims that age means nothing in rap in terms of talent - he did his first freestyle in front of a camera well before he was 15. Originally, he dreamed of being a footballer, another discipline not widely practiced in Meaux, either with the dream of breaking through or just to pass the time. But an injury kept him away from the pitch, and brought him closer to his second passion, rap. A blessing in disguise. All the more so since, thanks to his famous freestyle "#RiyadMahrez", things are about to explode. So viral, in fact, that RK was soon contacted by Fianso to come and remix the track live during an anthology Planète Rap freestyle. The phenomenon was launched, with the beginnings of a well-established style: fast, raw, effective and controlled kicking, with a lot of street themes in the verses of his freestyles. So there's a lot in common with Fianso, and it's easy to see why it was such a good match. A debut album, Insolent, was soon released, with hit tracks such as 24 Carats, Bae and Moscow. Tracks in which he shows he's ready to be more than just a kicketeer, with some great melodies. It was with this album that he began to rain platinum and gold, and he'll continue in the same vein on his second project, "Rêve de Gosse", due for release in 2019. All this, while the rapper is only 17, but already has big ambitions and mad talent.
He continues to make a good impression with this second album, and also establishes himself in the game as a "guy to invite for feats", thanks to his versatility and ability to be good on all types of instrus. He quickly became close to some of the game's leading lights, such as Koba la D, with whom he gets on very well, or Larry, or Maes. He's very much at ease with these new-generation artists, who are a bit all-terrain. His third album, "Neverland", was also a hit. With time, RK has become more comfortable and more present in the media, and he is also multiplying his polished clips. He burned his wings a little too quickly with his fourth album, "100 Rancunes", only to come back and shock everyone with "Mentalité", released at the end of 2022. A somewhat conceptual project, divided into two parts, but in which the rapper concentrated everything he knew how to do well. The result: nothing to take away from the project, and quality featurings with Koba La D, Guy2Bezbar, Mig and Soolking. We can also feel that the artist has taken a step forward in terms of DA, with bets that are sometimes a little risky, but successful. Like the clip for the acoustic version of "Lola", a real slap in the face.
The RK x PXP collab
And naturally, at Project X Paris, when we see an artist trying to come up with something original in terms of style, we're drawn to it. A simple style, with light pants, a light grey sweater and just a piano to accompany RK's voice, all shot at the bottom of a building. So we thought we'd see how he'd look as a model for a photoshoot! All we had to do was find him outfits that matched his world. It wasn't too difficult for him, as he's a fan of soccer and streetwear: light technical clothing seemed perfect for the occasion. So we came up with a little Tech Outfit, featuring a light-gray zip-up hoodie with stripes on the sleeves and stylized writing on the chest and hood. All worn over a white round-neck t-shirt And with the tech jogging bottoms for a successful overall effect. All this in a "cardboard/graffiti" decor that we'll keep for the second outfit, an outift 100% Project X Paris Signature, the capsule that made our name. A signature hoodie, signature jogging bottoms, a pair of PXP sneakers, all in all-white and you're done!
New room, new atmosphere with this second creepy set made of tarpaulins and mirrors. But it's perfect for quality visual effects, as well as for letting RK try on one of our brand-new pieces. These are garments from the Wavy Wear capsule of the 2023 collection, which is based on two-tone designs. For RK, we opted for blue, with a two-tone wave-style hoodie that combines a very light blue with a slightly darker one. For the pants, we're talking about a pair of two-tone jogging suit wave style, which uses the same color code to great effect. A looser, more comfortable outfit than the first, but just as streetwear, if not more so, with the slightly over-trimmed white T-shirt worn underneath the hoodie. Sobriety and comfort, but still with a hint of streetwear, and the rapper seems to have really taken to it.
RK continued to lend himself to the game with the fourth and final outfit of the shoot, always with a smile on his face, as you can see in the short videos that were shot to promote it on the networks. It was time for him to try on an outfit in a very contemporary tech/sportswear style. But on him, it's a hit. For the top, we have a gray jacket with quilted yoke, worn with a jogging bottoms with quilted yoke in the same color. A very techy ensemble, effective for mid-season at the moment, when it's still a little cold but not too cold, and which reflects a techwear trend that's currently dominant in urban fashion, but also in luxury. In short, a rather sporty/techy shoot, paying homage to RK, his footballing past and his adventurous lifestyle. We suggest you check out his latest clips on his Youtube channel, and we hope to see him in front of our lenses again very soon!