Soso Maness' year of madness

After ten years in the shadow of the rap game, Soso Maness has taken advantage of 2020/2021 to become a key figure in French rap and urban culture. With an album, a collaboration with Project X Paris and a host of featuring and Youtube appearances, here's a look back at a crazy year for the new star from Marseilles.

Soso Maness, the rising star of 13

Those who know a little about his life know that for Soso Maness, this current success looks like an obstacle course. The man who started rapping at the age of 11 with his childhood buddies, before posing at a very young age on the Intouchables album (the track "La Relève" in 2000), took a long time to acquire the status of a big name in rap. This is due to his sometimes chaotic personal career, and the lack of spotlight he has long had on the young talents of post-Psy 4 rap in Marseilles. But now he's settled right at the top of the charts. He had already fired his first warning shot in March 2020, with the release of a real hit, "So Maness". A track that made excellent scores, while highlighting the rapper's humor and good humor. He might even have made better use of this track if CoVid hadn't disrupted his plans, on stage or in the club. The second wave arrived shortly afterwards with the release of his album "Mistral" in June, a project that saw him multiply his appearances and interviews, making him one of the most popular personalities in the game. The project should go gold before long.

Finally, the latest step in his conquest of French rap: the track "Bande Organisée", unveiled on August 15. A hit-teaser for a 100% Marseilles collaborative album, featuring the biggest heads of each generation. The track, featuring Naps, Jul, SCH, Kofs and others, is a veritable tidal wave. But it's mainly thanks to Soso Maness's incredible verse, the famous "Zumba Cafew", that it became a cult hit. The Marseillais were showered with certifications, so much so that all the mainstream media had to talk about it. As a result, Soso can be found everywhere on Youtube: in interviews, but also messing around on Rap Jeu, or with Youtubeur Loris Giuliano. The rapper has managed to become a real street personality, appreciated by almost all the media, without ever changing his personality or softening his words. This can even provoke the jealousy of certain haters who think that "Soso, we see too much of him". But they're wrong. Good humor, honesty, humor, authenticity and a real sense of style: you can't get enough of Soso Maness.

The Soso Maness X collab Project X Paris

As well as rapping, the artist also worked hard on his look during the year. It's a basic rule for a rapper: you can't do 100 interviews in a year and wear the same clothes, otherwise you're bound to get into trouble on the networks. In any case, he's always had an interest in fashion, as he confided to us when he collaborated with Project X. And, as is often the case with the Marseillais, his sense of provocative, flashy and daring looks is something we here at PXP really appreciate. As a big fan of streetwear, he didn't hesitate before choosing the unisex blue tracksuit set with its many white logos. A rather daring piece, but that's not going to scare him, as he's always been a bit of a "loudmouth" and different from the rest. Above all, this collab was an opportunity to discover his love for all things Jean, in pants or jacket, as he has always had a great passion for rockers. But also his love of sweaters and hoodies: unisex, blue tie and dye, or rather"basic", he will have tried them all and adopted them. We're obviously looking forward to repeating the experience for a future collection.