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That's it, Naps is now a fixture in French rap. His aura has greatly exceeded the Marseille borders and he is now taking on the whole of France. A look back at the atypical journey of a sound lover.
It's been a few months now since the 100% Marseille project "13'Organisé" was released, enough time to assess the consequences of this earthquake. Many faces are now essential for all French-speaking audiences, and among these people, we obviously have Naps. The 2020/2021 season of the Marseille native is well-filled: a big collaborative project, then, followed by another solo success, "Les Mains Faites pour l'or", but also A very beautiful collaboration with your favorite brand, Project X Paris
A complete success for the artist, who probably didn't imagine all this success when he started rapping.
It was at the age of 15, in 2006, that Nabil Arlabelek (his real name) began to dabble with the microphone with Click 11.43. Since then, he has come a long way, with 6 solo albums to his name, and a number of gold or even platinum records. With his rhythmic, sunny music, which always remains quite "street" in its content, he has managed to touch all neighborhoods in France after those of his city, which fully supports him. Here's someone whose art suffered greatly during Covid, as his repertoire contains real potential hits for clubs, some of which, like "Pochon Bleu", have become classics of this style. In his latest 27-track project, he allowed himself to invite Jul, twice. But also Zaho, SCH, Manny, Le Rat Luciano and Soolking. A 5-star cast that shows that now, the entire game has opened its doors to him and that he is validated by the industry. And not just the music industry, as he even managed to make a cameo appearance in the latest Netflix hit, "Caïd" (). An unreleased track, "Le Petit Marseillais", was even made especially for the series, proof that the man is generous!
A normal validation for an artist who now masters his recipe to perfection: rhythm, lyrics with a lot of slang, a bit of singing, sunshine, and always humor, an important aspect for Naps. Uninhibited, he creates a sensation with his eye-catching shirts that remind us of Tony Montana, from whom he draws a lot of inspiration (even in the title of his latest album). Notably because he remains, despite his dark sides, a model of success, the poor young Cuban who became the boss of Miami. This attraction for staging and the extravagant side is well reflected in his collaboration with Project X.The tie & dye hoodies and sweatshirts, in blue or green, fit him as if he was born in them, same forthe tracksuit set with numerous PXP logos, yet not the most conventional pieces in our collections. Faithfully standing behind his slightly tinted glasses, with that falsely calm attitude, he's ready to drop a movie quote at any moment.
An artist is someone who truly reflects the spirit of the city of Marseille, with its energy, outspokenness, and genuine boldness when it comes to streetwear. Let's remember that the people of Marseille were pioneers for current fashion, bringing in very neon-colored t-shirts or bringing football club tracksuits back into fashion. As for rap, once again, Naps is a true Marseille product, heir to the "Kalif Hardcore" trend (named after its creator) like Jul and many others. What's certain is that he is one of the important faces of 2021, and we'll surely be talking about him again!
