Amazon Prime Video reveals Orelsan’s hidden side

Last year, Orelsan and his brother Clément amazed everyone by releasing a documentary series on Amazon Prime, “Montre Jamais ça à personne”. The subject? Orelsan’s musical rise, filmed from the inside by his little brother. An unexpected, authentic and quite stunning work, which was a hit and helped strengthen his likability across France. And which also teaches us a lot about a rapper’s career, and life in general.

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Authenticity, determination and sharing Those who knew Orelsan at the very start of his breakthrough, a bit before the album “Perdu d'avance”, already knew the character quite well, and since the rapper is extremely sincere and authentic in his music, we already had a glimpse of his life and journey. But the documentary series, “Montre jamais ça à personne”, released on Prime Video shortly before the release of his album “Civilisation”, helped make this true Norman success story known throughout France. Above all, it made Orelsan even more endearing to the public, leaving past controversies far behind. The series is filmed by Clément Cotentin, who is none other than Orel’s younger brother, which guarantees a certain authenticity, since you behave more naturally in front of a camera when it is held by your little brother all day long. That we find this authenticity in the series is no coincidence, because the authentic side is perhaps the most important aspect of all Orelsan’s music. The rapper has never hidden himself, whether in his lyrics or in interviews, he has always embraced this simple, “average” side, having really nothing exceptional. Especially in his first album, “Perdu d'avance”, in which he rapped “I’m a mix between hardcore and quirky, Orelsan, because you don’t change a team that draws”. It’s this simplicity that made a lot of young people identify with him: the average guy, not particularly popular, not particularly comfortable with girls, a bit of a “slacker” at school or work, often overwhelmed by doubts due to lack of self-confidence.

The rapper revealed this aspect of his personality very early and it helped make him a kind of icon for the youth of this generation. But beware, the point is not to say that Orel is simply a nice guy. He is an excellent rapper who worked very seriously to perfect his art, and if he called himself a “slacker”, it was mainly during his studies and work in hospitality, two fields he was not passionate about. Once he really got into rap, he worked hard, thought deeply to build his albums, his concepts. We see it in the series: Gringe probably has a more natural talent for rap, especially in placements, flow, intonations, he looks really comfortable. Yet, of the two childhood friends who started the adventure almost at the same time, it’s Orelsan who went the highest and furthest in what he could offer. Because he is a hard worker, especially when it comes to his passion, music. Behind this somewhat blasé attitude, amplified by his role in the series “Bloqués”, hides a real workaholic who knew how to seize opportunities, even when they ended in failures, like the rap contest with La Fouine and Booba as judges.

But this series is above all a fabulous story of friendship and sharing. Because Orelsan has always moved forward as a team, like most artists today. If some rap “I made it all by myself”, never believe it, it’s very likely false and the role of entourage is crucial for an artist. Especially in Orel’s case, the entourage is not just a background, a decor. Friends form a real close-knit group, who have barely let go since the start of the adventure, obviously with Gringe, his Casseurs Flowters partner, but also Ablaye, a kind of multi-hat manager producer backer, present at all his shows since his first tours. And obviously Skread, the conductor, the one the rapper nicknamed “Mozart” in the track “Jimmy Punchline”. A group to which we can obviously add Clément, the little brother, who seemed to be there very, very often. The series tells a bit the story of this fabulous very close band and how they all supported each other (sometimes, luckily Skread and Ablaye were there to get everyone back to work after a little blues) to reach the top. We also see Orel very generous with his close ones and absolutely wanting to share the spotlight as much as possible, he who doesn’t feel particularly comfortable there. Like with his buddy Gringe, or his grandmother Janine who always dreamed of singing. Or like with our brand Project X Paris during a shoot in 2019, while he had already launched his own brand Avnier.

Discover the Orelsan & PXP collab

Risk-taking and resilience The rapper also knew how to rework his image, after a somewhat turbulent start with his albums, his series, his film... The rapper managed to reverse the trend and turn these debates into popularity. While he always had a somewhat insolent and provocative side, his personality is much less conflictual than what we heard at times in some media. He himself didn’t put too much ego into this matter, stating that the controversial song was already several years old and that he didn’t perform it on stage. Yet we see in the series that Orelsan is severely affected by these events, to the point of having a little depression, but once recovered he came back even stronger with “Le Chant des Sirènes”, the album that made him known to the general public.

An album of risk-taking, we can see it during its making, through Clément’s camera who films better and better as the series goes on. Musically, the album doesn’t resemble any previous French rap projects already released, unlike “Perdu d'avance” where influences are clearly identifiable. With Skread, they evolved their art to a new level against the advice of many of their acquaintances in the music industry. These “risky” decisions, artistic or professional, may seem anecdotal but put together, they have a huge impact on his evolution. Like when Orelsan decided to sign with Wagram rather than Universal. Thus, he was able to keep control over his art and creative process, rather than hiding behind artistic directors, which resulted in even greater success with his two following albums. There is no true art without risk-taking, and even less success without risk-taking, a lesson we learn in the series through the rapper, especially during the creation of the hit “La Terre est ronde”, made almost solo by Orelsan.

Finally, another important aspect of the series, resilience and not putting too much pride in things, whether they succeed or flop. Knowing how to take hits and get back up, as the rapper does many times in the series. There have been lows, hard blows, but each time the team knew how to bounce back: after cancellations and controversies came “Le Chant des Sirènes”; a few years after his failure in the rap contest, he ended up winning a Victoire de la Musique ahead of the rappers who eliminated him back then. Proof that hard work pays off, and above all, that knowing how to take hits and get back up is an integral part of an artist’s life, it’s not just a phrase. When you blow up young and chain successes, the first wall you hit could well end your dreams. But when you have multiplied failures, small victories, or draws, you know the wheel turns, you just have to wait and get back to work. A very present aspect in the whole crew, whose fabulous adventure we are truly delighted to have followed, and we recommend you do the same!