Kodes, the fighting spirit made in 91
While the 92, 93 and 94 have long been the focus in the rap game, the 91 has established itself in recent years as THE main source of French Rap talent. And all this is also partly thanks to Kodes and his friends from Bâtiment 7 in Évry. Spotlight on his meteoric rise.
Évry, Capital of Rap
If we want to talk about French rap over the last ten years, we obviously have to talk about the 91 and especially Évry. A city many Parisians don’t know because of its relative distance from Paris and the travel time from the capital. A remoteness doubled by isolation, but that didn’t stop the youth of Évry from creating their own codes, language, and rap style. Today, the city shines across France, as many talents come from there and the artistic identity of the 91 has strongly influenced all rap production in recent years. After Niska conquered France with his “Matuidi Charo,” then with mega-hits “Réseaux” and “Sapés comme Jamais,” it’s now Bâtiment 7 from the Parc aux Lièvres district shining, led by Koba la D, closely followed by the whole Seven Binks crew, of which Kodes is a founder. He is one of those who pushed his friends to seriously get into music and leave the nonsense behind, and it was clearly a great idea!
Today, the number of certifications earned by the famous Bâtiment 7 is countless. Kodes was one of the first in the Seven Binks crew to start rapping, with a very punchy, catchy, sometimes aggressive style: the rage of Bat 7 himself. We can even note some similarities between his style and that of Niska, another great legend of Évry rap. “Desko,” as he called himself at the start, carries the values of his neighborhood as a banner: resourcefulness, solidarity, bravery in adversity, but also believing fully in his dreams and destiny and giving himself the means to succeed. When he started rapping with Mafia Spartiate around 2015, the one nicknamed “Kodes la B” (for “the barrier”) had no idea he would become such an important rapper. But 7 years later, with 2 solo projects and 4 group projects under his belt, he is ranked among serious artists whose releases are eagerly awaited. The bad boy of Bat 7 doesn’t hesitate when it comes to kicking, in studio or freestyle, starting with a hard-hitting rap style.
But he also diversified his artistic palette, an essential step to become a headliner in today’s French rap. He can energize a party with some of his upbeat tracks, and even venture into more melancholic, melodic rap with more emotion. As he prepares to release his third solo album in 2022, the rapper is at a real turning point in his career and he knows it: he’s a hard worker who releases a lot of tracks, clips, participates in feats, and seems determined to occupy all possible space. Because Kodes has the winning rage made in 91 and intends to make his success story last as long as possible. Signed with Wati B, a label extremely important in French Rap history, he has all the cards to reach another level. Besides his mastered rap, with music respecting the kickage codes, the rapper has more than one string to his bow, as we saw during our shoot with him!
The Kodes x PXP Collab
Artists sometimes have quite discreet personalities and aren’t necessarily comfortable posing in front of a camera or staging themselves during a photo shoot. But for Kodes, who is used to cameras, it seems quite natural! It must be said that in all his clips, the rapper has a crazy attitude and a worked style. Most of the work was already done, and all we had to do was imagine an incredible setting for a memorable shoot. Mission accomplished, with the magnificent Ferrari F8 Tributo Spyder adding a touch of luxury to this rather street and summery shoot. All obviously enhanced by the outfit from the Springbreak capsule, a very colorful collection essential this summer. A short with tropical print, paired with a relaxed and quite loose shirt in the same colors, for a very successful overall effect and it’s a wrap: a true streetwear outfit worn with style, adding sunglasses and an impressive “bling bling” around the neck.
The rapper is also very comfortable with the other outfit from the Rainbow capsule, a bit less exuberant than the first but also much more street. The outfit is a bit darker, although the logos on the chest remain very colorful, in rainbow colors. This time, he wore a t-shirt with the gradient logo pattern over the entire surface, with a small logo detail around the collar. Added to that, shorts with the same rainbow gradient logo pattern over the entire surface, with the same black background and a slightly reworked logo on the front of the left leg. Proudly sitting in the Ferrari, Kodes looks great and the very street look is really effective, always with the same watch and the same impressive chain. Probably the most street and natural outfit for the rapper, tied with the set from the Bandana capsule: a shorts + hoodie set with bandana patterns, for which we changed the setting. No more Ferrari outdoors, now a small four-seater Robin DR 400 plane waiting in its hangar for a chance to shine.
A change of atmosphere that didn’t bother the rapper, who went through it like a true pro, for really successful photos thanks to the work of our designers on the lighting in particular. We still found time to have the artist try a fourth outfit, this time from the “Patchwork” capsule, a capsule that plays with layering color blocks for a soft and rather stylish look. An outfit moving away from the street side towards a workwear style and once again, Kodes is on top: beige shorts with a double embroidered logo on the left leg, and the “Patchwork” color-block shirt, the collection’s flagship piece, worn with a white tank top underneath and a pair of black sneakers. A real success for the 91 rapper to whom we wish the best for the future, especially for his upcoming solo album. Hoping to collaborate with him again soon!
