Ninho, the "Jefe" of French rap
On December 3rd, Ninho returned with a new solo album, "Jefe". This is probably the record for which NI is most anticipated, both by critics and listeners. It’s an opportunity to take a closer look at the phenomenon of French rap over the past 5 years, who feels no pressure, whether in music or when posing for Project X Paris.
Ninho embraces his status
The general public discovered Ninho with the release of his album "Comme Prévu" in 2017. But before that, the rapper originally from both the 91 and 77 had already released 4 projects, including the mixtape "MILS" (for Maintenant Ils Le Savent) which has since become cult. His stage name is actually directly inspired by his youth: when he arrived on the French rap scene in 2014 with his first mixtape "Ils Sont Pas Au Courant", he was barely 18 years old. When he earned his first gold records, he was barely 20. Today, a long journey has been made, with a total of 9 solo projects, dozens of features that became hits, and a historic record for the number of certifications earned thanks to his sales. His mere appearance on a track triggers a real avalanche of streams, to the point that some don’t hesitate to say that just inviting him is enough to make a gold record.
A success that, before the release of this ninth solo project, even brought Ninho some troubles, notably with another boss of French rap, Booba. But in the end, nothing tainted this December 3rd, a day of reunion between NI and his fans around this new album "Jefe". The rapper was expected to deliver, and had chosen to announce that there would be no features on his record. A bold bet, but one that also shows his desire to embrace his status as a leader of French rap. Because objectively, it’s been almost 5 years now that he is one of the 3 or 4 most important rappers in the country. And we can say: the bet seems to have paid off. 15 tracks, with quite varied atmospheres as the rapper has often offered. Sometimes melancholic, like in "VVS" or the track "Jefe", sometimes rather aggressive and determined, like in "Sky Priority" and "Mood", but also with quite a bit of nostalgia, like in "Arme de Poing" or "RER D".
A wide range of beatmakers came to lend him their help: BBP, SNK prod and many others, which allows for different musical touches. But the record remains quite coherent in itself and also with the rest of his discography. We have this quite frequent mix in his work of big singles calibrated to be radio hits, some tracks that will also work in clubs, and finally a good number of "bangers" that are a bit more rapped and less focused on melody. So he hasn’t changed his recipe and has stayed true to his principles, with quite a few "Latin music" type instrumentals and references to his everyday life, which has changed a lot since his beginnings. An album that should therefore normally please his quite broad fanbase a lot, even if other big competitors are rushing to release at the end of the year (Jul, Rohff, Orelsan, Ziak, …). But at Project X Paris, we know him a bit: we know he has absolutely no pressure, neither in front of the mic, nor in front of streaming numbers, nor in front of the goals of our cameras.
Ninho, one of the first supporters of Project X Paris
Because besides rapping well, NI is also very comfortable when it comes to striking a pose with the finest pieces. We noticed this during our shoot with the phenomenon, he is absolutely not afraid to step out of his comfort zone. It must be said that the collection seemed tailored for the artist, who has always shown a strong attraction to fashion. From his first clips, you could see a desire to display a very strong streetwear identity, notably with the essential tracksuit set. So we obviously offered him different versions made in PXP, and it worked pretty well. The black set with thin neon yellow stripes and the small stylized logo of the same color really suits him very well, almost as if he had always worn it. Same observation when we had him try on various sweatshirts and hoodies, even the most street designs.
But where it matches best is when we offer him something more "flashy", more "luxurious" and extravagant. Notably the white jogging bottoms + jacket set, with the slightly baroque golden patterns on the chest and legs. All worn with a matching pair of sneakers, for a very successful effect. This is probably the outfit that suits him best, and also fits very well with the shooting location, in a golden place that seems straight out of the Renaissance. Finally, the missing touch was obviously the parka. A key piece, especially for the winter period. A PXP parka with the fur effect around the hood, which recalls the first iconic models worn by rappers like Wu-Tang Clan in the 90s.
At Project X Paris we are obviously very proud of Ninho’s journey. Even if, when we met him in 2017, we already knew he would do great things in French rap, we were far from imagining how much the rapper would change the face of this music (today, many other rappers have started trying to "do Ninho"). We obviously wish him all the possible success for his new album "Jefe", as well as for the upcoming tour soon. Two dates at Bercy are already announced on December 11 and 12, but given the phenomenon, it must already be sold out!