Ninho, the "Jefe" of French rap

On December 3rd, Ninho returned with a new solo album, \"Jefe\". It's probably the record for which NI is most anticipated, by critics and listeners alike. It's an opportunity to look at the case of the French rap phenomenon of the last 5 years, who doesn't feel pressure, whether in music or when it comes to 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 91 and 77, had already released 4 projects, including the mixtape \"MILS\" (for Maintenant Ils Le Savent) which has since become cult. His pseudonym is directly inspired by his youth: when he burst onto the French rap scene in 2014 with his first mixtape \"Ils Sont Pas Au Courant\", he was barely 18 years old. When he received his first gold records, he was barely 20. Today, a long road has been traveled, with a total of 9 solo projects, dozens of features that have become hits, and a historic record for the number of certifications gained through 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 it's enough to invite him to make a gold record.

A success that, before the release of this ninth solo project, had even attracted some trouble for Ninho, notably with another boss of French rap, Booba. But in the end, nothing came to tarnish this December 3rd, the 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 daring bet, but one that also shows his desire to assume his status as a leader of French rap. Because objectively, he has been one of the 3 or 4 most important rappers in the country for almost 5 years now. And we can say it: the bet seems to have paid off. 15 tracks, with quite varied atmospheres as the rapper has often offered. Sometimes melancholic, as in \"VVS\" or the track \"Jefe\", sometimes rather aggressive and determined, as in \"Sky Priority\" and \"Mood\", but also with quite a bit of nostalgia, as in \"Arme de Poing\" or \"RER D\".

A wide range of beatmakers came to assist him: BBP, SNK prod and many others, allowing for different musical touches. But the album remains quite coherent in itself and also with the rest of his discography. We have this fairly frequent mix of big singles calibrated to be radio hits, some tracks that will also play in clubs, and finally a good number of \"bangers\" that are a bit more rap-oriented and less focused on melody. He hasn't changed his recipe and has remained faithful 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 appeal greatly to his fairly large fanbase, even if other big competitors are rushing to release at the end of this year (Jul, Rohff, Orelsan, Ziak, ...). But at Project X Paris, we know him a little: we know that he has absolutely no pressure, neither in front of the microphone, nor in front of streaming scores, nor in front of our cameras.

Ninho, one of the first supporters of Project X Paris

Because in addition to rapping well, NI is also very comfortable when it comes to striking a pose with the most beautiful pieces. We could notice it during our photoshoot with the phenomenon, he's 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 music videos, we could see a desire to display a very assertive streetwear identity, notably with the essential tracksuit ensemble. So we obviously offered him different versions made by PXP, and it worked quite well. The black ensemble with thin neon yellow stripes and the mini stylized logo of the same color suits him really well, almost as if he had always worn it. Same observation when we have him try different 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 joggers + jacket ensemble, with the golden baroque-like patterns on the chest and legs. All worn with a matching pair of sneakers, for a very successful effect. This is undoubtedly the outfit that suits him best, and which also fits very well with the shooting location, in a golden place that seems to come straight out of the Renaissance. Finally, the touch that was missing was obviously the parka. A key piece, especially for the winter period. A PXP parka with the fur effect around the hood, which refers to the first mythical models worn by rappers like the Wu-Tang Clan in the 90s. 

At Project X Paris, we are obviously very proud of the journey made by Ninho. 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 tried to \"do Ninho\"). We obviously wish him all possible success for his new album \"Jefe\", as well as for the tour that will follow soon. Two dates at Bercy are already announced for December 11 and 12, but given the phenomenon, it must already be sold out!