Gambino la MG joins Le Cercle PXP
The Ulis, a great reservoir of rappers
If we have to list places that have strongly marked and influenced French rap, the 91 is well positioned. But even within the 91, there are schools, influences, affiliations, among rappers from the 90s to today. The schools of Evry, Grigny, Corbeil, but also that of Les Ulis, which had a big spotlight in the 2000s thanks to Sinik and his monstrous national success. But "Niksi", as he is called today, was only the tip of the iceberg and the pool of very good rappers from Les Ulis, although less known, is huge: Grödash, and many others, almost all with a real mastery of kick rhymes, but also clashes, battles. A bit like the fighters of the rap game, with rather punchy styles, quite angry and quite street rap. Aspects that we find, 20 years later, in Gambino La MG, a young rapper from the same neighborhood. It is no coincidence, as he regularly cites the glorious elders of his street as influences, people who made him want to rap.
With his friends from Les Ulis, they created a large Facebook group for all the young people in their city wanting to rap. The group was called "La MG", for Mauvaise Graine, two letters that have never left Gambino's nickname since. When they wanted to release a real track for the first time, the 7 most serious gathered and that's how the La MG collective gradually emerged as we know it today. But as time goes by, the young rapper also wants to try the solo adventure, especially after a rather difficult lockdown during 2020. He then started a series of numbered freestyles on Instagram, quite short, to become as viral as possible, and it was a success: some now count several million views, even after being re-published on Youtube. We can't say it enough, but mastering social networks has become inevitable for current rappers, and Gambino La MG is doing very well. So well that he ended up being noticed by Sony, who signed the young rapper through their Hall Access label.
Following the lightning success of his series of Insta freestyles, he decided to capitalize by multiplying features, to generate streams, and thus visibility and also money. A good idea, which led him to participate in "Rentre Dans le Cercle", the show hosted by Fianso, but also in "Classico Organisé", a project with multiple awards. At the same time, he also unveiled a first solo project, "En attendant Gambinerie", a hidden reference to one of Sinik's first solo projects, "En attendant l'album", released in 2004. For Gambino, it is a big 21-track project to present himself to a wider audience, thus announcing an album, "Gambinerie", which he will release in 2022. A rapid sequence managed masterfully by the rapper from the 91, who is now comfortably established in French rap, with music influenced both by drill and several African sounds, as he is of Congolese origin. With all these features and participations in various projects, the artist has shown that besides being a hard worker, he is also versatile and comfortable in all atmospheres. And that, at Project X Paris, is something we really like!
Gambino la MG & PXP, "gangsta" attitude
The advantage with these new generation rappers is that most of them know how to control their image, manage it, even play with it sometimes, not hesitating to stage themselves. A relaxation that is nice to see, compared to the sometimes a bit strict/austere side of the old school. For Gambino, the image is easy: he became known through Instagram. So we were able to have him try many outfits during the shoot, with, as a common thread, this desire to keep a "gangsta rapper" image/attitude imported from the USA. For the first outfit, it is a quite cult style, the varsity style, very present in the rap game. The "Varsity" capsule is very inspired by this kind of pieces, and the rapper wears them perfectly, in front of the all-white Lamborghini. A bicolor hoodie with logo, with the big "P" logo, whose typography recalls that of US varsity sports teams. And obviously the jogging pants with bicolor stripes, for a successful overall effect. Add to that a small pair of white TN sneakers to complete the look, and you have a very effective outfit.
But the rapper is not done with the Lambo, and the second outfit is truly emblematic of the French street adventurer. A nice white bucket hat on the head, and a set from the brand new High Fly capsule, one of our must-haves for the 2022 back-to-school season. Below, the loose jogging pants with dove patterns, in blue, paired with the white TN sneakers. Above, the loose sweatshirt with dove patterns, also in blue, for an effective overall look. Finally, the little touch that makes all the difference: the square shoulder bag with its wallet, all adorned with Project X Paris logos. A style truly emblematic of current French streetwear, very street, very functional and at the same time very chic and sharp. Then we left the Lambo to switch to something more aggressive, a Yamaha snowmobile, and gave Gambino la MG an outfit very inspired by the gangsta codes of US rap. It's the return of the Squad capsule, with new models for this 2022 back-to-school season. Striped baseball-style jogging pants below, a striped baseball-style hoodie with a big logo on the chest above, and a pair of black sneakers, for a very street outfit. Especially if you add the ski mask, an object that has become cult in the imagery of current gangsta rap.
Obviously, it's not over, we couldn't leave Gambino without having him try various pieces from the "Drill & Drip" capsule which will quickly become essential for this winter. A capsule that highlights parkas or quilted down jackets, which keep you warm in December, but which have also become essential items for drillers' outfits. We could almost say that this capsule was designed for Gambino, who has rapped a lot in this music style. Still with his ski mask, he put on a small sleeveless down jacket over a white hoodie, all with beige multi-pocket cargo pants below. A small pair of Nikes on top and you have a quite emblematic outfit for a driller. But it works even better with the large parka put on just after, an essential piece in current streetwear, since the rise of UK drill. All this, always with this Yamaha snowmobile, a reminder of the icy atmosphere that can sometimes reign in the street. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Gambino la MG on this shoot which gave really incredible photos. We send him all the strength possible for what’s next!