Soso Maness joins Le Cercle PXP
Soso Maness: the child of the Northern districts
If we had to pick one name from 2020 in French rap, Soso Maness would obviously be at the top of the list. Because he brought us joy in our ears during the first lockdown with his hit “So Maness”. But also thanks to his verse “Zumba cafew” in the 100% Marseille project “13'Organisé”. Talkative, full of humor and good vibes, and an incredible style that can go from a simple black t-shirt to mafia-style floral shirts: portrait of the wild child of the Northern districts.
Few people know, but Soso Maness has been involved in rap, intermittently, since he was about 10 years old (he is 33 today). Even as a child, the Marseillais was raised and fed on the rap of IAM's big brothers or the Fonky Family, and managed to get a feature with the group Intouchables (members of the legendary Mafia K1 Fry) on their first studio album, “Les Points sur les I”, released in 2000. An early spotlight that should have put Soso on the rap game track, but the young man had other desires, other projects…
Today, the rapper is still very emotional when he talks about some of his close ones, killed by gunfire or in prison for 30 years. He ended up repenting after his second sentence, in 2016/2017. Better yet, he completely took control of his life, using his time in prison to learn and educate himself, coming out stronger. Since then he has strived, successfully, to break through in rap. Beyond that, he has become a real media personality, endearing, whom people love to have on shows: on Clique, Vice, Konbini or various YouTubers, the rapper makes a splash wherever he goes. Straight talk, a sense of phrase, incredible life experience, but also great musical and artistic sensitivity in general, that’s what makes us all appreciate him. Obviously, it immediately worked with Project X Paris, a brand that above all looks for original profiles and strong personalities to present its clothes. It must be said that when it comes to style, once again, Soso is far from being out of touch: we especially remember his incredible outfit during the video “On The Corner”, shot in his neighborhood, Fond Vert.
Soso Maness has real ideas for everything visual. In his clip "TP," he created an entire "first-person" video, like in a video game. The cover of his album "Mistral," released in June 2020, is also super stylish. Floral shirt, pristine white pants, sunglasses with a pretty wild pair of sneakers, and that orange flag waving in the back, it’s all very well done. As for the music, the most important part, he learned to diversify his palette, with some singing, some autotune, lots of rap, and sometimes very surprising vibes, like in "So Maness" or recently in "Bande Organisée," and those few lines that blew up Twitter.
Soso Maness X PXP, more than obvious
For his personality and sense of style, Project X Paris chose Soso Maness to be one of the representatives of its streetwear collection. A choice that is no coincidence: it fits the brand’s desire to support talents from Paris to Marseille. Especially since there are already 3 streetwear stores in Marseille (Grand Littoral shopping center, Les Terrasses du Port, and for a few months now on the famous Avenue Saint-Antoine), and you can feel the Marseille people's attraction to fashion and especially streetwear. You could almost say they brought tracksuits back in style, but also the glamorous Miami gangster looks. They seem very influenced by the dress codes of 80s gangster movies, with all the bold extravagance that comes with it. For Soso, it’s just about exploring one of his passions, fashion, and we’re thrilled to give him this opportunity. Especially since he knows a bit about textiles, having launched his own merch line in 2020, the "Franc-Manesserie."
It was in good spirits that we met the Marseille native at the Headquarters in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, a well-known place for anyone looking to book rooms for a big hype event. A fairly large space, but it was entirely occupied by Soso Maness, his charisma, and his humor. Charming, the rapper knows how to be, especially on certain TV sets or when it comes to putting on a brand-new red hoodie from Project X Paris. He’s not afraid to surprise, even bringing back the denim jacket to pair with a Project X sweatshirt. Because you should know, besides rap, Soso cultivates a love for rock’n’roll, but also for French music, notably Renaud, a great ambassador of the denim jacket in France.
But even with the boldest pieces, like the tracksuit set covered in PXP logos, they suit him well. You have to say, with his genuine smile and sunglasses, it’s hard not to be photogenic. The blue tie-dye sweatshirt with white shades might be the one that suits him best, as it’s in the colors of Olympique de Marseille, his beloved club of course. Even the jackets, which are models not always easy to pull off depending on the build, fit him well. Bold, smiling, approachable, and never afraid to take risks, you can say Soso Maness did great justice to this new Project X Paris collection.