Guizmo - #GPG

#GPG, released on June 3, 2016 on the Because Music label, marks an essential point of equilibrium in Guizmo's trajectory between Dans ma ruche (2014) and Amicalement Vôtre (2017). This album offers a distinct perspective in the solo chronology of the author-performer, who began his career in 2011 with Normal. The record navigates this clear chronological discontinuity to anchor the artist in a precise moment of his musical life without imitating immediate approaches.

An indivisible narrative block between two artistic phases

It is here that the tension inherent to the project is built: Guizmo uses this interval to breathe between his two temporal poles marked by the release of the record. The album opens its cycle with "Posé", the opening track on track 1, before concluding with the song "Street Fighter" in position 19. This structure of the record, consisting of 19 tracks, forms an indivisible narrative block that refuses any dilution by external elements not foreseen in this specific configuration.

A dynamic influenced by the L'Entourage legacy and the underground scene

More than a simple technical transition, this album draws part of its substance from the musical heritage of the years when Guizmo was a member of the L'Entourage collective. This historical affiliation directly influences the album's internal dynamics, marking a phase where the artist gains enough perspective to assert himself as a soloist while still retaining the codes of an underground scene that continues to nourish his production. The artistic trajectory established since 2012 with La Banquise finds here a logical continuation, confirming that this work follows the evolution that has already produced albums like Normal or C'est tout en 2012.

Two occasional collaborations in a controlled collective production

The collective production finds concrete expression through the presence of two specific artists credited on the album. The track "Ça va chier" includes the collaboration of the rapper Guy2Bezbar, while the track "J'veux pas en parler" welcomes the presence of the rapper Louis. These collaborations punctuate a collaborative structure where the density of contributions remains controlled, given the total of 19 tracks composing the studio album #GPG. The album thus has 2 tracks with a featured artist, for a total of tracks on this disc.

A coherent sonic identity rooted in family roots and personal journey

The technical production is based on the Because Music label, which oversaw the release on June 3, 2016, a discretion that does not detract from the strength of the chronological discontinuity in the artist's solo career. The album maintains a global sonic coherence that relies on the structure imposed by key tracks such as those mentioned previously. The rapper's grounding in the underground scene finds a direct resonance with his personal journey, marked by an upbringing steeped in varied influences. While his family roots, stemming from a Senegalese-Malian father and a Malagasy mother, have shaped his identity, it was above all at the age of seven that he experienced a crucial revelation after listening to Changes by 2Pac. Artists such as Salif, The Notorious B.I.G., the groups Lunatic and Chiens de paille, as well as collectives like La Cliqua and Secteur Ä, subsequently nourished his musical culture.

A precise milestone in the Parisian chronology honoring the codes of the scene

The release of the album on June 3, 2016, on the Because Music label marks a precise milestone in this timeline, during which the artist, born on January 21, 1991 in Paris, uses this intermediate period to assert his solo voice while honoring the codes of the scene that saw him grow up in neighborhoods like La Caravelle or Le Cartel. The structure of the album itself reflects this desire for narrative and sonic coherence. Across these 19 tracks, the album maintains a controlled collaborative density, limiting external contributions to only two collaborations credited for the entirety of the opus: track 9, “Ça va chier”, with Guy2Bezbar, and track 12, “J'veux pas en parler”, with Louis. This restraint in the use of featurings contrasts with the richness of his personal history and his many past influences, notably his entry into the rap world through a rehabilitation program after his release from prison in 2008.

The album's structure, which extends from the opening track "Posé" to the closing track "Street Fighter", forms an indivisible narrative unit, where each track contributes to defining a distinct artistic identity. Here, Guizmo succeeds in transforming this transitional phase between Dans ma ruche and his next work into a self-contained musical entity, using this interval to solidify his status as both author and performer without diluting his production through excessive external references. This assessment shows that #GPG succeeds in transforming this intermediate period into a distinct musical entity, harnessing the power of chronological discontinuity to define its own identity without blindly appropriating the immediate sound that preceded it or the one that will follow. The collective production is built around these strengths, inherent in both the confirmed featured artists and the underground roots that run through the entire studio album #GPG by Guizmo.

Technical details

- Release date : June 3, 2016 - Label : Because Music - Tracks : 19 - Opening / closing track : Posé / Street Fighter - Guest artists : Guy2Bezbar, Louis. - Previous album : Dans ma ruche (2014)