Lefa - Visionnaire

The album opens with a tension characteristic of moments of truth, where the French rapper of Franco-Senegalese origin abandons the group's codes to forge his own path. Visionnaire, released on September 22, 2017 via Wati B and Jive/Epic, does not seek to imitate the collective power but rather to assert radical autonomy within an architecture of seventeen tracks. This opus marks a decisive departure from the image of the Parisian group Sexion d'assaut, of which he was the founder and last active member during the release of L'Apogée in March 2012.

A solitary foundation for a controlled architecture

The album spans a total duration of 58 minutes and 16 seconds. This timing avoids excess while maintaining a calculated balance. This mastery of form is evident from the very first track on the tracklist, Fais-le, which serves as a dynamic anchor point to launch the entire project. The opening of the album sets the tone for an artist who embraces his duality as a singer, dancer, and songwriter, recalling the influence of his jazz musician father and his choreographer mother on his artistic journey. Track 1 embodies this ability to stand alone on stage or in the recording studio, marking a clear break with the period when he was mentored by Maître Gims, who had given him the nickname "Lefa" by verbing his first name. Track 5, Gucci Love feat. Jr O Crom, introduces an additional voice to the project, adding a distinct texture to the narrative of the song. The alchemy tightens even further towards the end of the album, as the final track, Rouler feat. S.Pri Noir, dedicates the artist's collaboration to a title that serves as an epilogue to the journey. These three appearances show a willingness not to lock oneself in total isolation while retaining control over the artistic direction of the entire production.

The legacy in suspense: a pivotal record in the solo discography

The album is deeply rooted in Karim Fall's family heritage, a true architect of a hybrid identity where jazz music and choreography come together to nourish his lyrics and stage presence. This biographical context sheds light on the approach of an artist who, far from fading into the background behind the label of his father Cheikh Tidiane Fall or the formation of his mother Christiane de Rougemont, chooses to transform his musical journey. This distance from the collective allows the artist to affirm an artistic maturity that transcends the simple status of a founding member of Sexion d'Assaut to embrace that of a complete author. The tracklist of 2017 thus becomes the concrete testament to this transformation, earning its name and its Verlan nickname as inseparable elements of his new solo identity, well before subsequent projects such as FAME or DÉMIИEUR. Nestled between two crucial periods of his solo career, Visionnaire plays the role of a temporal hinge. It follows the release of #TMCP and Monsieur Fall, both dated 2016, and precedes the arrival of 3 du mat in 2018. This historical positioning makes the album a stage of consolidation where Lefa validates his status as an independent artist, continuing the work begun after his official departure from Sexion d'Assaut. The presence of these two previous albums in the artist's discography, as well as that of 3 du mat which will follow, confirms that this 2017 record is indeed a crucial link in the personal discography chain. The assessment of this period shows that the rapper has managed to build a unique trajectory, where each track counts towards shaping the path to future releases like FAME in 2019 or D M N R in 2021.

Technical details

- Release date : September 22, 2017 - Label : Wati B, Jive/Epic - Tracks : 17 (58 min 16 s) - Opening / closing : Fais-le / Rouler - Guests : Jr O Crom, Barack Adama, S.Pri Noir - Previous album : #TMCP (2016)