Scylla - BX Vice

This studio album features only twelve tracks, with a total runtime of 51 minutes and 9 seconds. This brief chronological window allows the rapper to intensify his message without weighing down the narrative, marking a distinct transition after the 2018 studio album Pleine Lune and before the release of Pleine Lune 2 in 2019. The album’s structure becomes apparent from the opening track, Madame X, which immediately sets the rhythm in motion, concluding with BX Vice to create a precise temporal framework that avoids the usual excesses of long-playing records.

Short Duration for Maximum Sonic Density

The production by Abyssal/URBAN [PIAS] reaffirms the label’s reliability while maintaining a raspy vocal style highlighted as in previous albums. The sonic density is balanced between solo performances and collaborations, without ever attempting to stretch the runtime. This approach contrasts with expectations of more expansive albums, prioritizing instead the essential elements. The dark universe, consistent with the stage name and the album art—referencing the sailor—structures all aesthetic choices. Two album covers evoke the maritime theme, also present through the stage name: Scylla, a nod to the eponymous sea monster, anchors his visual identity in this theme that permeates BX Vice.

Vocal Variations on Malhonnête and Fauves

While most tracks are performed solo, the album includes two confirmed featuring collaborations that shape its vocal narrative. On the track Malhonnête from the album BX Vice, YL contributes a vocal variation. Later in the sequence, Fauves feat. Jones Cruipy features a second collaboration, in which the latter again provides a vocal variation. These two contributions are not mere decorative appearances but precise moments that expand the project’s vocal range without compromising its internal coherence. The album BX Vice contains tracks titled Madame X, Ronaldo 9, Toujours, Mufasa, Sale hyène, NVM, Mon amazone, and La plume qui me prend, which form the core of the record, where the Belgian rapper—whose real name is Gilles Alpen, born on October 14, 1980, in Brussels—expresses his inner thoughts.

A maritime universe consistent with the stage name Scylla

The immersion in the marine universe finds its justification right from the creation of the stage name Scylla, a reference to the homonymous sea monster. This fascination with the underwater world, combined with the presence in OPAK of a rapper named Karib—who evokes Charybdis—permeates Scylla’s entire solo career, which began after winning the Musique à la française competition in 2009. Abysses, Scylla’s first solo album, released on February 18, 2013, already established this direction with tracks like Tunisiano, REDK, Saké des Zakariens, and Furax. BX Vice extends this legacy by maintaining a strong thematic continuity, moving away from the more scattered experimentation that might have followed the Pleine Lune episode. The album fits into a trajectory that includes collaborations with pianist Sofiane Pamart and DJ Flev, a critically acclaimed “rencontre voix - machine - acoustique” in 2014, before the arrival of Pleine Lune in 2018. Scylla’s work also carries on the legacy of the group OPAK, whose albums L'Arme à l’œil and Dénominateur commun preceded his solo career launched after winning the Musique à la française competition.

A Major Work Between Abysses and Full Moon 2: A Retrospective

The artist's previous studio album, Pleine Lune, concluded with a collaboration with pianist Sofiane Pamart in October 2018. BX Vice stands out for its ability to maintain this sonic quality while introducing occasional collaborative elements. It serves as a natural bridge to Pleine Lune 2 (2019), confirming an artistic trajectory in which the artist explores new directions without breaking from their roots. Scylla's career, which began in hip-hop with the co-founding of the OPAK collective in 2002, takes on a more intimate and restrained turn here. Scylla contributes to the remix of Kery James' Dernier MC, which appears as the final track on the self-titled album, but it is on BX Vice that he crystallizes a unique sonic identity. The Abyssal label is associated with the release of the album BX Vice, sealing a partnership that enabled this distinctive narrative depth.

Technical Details

- Release Date: June 28, 2019 - Labels: Abyssal, URBAN [PIAS] - Tracks: 12 (51 min 09 s) - Opening / Closing Tracks: Madame X / BX Vice - Guests: YL, Jones Cruipy - Previous Album: Pleine Lune (2018)