French rap songs seem to have gathered a significant international following over the years. The year 2020, in particular, has seen great French hip hop songs and new artists join the industry and release some great projects. These songs are enjoyed by those who do not understand French, and can be especially useful to people trying to learn French.
The themes that French rappers speak about make this music genre relatable all over the world. In this article, we look at some of the most popular French rap songs that were released in 2020.
TrinityVille – Laylow
Laylow is a French rapper from Toulouse who released his fifth album, Trinity, on 28 February 2020. This album consists of various songs, including “TrinityVille,” which is the third single of this album and has been very well received by rap music fans. The first and second singles on this album are “Megatron” and “Poison”, which are also great songs.
Making him stand out from the trends of other marketable French rappers is his inspiration from The Matrix, which inspired the name of this album.
Laylow’s rap style is derived from his fascination with numbers. The 26-year-old self-proclaimed “Man of the Year” now has four full-length solo projects. Laylow believes that 2020 is his for the taking and wants to keep raising the standard and level of his music.
Au DD – PNL
PNL stands for Peace and Love and is a French rap group from the Parisian suburb formed by two brothers, N.O.S and Ademo. These brothers are of Corsican and Algerian origins and their real names are Nabil and Tarik Andrieu (I had covered them in my article about the best French rappers if you want to learn more about them).
These brothers prefer to retain an aura of mystery around them by not communicating much about themselves. They only give their fans a little information about them, just enough to have them go crazy. Drake, who needs no introduction, had requested to record a collaboration with the French brothers, that they rejected. He had the desire to create a US version of PNL’s song “A l’ammoniaque.”
These two brothers were drug dealers before they entered the French rap scene and became famous. Due to this, Ademo has a criminal record and was denied a visa in 2017. This prohibited their performance at the famed music festival of Coachella. The invitation to perform came after selling a million of their first album, ” Dans la légende.”
Les Magiciens – ISHA
In comparison to other rappers, Isha’s professional ambition is not a long-standing vocation as an MC. The rapper became a social worker, then again returned to rapping. He sees hip-hop as just a step towards a more humanitarian direction. Isha is a Belgian rapper, and his exceptional inspiration comes from underground rap of the East Coast.
Isha’s La vie augmente Vol. 3 was one of the best French rap albums of the year. This 33-year-old has gained popularity to become the jewel of new Belgian rap. The highlight of this album, Les Magiciens, is his first collaboration with Katrina Squad. Creating beautiful melodies from sometimes pretty dark themes, Isha speaks about religious adaptation and oppression in his songs.
Interlude – SCH
SCH is the abbreviation of Schneider, a pseudonym that was given to him during adolescence. In France, he is simply known as “le S” and is considered rap royalty of modern French rap. SCH has, over the years, gathered triumphs, with his latest in 2019 being Gold and Platinum albums. His much-admired JVLIVS and Rooftop albums received critical acclaim.
The 26-year-old was born in Marseille and is produced by Geo On The Track and Guilty, his regular collaborators. Interlude is the third single of the Rooftop album.
Welcome to the Party (Freestyle) – Freeze Corleone 667
Freeze Corleone is one of the most revered underground rappers in France. He comes from the Paris suburbs, Saint-Denis, and is of Senegalese-Italian descent. Over the last ten years, he has gathered an exclusive following. Welcome to the Party (Freestyle) is a redo of the original breakout hit by Pop Smoke.
The 27-year-old debuted in 2011 and has accumulated an acclaimed discography, including several remixes. Freeze is produced by 8o8Melo.
Also known as Yung Tom Jedusor, he often sweeps uncharacteristically scholarly punch lines into his conspiracy filled verses. And I mean that as a compliment. 🙂
Welcome to the Party (Freestyle) is a teaser of Freeze’s highly anticipated project, La menace fantôme.
If you liked this list, I advise you to read my article on the best French music artists of the moment. What are you currently listening to? Share in the comments!
