“I don’t like setting goals because it puts limits on me. Whether it’s an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, anything, I’m getting them all. I’m a rapper and a producer, but it’s just a part of my life. I want to do everything! I want to take charge of artists and help them reach their full potential. »
What Malik Robitaille-Seck is saying is not arrogance. He imagines his future with optimism and conviction, because his confidence in his means fuels his motivation and allows him to progress in an environment where there are few chosen ones. The music industry is not kind and competitiveness is intrinsic to hip-hop.
The fact that he raps in English gives him the potential for a wider audience, especially since his songs have qualities that can appeal to a wide audience. On the other hand, in Quebec, doors only begin to open to English-speaking artists when they are accompanied by hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners. Which is difficult to achieve with little support.
From Pointe-Claire, on the West Island of Montreal, Young Rose was born in a French household, to a Quebecois mother and a Senegalese father. Her parents are also the origin of her artist name: RObitaille and SEck combine to form Rose. “Young is a rapper’s name. I was corny when I was younger…”
Growing up in the West Island and the music he listened to as a teenager determined his language of artistic expression. “I found my accent was better when I sang and rapped in English rather than French. I was also more comfortable writing. It came more naturally. »
C’est au sein du groupe F Squad que Rose fait ses débuts, vers l’âge de 16 ans. Plus sérieux que ses pairs, il lance ses premiers morceaux solos en 2018. Une formation en conception sonore à l’Institut Trebas lui apprend les bases de la production et le mène à créer ses propres beats. Il est d’ailleurs derrière près de la moitié de ceux de The King Is Dead, paru en juin dernier, auquel nous avons accordé une note de 8/10.
(Re)lisez notre critique de The King Is Dead
Quand on demande à Young Rose pourquoi il a choisi ce titre alors qu’il s’agit de son premier véritable album, il nous explique que son prénom, Malik, signifie « roi » dans le Coran et que pour lui, il s’agissait d’une « renaissance ». « Il y a eu un shift dans ma musique. J’ai tué le gars qui venait avant. Dans la vie, je suis encore Malik, mais c’était le temps de level up en tant qu’artiste. »
À fleur de peau
C’était évident sur The King Is Dead, mais ce l’est encore plus sur Try Knot to Slip, lancé en décembre dernier : Young Rose rappe l’amour comme peu d’autres. En entrevue, il nous résume le sens de chacun des 17 titres produits de main de maître par Nomstks et la signification de l’ensemble de l’œuvre, qui raconte le parcours tortueux d’une relation entre un jeune homme et une jeune femme. « C’est une histoire et un personnage que j’ai inventés, basés sur mon expérience personnelle avec l’amour. »
Même s’il s’agit d’un protagoniste fictif, sa vulnérabilité est celle que lui accorde son créateur. Les rappeurs affichent davantage leurs émotions qu’il y a une vingtaine d’années, mais Young Rose le fait avec une sincérité palpable. Le MC nous indique que l’authenticité est pour lui primordiale et que la féminité le fascine. « J’ai une passion pour les femmes et j’adore en parler dans ma musique. Ce qu’elles amènent dans la vie de tous les jours est magnifique. […] My mother, and I agree with her, wants my music to reflect that I respect [les femmes] at the highest level. She’s the first one who would tell me if things weren’t going well. A few years ago, she sometimes said to me: “Relax, it’s too much.” I replied: “It’s entertainment!” Today, she loves poetry, she loves how it’s done, she loves melodies,” says Young Rose, smiling.
Now that he has chosen a career in music – “I’m a full-time artist, from the moment I open my eyes until I close them, and even while I sleep” – Young Rose is happy to be able to count on the support of his parents and is grateful for their decisions. “My mother enrolled me in every art, dance, music thing possible. I played the piano all my youth. I was a young prodigy doing recitals in front of 70 year olds… and I hated it. I asked each time why I had to go and my mother replied: “You never know, you might need it one day.” »
She was right and Young Rose intends to prove it to the world.
Who is Young Rose?
Malik Robitaille-Seck
English-speaking rapper from Pointe-Claire, aged 23
Recent releases
- Try Knot To Slip
- 4Telling (EP)
- The King Is Dead