They hadn’t given a sign of life for several months… Rappers Bigflo & Oli are back, more motivated than ever, with a new album. Preceded two months ago by the clip Holy Brothelthe disc The others are us has been in stores since June 24: 21 unreleased songs, seven collaborations and a lot of energy. Why listen to this album? We give you five good reasons.
Because it comes out four years after the previous opus
Whether on social networks or in the media, the two brothers have been very discreet for the past two years. A dazzling success, a sudden and intense celebrity, the pressure of the new album, the health crisis… So many reasons that pushed the duo to take a kind of early “retirement”. “And hello France, do you recognize me? I lost some hair and subscribers”begins Oli in their title I was not here, song which justifies their departure. With this new album, they explain their absence but also announce their big comeback, which promises to be explosive. “We missed you but that’s it, Daddy’s here / Fourth album, we’re going to blow all the quotas”they say confidently in that same piece of music.
A two-year rest and a previous album which already dates from four years ago… The dream life had won several music awards in 2018 and was certified gold after a week. “Stromae, Gims and Sopra, sorry guys, we basically love you / But with this album we want to widen the gap, empty your rooms, steal your fans”announce the two brothers in their song Booba. A desire that could come true since in just three days, 26,000 copies of this new album have already been sold.
Because there are very varied featurings, with MC Solar, Francis Cabrel…
In their previous album, the rappers had already created a surprise by unveiling a track with the French reggae group Tryo: Close your eyes. This time, they hit even harder and share their microphone with the man nicknamed “The man with the mustache”, Francis Cabrel. In Cloversthe three artists talk about a young girl who dreams of her perfect life but does not achieve it because she is unlucky, because she has only one “three leaf clover”. The universe of the two Toulousains and that of the Agenais are opposed and yet the mixture works. In 2019, they had already shared the stage during the Astaffort meetings on the flagship title of the two rappers, Shame.
On this new album, six other artists collaborated with the two brothers: MC Solaar, Olympe Chabert, Russ, Vald, Julien Doré and Leto. In the title good students, MC Solaar discusses his former reputation as a “wise child of rap”, which today sticks to the skin of Bigflo & Oli. Julien Doré looks back on past fashions of the 90s in Getting old like Magic cards or Tecktonik. Each artist adds his personal touch for songs that are extremely different from each other.
Because the duo is still so “banal”
After millions of albums sold, sold-out Olympia and Zénith, the two brothers still affirm it: they have not changed. “Even if you see me in the VIP area at the back of the club / I still have your voices in mind when I say “we” / I still have the blues on Sunday in front of my pasta”they write in life after, piece of more than 6 minutes which opens the album. Once again, the duo goes against the grain of the clichés of the bling-bling rapper who lives in luxury and opulence. In their song Booba they make fun of themselves and their images which are not those of two bad boys: “One day I’m going to shave my head / And go to Miami / Like Booba”, they rap.
In the clip of good students, they even decide to show their imperfections. “Bigflo has always felt too skinny. He doesn’t like his big nose, nor his big ears. For this clip, he decided that he had nothing to do with it anymore”, they announce at the beginning of the video. Alongside MC Solaar, the two young people go bare-chested and show their bodies: one is thin, the other has curves. Once again, these two “everyman” make this normality their trademark.
Because it’s a very eclectic album
“There is a rap to party, to sweat, to think, to question. We have a musical style that has evolved so much that there is no longer a rap, but raps”said Bigflo when it released its previous album in 2018. The others are us, the styles are also extremely varied. With their featurings, they choose softness when they mix their voices with those of MC Solaar or Olympe Chabert. Conversely, the rhythm is faster, the phrasing more violent when they make a piece with Vald or Leto.
In Jose and Amar, the two brothers go back to their roots and tell the story of their two grandfathers, one Argentinian, the other Algerian. With Holy Brothelthey deliver a message to France, which they often love and sometimes hate. “I love France, like an aunt with whom I don’t always agree / Who tries too little / But for whom I will cry all the tears in my body when she dies”, they sing in the track. Being a fan, fads, courage, disillusion… Bigflo & Oli move, as always, from one subject to another with great ease.
Because it’s an album thought with the public
This album is different from the previous ones because it was not made only by a duo of rappers. It’s a team effort that the fans have collaborated on. At the beginning of May, a clip on Youtube announces their return and an Instagram post brings the good news: an album will be released and it is the subscribers who will have the heavy responsibility of choosing its cover and its name, in one week top time. Florian & Olivio, All extra-ordinary... Fans finally vote for The others are us and as a cover, a photo of the two rappers who have their portraits taken.
The participation does not stop there. A few weeks later, Bigflo & Oli ask subscribers to challenge them: mow the lawn, play a concert at a wedding, host a karaoke evening… I was not here comes out some time later and puts in pictures the raised bets. “A new page of history begins with you”, wrote the duo on Instagram. What will be next?