Rapper OrelSan just released Civilization, his fourth opus and one of the most anticipated albums of 2021. Yet in his debut in the 2000s (his first clip was posted on Youtube in 2006), the artist still associated with the city of Caen stood out in the landscape of French rap. It has since become a real phenomenon. The documentary Never show that to anyone, released a month ago, traces his ascent He was rmade by the rapper’s younger brother using archival footage accumulated over years.
This course, Guillaume, 36, from Brittany, has followed it from the start. For this fan of the first hour, OrelSan is “a genius !” He remembers the moment he discovered the rapper: “I said to myself: ‘Who is this guy? What he says in his album is my life …'” For Jonas who comes from Calvados, OrelSan has also been able to break the codes by telling about his rather gloomy life rather than showing the muscles. It also represents a France that is hardly visible in the rap world, as in the song Jimmy punchline on the album Lost in advance where he raps: “Lower Normandy, 14,000. Do you know where I live? “. For Jomas, OrelSan, “friends Caen on the map. “
“For the first time, we were talking about the daily life of provincial losers. It was really very cool.”
Jonas, OrelSan fanfranceinfo
Another strength of Aurélien Cotentin alias OrelSan : he evolves at the same time as its fans. “Today he talks more about getting old, about children, about the family …”, explains Guillaume. The rapper is also very comfortable with communication tools. As proof: even before its release, the pre-order album is already a gold record. A success that the Norman rapper conquered while remaining surrounded by a hard core. “Starting from nothing, from a group of friends, he manages to fill four Bercys in a row next year”, evokes the Breton fan.
A feat that Orelsan also owes to his work, according to Arnaud Fraisse, multimedia manager at Mouv ‘radio. “He is someone who capitalizes on his failures and his successes, who questions himself without losing his base and that is what appeals too”, he analyzes. The artist is going to conquer new fans while keeping the old ones, enough to make this album one of all records. Moreover, the four OrelSan concerts planned at the Arena hotel in Paris Bercy in 2022 are already sold out and the rapper has announced a fifth date.
The first clip of the album, that of the title The smell of gasoline, was released on Wednesday November 17th. A very political piece where the rapper writes in particular: “If the president wins half the votes / It is because two thirds of France did not want it. No need to know what the Senate is / To see that it’s the old rich who make the laws. “ On this title, the rapper also attacks all those who use nostalgia, fear or despair to arouse hatred.
From loser to phenomenon, the rise of Orelsan seen by her fans – Maureen Suignard’s report
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