French The Child is paving the way in which for bilingual UK rappers. Mixing punchy East Finish rhyming with clean, delicate French language hooks, his vocal fashion is completely distinctive, as his backstory. Raised between the streets of Essex and Toulouse, with robust ties to the Irish traveller neighborhood, his id has been cast by cross-cultural encounters and experiences of crime and poverty. Bars filled with vivid storytelling are the end result — and rap followers are lapping it up.
In late 2020, he dropped one of many most-watched Each day Duppy freestyles ever, racking up over 20 million views, and surpassing equal efforts from Central Cee and Meekz. Since then, he’s collaborated with Unhealthy Boy Chiller Crew and Russ Tens of millions, launched his debut mission ‘By no means Been Atypical’, and featured within the NME 100. But a willingness to do issues in a different way defines French’s music. That drive is evident on ‘No Sign’, a mixtape which sees him flip effortlessly between English and French over darkish, goosebump-inducing UK drill and highway rap beats.
Whereas earlier releases have caught to a reasonably constant sound, linking spacious drill rhythms with chilling string compositions, ambient piano, and gliding subs, ‘No Sign’ sees French dip his toes into new waters. There’s soulful gospel on ‘Keep in mind’, funky summer season hip-hop vibes on ‘Fuck A Pattern’, whereas ‘Discover Me’ hyperlinks skippy drill hi-hats with indie guitar results. Dwell instrumentation additionally options on ‘Constantina’, the place darkish piano melodies spark excitingly in opposition to haunting high-pitched vocal samples. Arguably the mission’s greatest monitor, it sees French spit “Flip up the bass, run up the entire mixtape / Belief me, hearken to the lyrics alone” — he then backs this up by repeatedly dropping the instrumental out to spit a bar, earlier than permitting heavy 808s to swoop again in forcefully.
‘S-Class’, the 18-track mixtape’s sprawling third tune, embodies the essence of French The Child: after spitting a collection of intricate, cleverly-textured bars documenting tales from the highway, he drops the silky Francophone hook “C ton pote frr c pas mon ami / Tu me trouve sur le block dans la nuit”. The smoothly-delivered lyrics translate roughly as “He’s your buddy bro, he’s not my buddy / You discover me on the block within the night time”.
What’s most spectacular in regards to the Essex rhymer’s bilingual rapping isn’t all the time the direct translation, however the fluidity with which he skips between languages, and the unwavering sense of his particular person voice that prevails all through. Final yr, he advised NME, “What’s expertise? You would possibly as properly consider in ghosts. I don’t consider in it” — and but, on a mixtape that’s filled with invention and sharp storytelling, French reveals that he’s clearly bought baggage of it.
Particulars
- Launch date: April 14
- Report label: Drop Out UK
