With over 1,5 million views on his music video «Encore Une Malette» (extracted from his mixtape «Le Sky», released on January 2020), Cheu-B has proved that he has made his breakthrough on his own. The former member of the crew XV BARBAR has started his solo career in 2017, with the mixtape «Welcome To Skyland». His following album «Icône» was released in 2019 and another record will be released before the end of 2020. But the rapper, who’s coming from the 17th arrondissement in Paris, has already conquered a big audience, in a very short time. A lot of people compare the artist to the famous American rapper Travis Scott. For sure, Cheu-B could have the same amount of style and talent, and his career is already a success. 2020 could be a very promising new start for him.
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What is your first memory in music, and how did you get into rap?
I’ve always listened to a lot of rap with my family. My big cousins and I listened to the biggest names of the rap scene: X Men, Fabe, Pit Baccardi, Oxmo Puccino, MC Solar... Afterwards, I discovered a new generation of rappers, and I finally became one of them.
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Is music a driving force for you?
I would say that a lot of things are my driving forces. But yes, music is definitely a big dope, in which I can fully express myself!
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How do you qualify your music?
My music is pretty direct, just like me. When I’m rapping, I am fully expressing myself. I’m putting my freedom of expression in words, and nobody can take that away from me. I can rap about anything, but my songs are mostly dealing with my own life, the lives of my friends and what I see. I’m rarely writing about something that’s not concerning myself, something that I’ve not been through. Whether it’s a good or a bad thing.
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Is music a vehicle to share your emotions?
Yes, totally. It’s also a tool that’s dematerializing my emotions
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Was it your goal to convey emotions when you first started writing?
I often talk about my life or what I do in my life. That’s a big part of my inspiration. I can’t really write lyrics, I write images. I usually listen to the beat in the studio, and the images come. So I intuitively and instantaneously put them into words
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Tell us how you work with the directors, and how you come upwith a finished product?
It depends, and it’s actually very different from one director to another. As an example, in the video of my latest track « B.S.E», I shared an idea and a concept with the director. After a brainstorming, the visuals became stronger, and quite atypical. My mixtape « Le Sky » had a more popular sight and its aim was to reach a bigger audience. I think that we will continue to work like that and with this style for the next record.
-
What is your first memory in music, and how did you get into rap?
I’ve always listened to a lot of rap with my family. My big cousins and I listened to the biggest names of the rap scene: X Men, Fabe, Pit Baccardi, Oxmo Puccino, MC Solar... Afterwards, I discovered a new generation of rappers, and I finally became one of them.
-
Is music a driving force for you?
I would say that a lot of things are my driving forces. But yes, music is definitely a big dope, in which I can fully express myself!
-
How do you qualify your music?
My music is pretty direct, just like me. When I’m rapping, I am fully expressing myself. I’m putting my freedom of expression in words, and nobody can take that away from me. I can rap about anything, but my songs are mostly dealing with my own life, the lives of my friends and what I see. I’m rarely writing about something that’s not concerning myself, something that I’ve not been through. Whether it’s a good or a bad thing.
-
Is music a vehicle to share your emotions?
Yes, totally. It’s also a tool that’s dematerializing my emotions
-
Was it your goal to convey emotions when you first started writing?
I often talk about my life or what I do in my life. That’s a big part of my inspiration. I can’t really write lyrics, I write images. I usually listen to the beat in the studio, and the images come. So I intuitively and instantaneously put them into words
-
Tell us how you work with the directors, and how you come upwith a finished product?
It depends, and it’s actually very different from one director to another. As an example, in the video of my latest track « B.S.E», I shared an idea and a concept with the director. After a brainstorming, the visuals became stronger, and quite atypical. My mixtape « Le Sky » had a more popular sight and its aim was to reach a bigger audience. I think that we will continue to work like that and with this style for the next record.
-
What’s your creative process? And where do you start from, when you’re creating a track?
Like a lot of artists, I feel like I’m in a constant process of creation. My music contains its dark and its bright sides, and it is the result of how I feel, it is the mirror of an instant mood.
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Can you explain the title of your mixtape « The Sky »?
The Sky was a re-re-start of my independency, because I had just been separated from my record company. I wanted to release a series of freestyles for my audience before the release of my album.
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Are you a movie-lover?
I love cinema! I see a lot of series and films, especially on Netflix and Amazon. There’s huge catalogue. Like in music, you’re able to listen to everything on streaming platforms, to discover things. This is the current mode of consumption.
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What are you favourite movies? And how does cinema influence your music?
I have a lot of references: Robert de Niro in Heat, Leonardo Di Caprio in Shutter Island, Catch me if you can, or Gangs of New York. He is incredible in those roles. I’m interested in actors who take you in an unknown sphere. Movies are like inaccessible places that allow you to discover things, whether they’re good or bad. The views of a director on a subject always influence you, just like music.
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How do you apprehend the stage?
The stage is my favourite moment, right behind the creation of sounds, in studio. When I started to rap, my performances were quite calm, with repetitive actions from the audience: raising arms etc… But I began watching performances of Young Thug and Travis Scott, and I decided to be on stage with my buddies, my gang. Even though the word gang, in French, means a group of close friends having a good time; far away from the real gangs, in the States (laughing…). That feeling of being on stage and seeing the audience jump with you, to your music, is a magical feeling. Being on stage is definitely my favourite moment. After I left my group and started a solo career, I didn’t have a backer. So I started to work with my little brother Kepler. He became my backer and the game became important for me. Performance on stage really makes a difference. It’s all about entertainment!
-
What’s next for you?
I am currently working on my next record, which should be released this year.
-
What’s your creative process? And where do you start from, when you’re creating a track?
Like a lot of artists, I feel like I’m in a constant process of creation. My music contains its dark and its bright sides, and it is the result of how I feel, it is the mirror of an instant mood.
-
Can you explain the title of your mixtape « The Sky »?
The Sky was a re-re-start of my independency, because I had just been separated from my record company. I wanted to release a series of freestyles for my audience before the release of my album.
-
Are you a movie-lover?
I love cinema! I see a lot of series and films, especially on Netflix and Amazon. There’s huge catalogue. Like in music, you’re able to listen to everything on streaming platforms, to discover things. This is the current mode of consumption.
-
What are you favourite movies? And how does cinema influence your music?
I have a lot of references: Robert de Niro in Heat, Leonardo Di Caprio in Shutter Island, Catch me if you can, or Gangs of New York. He is incredible in those roles. I’m interested in actors who take you in an unknown sphere. Movies are like inaccessible places that allow you to discover things, whether they’re good or bad. The views of a director on a subject always influence you, just like music.
-
How do you apprehend the stage?
The stage is my favourite moment, right behind the creation of sounds, in studio. When I started to rap, my performances were quite calm, with repetitive actions from the audience: raising arms etc… But I began watching performances of Young Thug and Travis Scott, and I decided to be on stage with my buddies, my gang. Even though the word gang, in French, means a group of close friends having a good time; far away from the real gangs, in the States (laughing…). That feeling of being on stage and seeing the audience jump with you, to your music, is a magical feeling. Being on stage is definitely my favourite moment. After I left my group and started a solo career, I didn’t have a backer. So I started to work with my little brother Kepler. He became my backer and the game became important for me. Performance on stage really makes a difference. It’s all about entertainment!
-
What’s next for you?
I am currently working on my next record, which should be released this year.
Photographer CLEMENT DEZELUS @clementdezelus // Creative Director AZADEH ZORAGHI @azadehzoraghi // Set Designer THIERRY FERET @floweredbythierryferet // Stylist ROMAIN VALLOS @romainvallos // Groomer HAROLD JAMES @harold_james // PR KAROLYNE LEIBOVICI @karolynel
Narcisse Magazine - Issue 10
CHEU-B
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