The texts came to him in a single stream. Fourteen tracks in which Gringe paints a sad portrait of our society. Like his real name, Guillaume Tranchant, the rapper delivers punchline after punchline on the war in the Middle East (“Feelings”), on “the incarnation of the modern void” that are content creators (“Fake ID “) or on the death of young Nahel Merzouk, “shot in cold blood” by the French police in June 2023 (“Lead”).
“We thought we were ten years behind the United States, but here we are! We live in an authoritarian, arbitrary state, where repression is increasingly violent. It feels like an episode of “Black Mirror” with our politicians on TikTok or at McFly and Carlito,” he laments, adjusting the visor of his cap.
With this second album, he hopes to raise awareness. At least “get people to react”. “Isn’t that the role of an artist? Without being the leader of any opinion, we at least have the possibility of being heard. Some people don't dare take a stand because they're afraid of being taken down. » He remembers with nostalgia the rap that rocked him. A conscious rap, which told the story of the street as a war reporter would do.
“I grew up in the 1990s with very committed groups, sometimes boycotted or censored, like NTM or Ministère AMER. All that was lost. Today, there is no more talk. Rappers all do the same thing. They are no longer in the discourse but in the lifestyle. In the cult of the individual. » He has the courtesy not to cite examples, although a few names quickly come to mind.
It's infinitely complicated for me to promote. I don't want to play the game of mediocrity
Gringe
French cinema, which has approached him on several occasions, also takes it seriously. At 44 years old, Gringe “saturates” and can no longer support “the indifference and indecency of certain actors” who monopolize media space. “It’s infinitely complicated for me to promote. I don't want to play the game of mediocrity. » His look completes his words.
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Orelsan's sidekick in Casseurs Flowters was the first artist to discuss his mental health and his use of anxiolytics, long before Stromae got involved. “Talking about it lifts the veil on this taboo. You have to be able to work with people who understand you, who are aware that you can not release anything for five years. »
I went so far into depression. I like to plumb my abysses.
Gringe
It was also after a long depression that he began writing this second album. Writing is his therapy. “I don't think my titles are that dark… The fact is that I have developed so many skills in the dark and off-piste,” he says with a smile. I went so far into depression. I like to plumb my abysses. We must accept this state. But it can be endless. »
There is more than one reason for his melancholy. And it is with great modesty that he relates in “Goodbye BB” his experience of unwanted parenthood. “I don’t know who or why I made this piece. But I needed to write about it. » A first step towards the light.
“Hypersensitive” (3rd Office). On tour throughout France from November 7. In concert in Paris on December 5, 2024 (La Cigale) and May 6, 2025 (Olympia).
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