“I met a fan who changed my mindhe explains to us. After a fascinating discussion, he told me: “you can’t wait until 2025. We’re getting impatient, it’s been too long.” Damso listened to this anonymous admirer and took up the challenge by writing, producing and recording I lied in a few weeks. The result exceeds all expectations. Produced in the ICP studios in Ixelles, where he is accustomed, I lied is not a collection of DIY models. It is a powerful work that puts the pyramid of French-speaking rap back in place. With Damso at the top. And the others, all the others, “those who get millions of views” as he sings in I liedthose who pretend and even those who try, all the way down.
Julien Doré, disembodied karaoke
In its sounds which can disturb as well as shake, in the flow, in the words, Damso metamorphoses once again and takes the pulse of a world which is going into a tailspin. Angèle is of course present on “Everything to try”, the most pop song with its acoustic guitar and its radio chorus. However, it is far from being the most relevant piece of the disc which opens with a big “Fuck You” and the beyond-the-grave rhythm of “Chrome”. Damso questions his relationship to fame and success. “I have the weight of my legend“, he sings on “Leave me alone”. To highlight his roots and make us dance, he invites the rapper of Martinican origin Kalash on “Alpha” and his Congolese blood brother Kalash Criminel on the catchy ” Linbisa Ngai” (“Forgive me”). His real brother, Michkawie, who made him want to rap, appears on the virulent “Mony”, a modern fable about the power of money and what it can trigger as human follies.
In the middle of the album, Damso releases two tracks that erase all the bad Netflix documentaries.inspired by real events“. Covered in an oppressive atmosphere, “Consequences” describes a trashy crime scene with flowing blood, guns and a corpse in the trunk of the car. In the process, “24 hours earlier” is the prequel which returns to an almost syrupy tone on the beginnings of this violent drama, fluid writing, scalpel-cut scenario, incisive flow: to close in style, Damso strips off his armor, revealing his vulnerability. Morte” and the moving “Damsautiste” close this 34-minute album (a nod to his label Trente-Quatre Centimes) with an intensity never found wanting.
How is “I Lied” different from all your previous projects?
I never ask myself this question before embarking on an album. I’m not particularly looking to offer something different. Writing, producing, recording… All these phases must above all please me. I am in the present moment and I never make comparisons with what I have created before. What surprised me the most was how quickly this album came together. I have never embarked on a project with such an initial intention. There was this challenge of moving forward quickly and ultimately it took me in lots of different artistic directions.
The UFO Edouard van Praet
In the album, you mention the conflict in Ukraine, relate a bloody news item, question the relationship with money, chronicle ambient racism or infidelity. Where does this fascination with the vices around us come from?
The diversity of subjects covered in this album undoubtedly comes from the break I have given myself in recent months. It allowed me to be confronted with lots of different experiences and to have time to think about them. But it’s a good question. Deep down, I don’t believe that my attraction to these themes comes down to fascination. It comes more naturally. For me, it is explained by my deep love for Others. I spend a lot of time with people. And when I have a discussion, I don’t pretend. I listen, I am interested, I remember, I take notes.
Your mother is a sociologist by training. To what extent did it open your eyes and allow you to see things differently early on?
She was the one who gave birth to me. She was the one who educated me, who spoke to me and who I had to listen to. I consciously or unconsciously keep his imprint. As a mother and as a sociologist, she undoubtedly played a role in my mental construction and in my relationship to the world around me. And like many children, at one point I had to “deconstruct” what she had taught me to allow me to assert myself as a person and have my own vision of things.
In the song “Leave Me Alone,” you say “The life of a black rapper is a daily challenge.” For what ?
That’s pretty self-explanatory, right? Being Black in this society is already a challenge. So, rapping and being Black…
The album closes with “La rue est mort” and “Damsautiste”, two tracks where you expose your flaws in broad daylight. Are these the most difficult texts to write?
Writing a song is never complicated. I love writing, I love playing with words and their meaning. On the other hand, rapping these texts in the studio or in concert is something else. Because when I rap, I can hear my own voice. And I know the person behind that voice needs consolation and can’t find it. That’s what’s the most difficult.
The album is called “I lied” but this story of buying a campervan and leaving far from game rap, was it true?
I’ve been talking about it for years and I ended up buying this camper van. It was important to me. It’s always been a dream. I’m busy turning it into a studio. I took the break to leave too. With or without the campervan. Traveling gave me a taste for authenticity. It allowed me to take a step back and gain perspective. To understand the world, I had to go and meet it. I see things differently and I’m still learning.
All our quizzes and competitions
Is there a place, an encounter or a book that particularly struck you during this break?
The most rewarding moments are the ones I have spent with the people who appreciate my Music. We’ll call them “the fans”. Before, I met these “fans”, we talked, but I was always between two things. Concerts, listening sessions, festivals… It all happened superficially. There I took some time to chat. I had real conversations, sometimes it lasted hours and I realized that behind these “fans”, there were human beings with their own story and their own feelings. And honestly, these meetings completely changed me. If I hadn’t had that particular conversation with a fan, this album would never have seen the light of day.
In French-speaking rap, you feel above the fray. You are not the type, for example, to snitch or clash continuously on social networks. In your texts, on the other hand, there is always this spirit of competition and the desire to justify yourself. For what ?
When I say in the album “they get millions of views, I make millions of euros” or “fat, you haven’t even realized that they say you rapped better before”it’s a punchline. These are sentences that sting. That’s also rap. It’s a lyrical code, an exercise in style. It should not be seen as a need to justify myself or settle my scores. Besides, I’m not quoting anyone. And when you mention the French-speaking rap scene, it doesn’t mean anything to me. Honestly, I don’t think I’m above the fray. I’m not in the fray at all. I’m not trying to position myself in relation to other rappers. What matters most to me is how I live my own life. She is so unique. I already have enough things to look at at home to spend time watching what’s going on with other rappers.
Your first mixtape “Waiting Room” was released exactly ten years ago. Are you proud of how far you have come?
No. It’s my path, that’s all. I followed him and I am here today. Thrilled ? Yes, I am. But I don’t feel proud of anything.
Is music still your priority?
Looking back, I don’t think music was ever my number one priority. Music has done me and still does me a lot of good. I really need it. This is the reason why I devote a large part of my time to it, because I know what it brings to me personally.
A word about “Try Everything”, your new collaboration with Angèle which appears on “J’ai menti”?
I had good production, a good guitar sound and she came to sing. Angèle is like a friend with whom you want to spend a good evening. Except that with Angèle, rather than going to the restaurant to tell each other the latest gossip, we go to the studio and make music together. There’s no math, marketing or obligatory gimmicks. And when you like the sound we made, we release it.
Damso “I lied” Thirty-Four Centimes
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