The long-awaited release of Tiakola’s collaborative mixtape, BDLM VOL.1has generated a real craze among rap fans. From the first hours, social networks were flooded with messages of admiration, humorous tweets and emotional reactions, testifying to the impact of the project. If, in the heat of the moment, we are very tempted to describe BDLM VOL.1 of “no-skip”, let’s take a moment to talk about four highlights that illustrate the creativity and power of this project.
Tiakola gave us a Beyoncé with Lemonade by accompanying the release of his mixtape with 14 visuals by Alex Haze. A bold move that demonstrates his desire to make a lasting impression and, to use his words, “advancing our music”. A proposal that elevates the project to a whole new level rarely seen in France. Each visual brings a new dimension to the titles and enriches the audience’s listening experience. The work is monstrous.
In 2022, in “M3” by Théodore featuring Tiakola, the latter already named T-Pain as an inspiration. We could then hear him sing: “Every morning, in my head, there was Akon, T-Pain”. This week, for GQhe reaffirmed how T-Pain’s music played a big role in shaping his music, and in BDLM VOL.1it is all the more obvious. We can notably feel the melodious influence of T-Pain in the choruses of “PONA NINI” and “FORMIDABLE” or in the autotuned sample of “FAST LIFE & FAMILLE”, while keeping the Tiakola Touch and its very particular melody.
In volume 1 of BDLMwe find many artists from the French R&B scene: RnBoi and Monsieur Nov on “RESTE-LÀ”, Sonny Rave and JEY BROWNIE (who draws heavily on R&B in his music) on “GRAND PRIX”, or Ronisia on “YJ”. And since we’re talking about R&B, we have to highlight the sample and interpolation of “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland on “1h55” which features Rsko and Hamza.
The studio electricity for “FAST LIFE & FAMILY”? 0% waste. On this track, we find Tiakola, HK La Paille and, above all, a totally possessed Jolagreen23 who dropped a three-minute verse full of soul and power. Three minutes. He gave absolutely everything; fluidity, flow, sense of rhythm, storytelling and charisma: he totally made the sound his own. Who are you really, Jolagreen23?
Tiakola brilliantly orchestrated the collaborations on BDLM VOL.1making the featurings one of the strengths of the project. Each guest is relevant and each of them manages to find their light. Which represents a big challenge to take up when you compose a project with so many artists. Tiakola had a real role as producer in this mixtape and he put a particular intention in the composition of these featurings. This is what he revealed in his interview for GQ : “I worked on the project by making a tracklist before imagining the songs. The featurings are not chosen at random, there are links between the artists. […] It made me evolve in my experience as a producer. Adapting to the younger ones, taking a step back, focusing 100% on creativity… You have to know the skills of each artist. I learned as much from the young ones as from the big names.” With BDLMTiakola brilliantly demonstrates his ability to take on this new role as producer. He proves that he knows how to sing and rap but also that he knows how to sublimate artistic connections with good balance and a good creative vision.
This project shines a huge spotlight on artists from popular cultures in a way that has never been seen before. It celebrates the abundance of creativity while giving artists recognition that is worthy of their talent. As @pjm_sanrio so aptly put it on X/Twitter: “This is Tiakola’s France, I kill anyone who speaks badly of him”.
