The 91 department has clearly regained its status as a capital of French rap and has its own unique energy, which has been spread worldwide by Niska, Koba la D, and now by all the artists from Bat 7, like Kodes. The rapper has been exploding in popularity for a few years now, and PXP is thrilled to be able to collaborate with him!
From "Bat 7" to the top of the charts
Is there a more influential department in French rap today than the 91? Not sure. While the 92, 93, or 94 have all had their moments of glory, today it's the 91 that seems to be setting the trends. Not that they were lagging behind in the past: Ol Kainry, Diam's, and Sinik all clearly left their mark on their era. But since the meteoric rise of PNL and Niska in the mid-2010s, things have taken on a crazy scale. Not only did rappers from the department dominate the charts, but they also brought new musical vibes and a new vocabulary that would be adopted by the entire game. Boosted by all this energy, a new generation of artists quickly emerged, particularly in Évry and more specifically around Parc aux Lièvres, a neighborhood in the city with a rather turbulent reputation. This generation is "L'Équipe du Bat 7", named after the number of their building in the housing project. A building where apparently a lot has happened, if you listen to the lyrics of the team's rappers. Among this group of friends, we find some very big names like Koba La D, of course, Shotas and Kaflo, but also Bolémvn, Keusty, Chicaille Argenté, Zeze, and Kodes, who joined their pals for the 7 Binks adventure.
Among the team, naturally, certain artists stand out: Koba la D, the superstar, Bolémvn, the most unpredictable, but also Kodes, perhaps the most aggressive, the most hard-hitting. It must be said that the rapper has had time to hone his skills, particularly in his first group, Mafia Spartiate. An adventure that resulted in an album, "7 Vie là", in 2018, before the launch of a series of solo freestyles that would make him explode: "Méchant". The tone is set and Kodes cultivates in his music an image of a rather rowdy bad boy, very energetic and not to be messed with. In his early days, we can feel that Kodes is heavily influenced by Niska's music, particularly in terms of flow, the way of riding the beat, attitude, but he quickly diversified and today offers a really very broad musical palette. It's not a coincidence, as the artists from Parc aux Lièvres have all worked a lot on their melodies, bringing sounds that had never been heard elsewhere, even in their voices. With all these tools, the artist is starting to have quite a discography.
Freshly arrived in the rap game, Kodes' career is already well-filled: an album with Mafia Spartiate, 3 albums with 7Binks, but also two solo albums, "La B" and "Avoir & Être", released in 2020 and 2021. The third solo project shouldn't be long in coming, as the rapper is currently releasing new tracks. The artist is a workaholic and knows that the time has come for him to gain the recognition he deserves as a solo artist, that of a solidly established artist from the 91 who has managed to make his mark on the game in his own way, with very high-quality hard-hitting sessions and much more melodious tracks. His versatility doesn't stop at the microphone, and that's why we wanted to collaborate with him at Project X Paris. The rapper has style, an extravagant attitude, and also masters his classics.
Kodes & PXP, the summer collab
While for a long time streetwear, inspired by the New York universe, was a rather wintry style of clothing, things have fortunately changed since then, and we've been able to move towards lighter pieces and warmer colors. It's in this much more summery direction that we went with Kodes. With him, it went off without a hitch, during an anthological photoshoot. We want to praise the inventiveness of our designers and graphic artists, who found two different atmospheres that fit very well with the artist's attitude and the current collection. The first is outdoors, and we find Kodes with a magnificent Ferrari F8 Tributo Spyder, with outfits that are necessarily a bit bling-bling, a bit exuberant. Like the ensemble from the Springbreak capsule, with tropical print shorts and a casual shirt in the same colors. All worn with a cap, a pair of sunglasses, a nice watch and a chain with an imposing pendant, in short, a relaxed outfit that catches the eye!
A combo that obviously suits the rapper perfectly, with his rather exuberant personality in his lyrics, and it fits well with the Ferrari + summer outfit combo, halfway between very street and very "Miami" style. Another example is the second Springbreak outfit, this time an ensemble consisting of a t-shirt with a rainbow gradient logo pattern, and shorts also with a rainbow gradient logo pattern, all on a black background. Again, we stay with this idea of a summer street outfit, with a touch of luxury in the chain and watch. But Kodes is also very stylish in a slightly darker, less sunny, and less colorful atmosphere. We were able to observe this during the second part of the photoshoot, indoors, in a hangar with lighting reworked by us. And the cherry on top: the small four-seater plane, the Robin DR 400, to give a slightly more noble side to this very street hangar. Once again, the rapper pulls it off wonderfully, regardless of the outfit, even the most original: an ensemble from the Bandana capsule, with shorts and a hoodie with a bandana pattern, for a very successful result.
As we can see with the Bandana sweatshirt, Kodes is also comfortable with more winter pieces, but since we're in the middle of the nice weather, we wanted to have him try an essential from this Summer 2022 season: the Patchwork capsule. A capsule that is based on the superposition of color blocks to give a rather soft and very stylish patchwork effect. We had the artist try on a beige-colored ensemble, still in this hangar with the plane. Looking at the photos, we can say it's a success and the outfit perfectly matches the setting, and even the stripes on the plane. This ensemble is rather simple but very effective: plain beige shorts with a double embroidered logo, and the inevitable "Patchwork" color block shirt, worn over a white tank top with an embroidered logo and a pair of black sneakers, and voila. The rapper's ability to adapt to different very street and sometimes very daring outfits is really a joy, and at Project X Paris, we're delighted to have been able to carry out this collaboration in such a conducive setting. Hoping to do it again soon, maybe for a more wintery collab!
WHO ARE WE?
The Project X Paris brand was founded in 2015 by two French designers who wanted to combine urban lifestyle with current haute couture trends. Blending lifestyle and streetwear, the young brand has managed to conquer major cities like London and Dubai and continues today to expand throughout France, with more and more stores.
J'AIME TROP - KODES & RAPI SATI
Project X Paris produces the sound and directs the music video "J'aime Trop" by Kodes and Rapi Sati.