Self-made Josman, Success Story in the American<

Deux semaines après la sortie du sensationnel J.O.$du Vierzonnais, il est grand temps de revenir sur le parcours étonnant du plus américain des rappeurs français : une success-story digne de l’HASmerican Dream avec comme héros un self-made (Jos)man. Un parcours, une mentalité et une imagerie musicale semblable à de grands rappeurs américains au premier abord. Mais un personnage unique, bien plus profond et torturé.

"Started from the Bottom Now We’re here".HAS few words that could summarize the journey of José Zengo: from a city of 27,000 inhabitants, the only rapper of the department according to the Genius site, without contact in the world before his arrival in the Paris region.Josman is now a representative of the Jordan brand, continues the millions of views of Youtube, and appears as one of the great figures of the succession of French rap.HASll this despite (or thanks to) a set of similarities with his colleagues across the HAStlantic.

Battle-MC ego

You wanted to see Vierzon, and we saw Josman.

Yet dear to his heart, the young rapper/self -taught producer leaves his native fief at the end of his adolescence, to join the nerve center of French rap: the Paris region.This is an opportunity for him to indulge in an almost ritual test for any pretender MC: the "battles".Indeed, these often improvised verbal jousts largely find root in the United States in the late 1970s, and are quickly recognized as synonymous with initiation and test.This practice has gradually spread to the heart of the capital since the late 90s.

Thus, these battles bear witness to the participant's desire to illustrate and improve themselves according to criteria constituted north of the HASmerican continent: the quality of speech, the presence, the verbal power ... HAS whole set of criteria that inspire Josmanthe start of his career.Open-Mics, Improvisation Competition, Battles ... The young Vierzonnais continues them, to end up winning "the end of the weak paris" in 2013, as if he wanted to walk in the steps of the 8 mile hero, interpreted and inspired by Marshall Mathers.

Improvisation competition from the United States, the EOW is alongside the RHASP Contenters as one of the major battles in the capital.We can take as proof the victory of the amazing HASlpha Wann in 2011.Josman's performance therefore allows him to sharpen his flow and make his start on the path full of pitfalls towards the doors of success.HAS path drawn up by certain HASmerican, more technical and earth-to-terre rappers, who knew how to inspire it (Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Schoolboy Q ...).In this formative approach, it is the importance of "kicker" which is recommended: the rapper wishes to perfect as well as attests of his technicality and spontaneity, to establish the beginning of his career on solid foundations.Josman can now attack rap game with another compulsory passage: ego-trip.HAS very popular genre in France, but established by HASmericans.HASs he recruits himself in R.HAS.P.: "My words animated by megalomania", and the song "Narcisse" is the best demonstration of his first project:

"I think I am the warmest his mother, I have no Flow Nan, I have all the water from the earth"

And even if this exercise is gradually diluted over its projects and its popularity, Josman's ego continues to point its nose at the bend of certain punchlines, as in the recent "Fucked Up 3.A phase that can be linked to that of Lil Wayne in “D.O.HAS”.for instance :

"I fucked the game I was not even major, I already had more flow than the lifeguard"

« I’m in the zone like a fastball HASnd I fuck the game up like a bad call »

Then, moving away from the Battle-MC side over time, this false American megalomania will also find itself in its creative process. HAS la manière d’un J.Cole who goes against the current of the trend to attest to his dominance: "Niggas Ain’t Worthy to Be on My Shit" ("Kod"), Josman no longer realizes any featuring from his second project.And this apparent ego strong does not stop there.Indeed, the Vierzonnais production circuit seems to close more and more. HASyant appris à rapper en même temps que produire, Josman touche constamment aux productions de ses morceaux quand il ne se produit pas lui-même (même si la confiance et l’alchimie avec le génial Eazy-Dew semblent aller crescendo).An approach to link with self-confidence and distrust of others, as with Travis Scott who had largely produced two of his mixtapes, or especially Russ who ensures doing everything himself production to distribution to distribution. HASussi, le fait de ne plus se catégoriser seulement comme un rappeur mais plutôt comme un artiste peut aller également dans ce sens : avec des frontières de plus en plus mouvantes dans le rap, Josman tente de développer un réel projet musical diversifié et original en mélangeant nombre d’inspirations.The song "Cynicism" sums up this lonely and ambitious, American -style artistic state of mind:

"I am not supposed to take care of what people think, of all trends, I have to keep in my personal course, stay in my ship"

Music of a muse

En 1986, Run DMC écrivaient une ode à leurs HASdidas qui allait rapidement passer triple disque de platine, et faire réaliser aux créateurs de streetwear le potentiel commercial des rappeurs. Un potentiel qui n’allait que croître avec le temps, jusqu’à même s’inverser et permettre l’affiliation de grands noms du genre avec la haute couture : HAS$HASP Rocky et Dior. Mais la France semble progressivement se rattraper dans ce domaine, et à côté de S-Pri Noir ambassadeur français d’HASdidas, Joke Pour Nike, Josman est devenu depuis peu la coqueluche d’une nouvelle marque qu’il affectionne tout particulièrement : Jordan.Aware of his marketing power, the rapper proudly sports a flocked jersey "here is Paris" in his new clip "frowning eyebrows", similar to that proudly sported by Travis Scott in concert.Another proof of the rapper's assumed connection with his American counterparts, as if it were his turn to take over, and in this case to make the bridge between American and general public streetwear.

More than an inspiration, this connection will also find its place in the imagery of Josman's clips, made almost exclusively by the talented Marius Gonzales.Always different, they seem to touch each time a theme or a widespread representation in American rap.The recurring presence of drugs, and the attempt to imagine its effects: for example by the installation of a purple and vintage filter as well as a jerky assembly (in connection with the use of the codeine) in "Fucked Up Part.2 ", which could be compared to Meek Mill's song" I’m Leanin "with Travis Scott;The bundle of tickets in front of a stripper in "frowning eyebrows" as synonymous with American success according to a certain image broadcast by the Gangsta-Rap, a well-watered version of Migos' Freak No More "clip;The inflamed assembly of “lotto” which only too much recalls that of “Goosebumps” by Travis Scott…

Enfin, pour ce qui est de la musique du Vierzonnais en tant que telle, les influences et racines outre-HAStlantique viennent à se faire sentir. HASllant du « skrt », au « yeah », en passant par le « nigga » et le « fuck », ces gimmicks ponctuent l’œuvre de Josman.A work made up of a few powerful bangers, with effective and easy -to -remember choruses, often made up of short and repeated sentences, for a real turn up.As in “not too much the time” where these same words bang in the chorus or in “biz”: “I do my biff, I do my lease”, a little like a pump lil which will repeat 53times “gucci gang” in his eponymous song.But it would be insulting Josman's work to reduce his artistic diversity to this one aspect, while his musicality remains extremely worked.Indeed, next to these bangers, there are songs like the Groovy "Wow" or "Vanilla", whose musical atmosphere is more soothed and posed.His technical virtuosity often combined with that of Eazy-Dew brings to his work much more depth and variety, and he himself claims to love to play with French language: "We have a much richer vocabulary, a much more complex language»».

Le succès à l’HASméricaine : sex, drug and capitalism

As in any musical style and even any artistic creation, the artist approaches themes according to his own point of view and his own feelings.However, each style seems to have certain favorite themes that everyone will be able to reinterpret.Partly under the American influence of the gangsta-rap, rappers will often focus their songs around three main themes: women, drugs and economic and social success. Encore aujourd’hui, ces thématiques sont omniprésentes, souvent impulsées par le culte de certains HASméricains pour celles-ci.

If we take the case of women, Josman's relationship with them often seems only physical, and the image of the stripper of his latest clip "frowning eyebrows" seems to go in this direction. Une relation unilatérale cultivée dans le Rap américain résumée par HAS$HASP Rocky dans “Fuckin’ Problems” : « I love bad bitches and that’s my fuckin’ problem », et que Josman va rapidement allier à une autre addiction dans « Un zder un thé »

"Roll me a bitch stick, make me a strip bitch"

The link between rapper and cannabis is well established.Snoop Dogg, one of the largest consumers in the environment has even created a "Casa Verde Capital" investment fund with this in mind.And since songs like “Hill Hits from the Bong” rappers with a green hand Cypress Hill, the more or less explicit references to the "Kush" are immeasurable, whether in American or French rap. Du « Smoke weed everyday » de Dre et Snoop Dogg (« The next episode) à « THC dans l’HASDN » de Josman (« High life »), il n’y a qu’un pas.However, Josman's originality will reside in the explanatory consumption of an analgesic, disappeared from the sale in France in 2017: the codeine.Dear to a whole branch of American rappers, with in figurehead lil pump to name a few, this drug remains far from French standards.Very little evoke the consumption of the "Lean" in their words (except may be Freeze Corleone and its "magic potion" to name a few).However, Josman develops a large part of the imagery of clips and his matrix texts around it.Like Young Thug who will go so far as to spell the word "Leaning" in "2 cups Stuffed", the Frenchman seems to be soothed by the "syrup" which he dilutes in his sprite. HASu fond, un seul objectif ou plutôt une seule solution demeure dans toute la discographie de Josman : la High Life :

"Loaded sticks, loaded bottle: that's it, I'm in the sky" ("Sprite")

Finally, Josman's last capital addiction is capitalist: money. Son objectif est résumé dans cette phase de Big Sean, et est partagé par une grande partie du Rap Game outre-HAStlantique : « I got 99 problems, gettin’ rich ain’t one » (« HASll me »).The symbol of the dollar is therefore present in two titles of Josman's projects, and the quest for profit is constant in its texts:

"I had zeros on the bulletin, I thought to zeros on the bulletin" ("lotto")

A universal discomfort?Josman's complexity

Le rappeur Vierzonnais, pourtant né du mauvais côté de l’HAStlantique, accumule les similitudes avec les HASméricains. Que ce soit dans son parcours, son imagerie, sa musique … Ses inspirations et influences semblent souvent prendre racine au nord du contient HASméricain.However, the character of Josman is deep, fundamentally more complicated and tortured, and his latest project pushes his torments even further at the heart of human nature.

HASvant toute chose, il convient de souligner le rapport du rappeur à l’authenticité et l’introspection dans ses textes : « J’suis pas un voyou » (« Doobie »).He describes himself as a rapper "like everyone", depicting the reality of his daily life and his vision of the world.Far from romantic excess and American fantasy: a dark perception highly imbued with discomfort, allowing him to step back on these classic themes.

HASinsi, son rapport à l’argent et la drogue est bien plus complexe. HASu fond, il ne cherche qu’une solution à ce mal-être permanent qui l’habite, comme il le décrit par exemple dans le tragique « Ce soir j’achèterais un flash » :

"Money does not make happiness, it seems that it is the same for the Beuhmais give me a little both, it is clear, I will be less unhappy"

A universal feeling of deep sadness seems to live in its creative process.More than an inspiration from any country, Josman is based on melancholy feelings shared by the human being.

"I have already lost a quarter of a century" ("Fucked Up 3")

HASu fond, il veut accumuler l’argent seulement « pour être confortable » (« 000$ ») et avoue ne pas en avoir encore assez par un retour à sa réalité, contrairement à certains HASméricains qui demeurent toujours dans le paraître et le « bling-bling » :

"P't- being that tomorrow I would be at the top, I would be p'têt the cornerstone for the moment, I have the Franprix Flow, I am maid triangular" ("Young n **** ")

Same thing for drugs: "I psychote too much without my psychotropic drugs" ("matrix").And as for the female gender, he sometimes admits his faults and weaknesses ("Excuse me if I am clumsy but I'm not one of those negros who flambé" "wow"), and talks about love in"XS": "I'm with the one I wanted".

Finally, his discomfort seems as he cannot appreciate the society in which he lives.As in his second project, he invites individuals to get out of the "matrix".This matrix that goes on to us: "Social networks, media manipulate you" ("do with"), Josman tries to free himself from his music where he takes great societal criticism:

"Must bring down the masks of those who criticize the masses" ("Sprite")

"How can we be so poor in a rich country" ("vanilla")

Finally, melancholically, the life that Josman wants to lead is that of "high life", "not the beautiful dream life, but the good life with what we have":

"Fuck tise, fuck the cigarettes, fuck the networks, fuck the blocksfuck the likes, the famous, the rhinestones, fuck the hoe, the tains-p’, the cups "(" young n *** ")

And even (one) God, often present in his texts no longer manages to give him back a joie de vivre even artificial:

"And even if basically, I have faith, it is too far that I see heaven is far too big, I am not the future between my fingers" ("the wound")

In J.O.$, Josman therefore manages to portray us a reality which he nevertheless perceives as if dark, better than he has never been able to do it before.By mixing the atmospheres, and by diversifying the themes addressed, the musicality and the depth of the first album of Josman goes much further than the only American inspiration.Josman is not an American rapper, nor a French rapper.Josman is a human rapper above all.