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Album review
Passi
Odyssée
Paris
09/04/2004 -
Passi, a legendary figure in the French rap world, carved out a name for himself with hardcore rap posse Ministère A.M.E.R. Later in his career, Passi changed tack slightly, setting up his own production company, Issap, and masterminding a series of best-selling compilations (Dis l’heure de rimes and Dis l’heure de zouk). Passi also established himself as one of the leading pioneers of "Afro hip-hop" with the Bisso Na Bisso collective. Despite a relatively low-key solo career to date, "His Royal Highness Double S" is one of the rare French rappers to have maintained his status as the French rap scene slides into decline. And this status looks set to be confirmed by the release of Passi's third solo album, released barely a month after his DVD 30 ans chrono.
Ironically, Passi, the angry young rapper who exploded behind the mike denouncing the machinations of the "rap bizness", appears to have made the 'system' work for him, nevertheless. His debut album, Les tentations, sold an impressive 400,000 copies and the follow-up, Genèse, earned the provocative rap star a double gold disc. However, Passi's new album is certainly not the work of an artist lying back on his laurels and cynically contemplating his past exploits. With its incisive, hard-hitting lyrics and its sheer animal power, Odyssée, goes beyond the rather pretentious conceptual claims of the press dossier (which promises "a musical trip that takes a voyage through time itself!"), scoring a clear bull's-eye on every track. Those who feared that Passi's mighty flow might have slowed with age, can rest assured. The Brazzaville beast, who grew up in the tough Paris suburb of Sarcelles, still has his claws firmly intact. And anyone who doubts that should take a listen to the opening track, Tu c ki je suis (You Know Who I Am). This rampant ego trip, rapped out over a feisty instrumental, finds Passi "spitting revolution" and comparing himself to Jason, bearing his Golden Fleece aloft.
Passi has certainly lost none of the ferocity he acquired in his younger years with the hardcore collective Secteur Ä. However, having passed the milestone of his 30th birthday, he has now acquired a new sense of perspective and maturity, sharpening his songwriting and chiselling his sense of rhyme. Older, wiser, but still with his rebel spirit firmly intact, Passi alternates streetwise rap with songs that touch on wider issues. Annuler la dette, for instance, calls on Western governments to drop the African debt. On his new album, Passi also pays tribute to veteran Congolese star Zao, teaming up with French rapper Stomy Bugsy for a cover of Zao's Ancien combattant. Bugsy, a sidekick right from the start of Passi's career, is just one of the notable guest stars on His Highness's new album. Odyssée also features contributions from Jacob Devarieux, frontman of the famous Antillais zouk group Kassav (who was involved in the Dis l’heure de zouk compilation) Lynsha (one of the rising stars of Issap Productions) and, more surprisingly, Roy Robbie (from The Platters) who lays his plaintive vocals over the bluesy Exercice.
On his third album, Passi breaks with macho tradition in the French rap world (which he himself has been accused of supporting in the past) and goes in for an openly sentimental form of songwriting. Far from being bitches or token ornaments on male arms, women are given major respect on Odyssée. In fact, Reviens, the first single release from the album, is a fairly conventional love song. But stronger tracks include L attend, a sensitive portrait of modern women in unsatisfactory relationships. There are certain weaknesses on Odyssée, (notably the bombastic symphonic arrangements on Le Cri silencieux) but on the whole this album deserves to be lauded as Passi's most coherent opus to date. And, while it may not be the odyssey promised on the title track, it certainly stands as an essential chapter in the history of French hip-hop.
Passi Odyssée (V2) 2004
Loïc Bussières
Translation : Julie Street
18/10/2007 -
28/02/2003 -
