Five: "When I write, I release what I have deep inside"

Five is a rather peculiar rapper, motocross champion, he falls during a competition and finds himself in a wheelchair. Rap today helps him move forward. We had the chance to meet him during the release of his first album Netherlands. This is your first album, after two EPs and several singles, was the launch in rap your goal in releasing this album? F: That was the goal absolutely, I've been working on it for some time now. The goal was to have a finished product that I like, that tells my story. I built it with the ambition to take stock of my life, things good, things not so good. The album starts with Pays-Bas, it's the song where I tell my accident. The album is dark, we can say in terms of lyrics, but not so much in terms of sound. It's the first album, it had to resemble me as much as possible, I could not cheat, even on more "atmosphere" things, I would say like bullygang, "it's music that resembles me". The album is called Netherlands. The opening song is about your accident and your passion for motocross, why did you name this album that? Netherlands is where I lost my legs, it's a bit of a new life for me. Starting here is the beginning of the story so that's where it had to be done. JF: In the album we feel something very positive. In life, are you like that or is it more complicated? Yes, when they don't know me you have to say "oh my god, he's sad" when in fact, I'm the first to laugh, to kiff. When I write, I release what I have deep inside me, it's my way of exorcising all this. I am a joyful person, but with complicated moments. I think music helped me. Already, it gave me another passion. My only passion before that was motorcycling. So, I got hooked on it. I think it's safe to say that rap partly saved me. He helped me move forward. JF: I read that you were listening to rap before your accident, did you also need to write? F: I've always been a fan of rap and music, I always listen to a lot of different things, I used to do them too. I didn't write at all. I started after the accident. It was writing for the sake of writing. After that, it became freestyles and then songs. The first texts came quite quickly. I was still in a rehabilitation centre right after the accident. I was alone in my room at night, so I wrote. If we had to define Five's rap, what would it be? F: I would say it's complicated. Rap first and foremost is writing, I don't do old school rap. I think what could best define my rap is the feeling. If I want to do something very melodious or very rap, I do it. I try to keep a coherence, the pieces are quite different from each other, but always with the same idea, the same identity. https://open.spotify.com/artist/6EWfSiI0vfs5OzyNrKAHIJ On the album, we can find several styles and several themes that are often found in rap. Do you have any limitations? How do you choose the theme of your songs? F: I don't put limits on myself, I would say in my choices. After that, a lot of things I did at the beginning didn't make it to the final project. I wanted to keep the storytelling of all that. Today I try to go further in the themes. I try not to do only freestyles or ego trip. Three people feature you on this album: Kemmler, Hoshi, or Léa Castel, how the collaborations with these three artists went. F:Hoshi, already, she is a friend first and foremost. I opened for him at the Zénith in Paris recently. In addition, she is the one who does the musical productions on the album, it was obvious. Léa Castel, I wanted her on the song Ma place. When we proposed to him, it was natural so we worked on it. Kemmler is a rapper that I like a lot, I saw him on this track. With my team, we sent it to him because he is in Marseille and he liked it. Initially, I send them models. Afterwards, we exchange a lot if we have the chance to be in the studio together as with Léa Castel, we do it. Otherwise, we exchange a lot. What are your plans for the future? F: Already bringing this album to life on stage, I think it's important. After doing 8 Zenith for Hoshi, I want to continue with that, I still have a few festivals this summer. For the start of the school year, the goal is to open for me, to develop myself on stage. Since last winter, I have discovered and this is something I want to continue to live. After, I like this stress, the one that comes before going on stage, after, it's kiff. The reception of the public is superb every time. It keeps me going. And you, what kind of rap do you listen to? F: I started rapping in college with bands like Sniper, Psy 4 de la rime, artists like Youssoupha, Lunatic. Today, I am especially admiring those who have managed to hold on in the long term, a long career like Youssoupha for example. I think in music and rap especially, as long as you have things to say, you can do them. The day I force myself it will probably be the time to stop. There are themes that inspire me at the moment. Ecology, I'd like to make a song about being aware of it but not acting, it's an idea I've had for some time. More danceable pieces why not too. https://youtu.be/sXbtlvWRjEI