In 5 years, Gazo has established itself as one of the standard bearers of drilling in France. With his hoarse voice and unique flow, the rapper managed to unite an entire audience around this musical genre, a dark evolution of trap, born about ten years ago in Chicago and popularized between 2019 and 2020 in ‘Hexagon’.
After the success of your project ES Drill in February 2021 and his mixtape KMT In July 2022, Gazo returns this Friday, November 29 with his first album, Apocalypse. If the drill is still very present in this project, the artist experiments with new sounds, marking a musical evolution that could well mark an important turning point in his career.
From simulation to melodrama
Propelled onto the music scene in 2019, Gazo made himself known by imagining his own version of Drill, a musical genre characterized by an ultra-fast tempo, at 140 BPM, twilight soundscapes and lyrics that reflect the difficult daily life on the street. The situation in France is often dark and violent.
With songs like Burberry Law, FR 4 drill, EITHER CELINE 3X The artist quickly imposed his own style and established himself as a leading figure of the genre on the musical scene.
But starting in 2021, with his project ES Drill and his mixtape KMT., Gazo little by little is evolving his musical palette. He incorporates more melodious influences into the exercise and dares to sing choruses, like the songs DIE, EUPHON, EITHER MAMI WATTA.
“I started doing melodrill exercises, I liked it because it was not yet heard in France and now it is a bit of my playground, I prefer melos more,” confesses the rapper in the CKO program, broadcast on YouTube.
This step aside allowed the rapper to attract a new audience and gain fame. In February 2024, he received the Victory of Music together with the singer Vianney, with whom he also collaborated on the title. Pridepresented on November 22.
“Diversify our ways of doing things”
But for his first album ApocalypsePresented this Friday, Gazo takes this musical evolution even further. The artist explores a multitude of new sounds that we did not expect, such as electro and dance. Birthdaythe sexy drill on He likes it even more or afro in Selele.
Gazo owes this musical evolution in part to beatmaker Flem (Freeze Corleone, Alpha Wann, Central Cee), who collaborated on most of the tracks on this album alongside producer Sherkovie.
“Flem is one of my first collaborations in my big drill sounds and over time we have managed to diversify our ways of doing things,” explains Gazo at the microphone of the CKO program.
“Basically it had its branch, it was very dark, (…) but here we managed to do something more and bring other colors,” adds the artist.
On this album, Gazo also expands his musical horizon by inviting numerous mainstream artists, quite far from his usual universe, such as Yamê, Jul, Orelsan or Fally Ipupa.
But the artist remains true to his DNA and highlights the younger generation with collaborations with rising stars La Mano 1.9 and Morad. He also opens internationally with the song. wembyduet with American rapper Offset.
An original promotion
Gazo also showed originality in the promotion of his debut album Apocalypse. At the end of October, the artist announced listening sessions in the form of concerts throughout France to present his new album to his fans before its release.
To secure a seat, fans can purchase a special package Available for pre-order at the official Gazo store. Price 40 euros, includes CD. Apocalypsean exclusive poster and an invitation to this show in the city of your choice. The artist will also defend his first album during a tour, which will include the Paris La Défense Arena, on April 18, 2025.
Source: BFM TV
