The talents of Côte d’Ivoire shine with a thousand lights, and on February 4, the complete Elysée Montmartre shone with a thousand flashes. Embarking on a long intercontinental tour, rapper Didi B stopped in Paris for an explosive show, punctuated by moving tributes to his team, his parents, his wife and his beginnings. Game-changer rap in the land of coupé-décalé, Didi B had many careers before becoming the one we now call Shogun (the general).
Blessing, luck or coincidence, music has always been Ariadne’s thread for the young Bassa Zéréhoué Diyilem. Born of artist parents in the famous Ki-Yi village in Cocody, he appeared very early on in a clip by the great Meiway, then an actor in a production by Joseph Muganga, and even a dancer in his spare time. At the beginning of the 2010s, his father made the members of his group of rapper friends recite Jacques Brel, too fiery to revise their classics. More influenced by sounds from the Dirty South and French rap, the five rookies quickly became the anthology group Kiff No Beat. Then began a long reign, punctuated by albums, tours and collaborations with the greatest such as DJ Arafat.
Today, Mojaveli has seized power. Engaged in a solo career, titles like “Assinie” made him the new heir to ivory rap, and his album History (Mojotrône II) released in May 2022 legitimized its coronation. At only 30 years old, he is at his peak, and this new start is one of great ambitions: to perform internationally and make history. Around a coffee and on an Afrobeats soundtrack, Didi B told us regarding her plans for global conquest. Interview.
You’ve been on tour since the release of your album, and you were playing at the Elysée Montmartre a few days ago. How was the concert?
It was the first time. So inevitably, it was grandiose, extraordinary, magnificent, all the adjectives you want. It’s unforgettable for me, because my supporters welcomed me, the same for the organization, my team… Everything was perfect.
From the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan to Guinea and Parisian venues, you are known for your showmanship. You often say that you got that from your artist parents, especially your mother. How did she transmit her knowledge to you?
It is by looking. I watched his shows a lot with his dance company. I was there, I often followed them on their rounds. I accompanied my mother to rehearsals. I liked the way they worked. They got tired more in rehearsals. Really, they were doing rehearsals like it was the day of the show. They were called threads. So they played spinning each time, just to master an hour of show. It stayed in my head. Every time I have to do a show, even if it’s a showcase, I have to find a way to come on stage and leave, and to liven things up. I don’t try to just stop and sing my song, because I think everyone does that. There are plenty of artists who do that. If I want to make the difference between my show and that of others, I have to take all my shows seriously. This way of thinking comes from my parents.
How many percent of your success is due to work, and how much to talent?
Honestly, I think I’m 50% talent and 50% hard work. I think I haven’t fully exploited my talent yet. Exploiting all your talent requires less laziness. I know how to play instruments, but I’m not focused on it. I know how to do scenography, I’m not focused on it yet. I know how to dance, but I dance slowly, in rap mode.
On stage, you notably interpreted the titles of your last album Mojotron II, released nine months ago. What expectations did you have for this album before its release?
I was really expecting the Ivorian public to receive the album well. With all the promotion we did anyway, I wanted Côte d’Ivoire to talk regarding it. Because usually, when you release your album, two or three days later, the guys don’t talk regarding the album anymore. But Ivorians talked regarding my album for more than three months. And when I continued with the concerts, the Palace of Culture, it happened as I wanted. But I was a little stressed. In fact, it was the first time solo. There, it’s you alone who sang, it’s you alone who will know what happens if the album is poorly received.
You talk regarding Mojotron II like your “first solo album”. However, ten years ago, you released a first project: Mojotrône, vol. 1. How do you view this album today?
It is the most popular Mojotron. Until today the guys don’t want to know anything. A good part prefers Mojotron II. But there’s another part that says since Mojotron I, I have not yet succeeded in surpassing myself. I like it because it means there’s still work to be done and there’s still a long series of Mojotron to do. It’s a bit like Culture of Migos: I have a title, I have an identity, on the album side. I might do other albums on the side, but when I come back with Mojotron III … that’s a hype that interests me. In any case, fans on the Internet liked it very much Mojotron I. It’s my crush. I didn’t even do a promo, I was in a group, so it was a thrill to make a mixtape and put it on the platforms.
At the time, you were inspired a lot by Booba, La Fouine, Soprano. Today, where do you find inspiration?
Today, I am inspired by what I myself have already done with my group. The Kiff No Beat discography is an extraordinary story. We don’t even have an idea, but there are sick sub-titles in the Kiff No Beat repertoire. So I am inspired by my group. And on the creative side, I am inspired a lot by the promo style of Stromae or even Kendrick Lamar, Drake too. But in France, honestly it’s Booba. That’s why I agreed to work with 92i. It’s Booba, his writing style, everything.
The attention given to the style of writing and storytelling can be felt from the introduction of your project, “La Conspiracy”. Who is the voice behind the narration?
His name is Mike Danon. He is a great actor from Côte d’Ivoire, he has made a lot of films. He’s a big brother who was my father’s student. So I saw him coming to make songs at my dad’s. I called him. He was hot, and he wrote the way I wanted. I was inspired by “Tallac” by Booba: me, it’s Booba, Booba, Booba. I really like the characters: Booba, Arafat, … Charismatic, obliged. Mike Danon was magnificent on this one. He did the job.
There are three guests on your project: SDM from the 92i label, Black K from Kiff No Beat and singer Josey. You are in great demand today, yet one market always seems difficult to penetrate, that of English-speaking Africa. How do you explain it?
I think I haven’t made the leap yet. It’s in my schedule. There, I am trying to unravel the mystery of this area. I’m not neglecting the French-speaking side, but I think we have a lot to learn from there. It’s important for me to be heard by the whole world, and I have to go through it: do collaborations, hang out with them, do everything to be in the stable, try to do media tours, live , … Being seen is important. And what is difficult for an artist is when you already have a good position in your zone. Because when you get there, you’re kind of like a rookie. We don’t know you, you have to work, and I call that musical humility. Me in Africa, in truth, I am the boss. Not for my solo career: I’m the boss of Kiff No Beat. But when you’re not known in France or England, for example, you come back to work to rebuild.
When we listen to titles like “Assinie”, we feel an approach to the melody quite similar to what Nigerians like Wizkid do on Made In Lagos. The connection seems all found.
What hurts me today is that my group was badly managed, because we had set out to go as far as possible as a French-speaking group. Because Wizkid, all that, we had it in our pocket. We were on a concert in Guinea with Wizkid. We were supposed to play just before him and his manager asked to see us. We made two sounds together and they revived us. But the only feat we did concretely was the one with Burna Boy which is on the platforms. We have a feat with Tiwa that never came out. They respected us, but we weren’t quick every time.
We had label issues, there was also a lack of ambition. There were a lot of problems that caused the band to sink into a period where we didn’t really know what we were doing. But otherwise, what I’m trying to do here, Kiff No Beat was already very far compared to that.
Your answers and the titles of your project suggest a sense of maturity and wisdom. After more than ten years of career, what first assessment can you make?
Frankly, the first assessment is that my career has been full of problems, but I’m doing well and I’ve remained passionate. When I veered left, right, into some trouble you can’t even imagine, I stuck with my music. So the first assessment is positive. There, I know where I shouldn’t set foot or set foot once more, and it’s a very good start for me to start like that, with an album and a tour. I will have to stay more focused given the experience I had with my group. I have to be very good to sustain myself for a long time.
Who should we watch carefully on the new ivory rap scene?
Watch Trippa [Gninnin], but we can’t even watch it anymore, it’s over. Afterwards, there is a beautiful nugget in the process of rising. Her name is Marla. The Ivorians know it. We hope she will be fine. Also watch the little ones from the “Maïmouna”. They are the ones who made the “children’s movement”. They are only 18, 17 years old, and they have returned all of Côte d’Ivoire. So they are to be supervised, not even monitored. We will supervise them so that they have a good career.
On your title “History”, we can hear the voice of the great Cheikh Anta Diop, saying that one day “Africa will bring something to humanity”. What will Didi B bring to humanity?
Me, I want to bring the image of the modern African, of the fresh African. “Wakanda”, all that, we did it too much. We arrive in an area, and we have to put on a loincloth so that we recognize that we are African. Myself, I come from that. I come from a village which is a pan-African cultural center for the training of African artists. They toured the world playing Africans.
I believe that we are in an international competition. Everyone comes with their culture, it’s true, but we have to succeed in making our culture even more beautiful. Without being caricatural, to show that we are African. We can model that even more. Wizkid, Burna do it very well. At first, Wizkid released an album where he was in a loincloth. It didn’t have the desired effect. Today, he assumes himself as a fresh African. He makes music videos in Africa, he shows that home is beautiful. I think that’s where we should go. Our parents have already sung Africa like that. We have to do it in a modern way.
Listen History (Mojotrône II)still available through 92i Africa.
