2023-10-28 09:42:00
With the album Sincerely, you drove the counters on Spotify this year. Did you expect such success?
No, I didn’t expect such success. On the other hand, I knew that people were waiting for me: we had great success with a lot of featurings (Editor’s note: collaborations with other artists) before the album, including “Fade Up”, but measuring success is It’s complicated. I’m not the only one, there are plenty of others, but it’s nice, as a Belgian, to be among the most listened to artists in France, to be part of these Belgian artists who make the difference.
The Belgian public seems to appreciate it too. We saw the whole plain of Burning dancing to some of your new songs this summer…
Yes it was super touching, and it’s cool to see festivals taking shape in Belgium, which attract lots of young people from all walks of life. People come from everywhere. It shows that we also know how to do great things in Belgium, and that we are now important in this French-speaking rap world.
You are increasing the number of concerts in France at the moment. Do you like being on tour?
Of course ! Especially following the release of a project, the only thing we want is to see the public once more, to see the emotions. The real feedback is live, that’s where we really measure success.
Hamza ©waiter ennio
On November 16, you will perform at Palais 12, in Brussels. Are you dreading being at home in front of 15,000 people?
It’s important to me, because it’s my city. It makes me quite stressed, it’s been a long time since I gave a concert in Belgium, the last one was in AB. There we’re moving to a larger capacity so it’s definitely stressful.
You continue, a week later, with the Accor Arena, in Paris, where 20,000 tickets have been sold…
It’s also a challenge! And it’s also a very important date: Paris is where it all started for me, it’s where I did my first shows. And a good big part of my audience comes from Paris.
Backstory for those who don’t know you yet: when did you start rapping?
I started when I was 14-15, with the group Kilograms Gang. There were three of us, I composed, I did the productions and I rapped. My friends stopped, I continued on my own and I released a first project, “Recto-Verso”, in 2013, then a second, in 2015, entitled “H24”, and it really started at that moment- there.
Was it a pure hobby or did you want to break through from the start?
It was a real passion, I loved it. When I was younger, I had kidney disease that forced me to stay home a lot. I was often on my computer producing, writing, making music, and I knew that was what I wanted, it felt really good. But at that time, it was difficult to break through, you absolutely had to have pistons, sign with a record label in France or be discovered by a great rapper. But with the arrival of social networks and new platforms, it helped us a lot, there were starting to be sites where you might share your music. The key moment was in 2015. I put my mixtape “H24” for free on the internet. And young rappers started to emerge at that time, like Damso, Shay…
Did you have to do odd jobs to earn a living?
I did odd jobs before starting music but, once I got into it, I preferred to bite the bullet, even if it meant living with little means. I spent all my time in the studio, I even slept there.
So what are your sources of inspiration?
It was 50 Cent who made me want to make music. Then I discovered Young Thug, Drake, Future… And I listened to a lot of French rap when I was younger: the main players, like Booba, Rohff or La Fouine.
Another turning point, in 2022: the song Fade up, with the rapper SCH. This song was not supposed to be released, but it leaked on social networks and it was a phenomenal success. How to explain such enthusiasm?
We had a joint album project with SCH, which was to be followed by a tour, but everything fell through due to Covid. Someone leaked this song on Twitter and we got lots of reactions! One evening, the French journalist Mehdi Maïzi played it and people knew the words. With SCH, we said to ourselves that we had to release it officially and, indeed, it was a big success.
How can a piece leak like that?
We often make the mistake of sending it to friends to get feedback. Some have bad intentions… We tried to find out who was behind the leak but no one came forward. Finally, thanks to the leaker! (laughs)
How do you define Hamza style?
It’s a flow quite inspired by American rappers, with the RnB side. And so, on the French-speaking market, I bring something else, I think. By my voice and my way of making music, you can easily recognize me. I think I have inspired young artists, whose style can be close to mine, it’s a great recognition.
You have a lover’s side, but your comments towards women are regularly provocative.
Yes, I always liked the arrogance and insolence in rappers. Booba plays on this quite a bit in France, and Drake in the United States too. These are punchlines that must be taken at face value.
Are you looking to make demands in your texts?
No way. I send messages in certain songs, but I’m not a protest rapper. What matters to me is that my music pleases, that it gives emotions, that it makes you want to dance. In concert, I see that people are happy and are there to have a good time, that’s the main thing.
You use French, English, sometimes Spanish, Verlan… For the older or the uninitiated, not all of your words are understandable. Is this wanted?
Yes, it’s something I play with, but it’s mostly part of me, I’m quite young, it’s natural. My mother listens to everything I do, she loves it, but sometimes she doesn’t understand everything (laughs). And there are also people who listen to me for the vibe, the melodies, the instrumentals, without paying attention to the lyrics.
You increase the number of featurings with well-known French-speaking rappers. Is it more you who asks them or they who ask for you?
It goes both ways. Just before the release of my album, I wanted to be present to create hype, so I accepted a lot of proposals, and it worked well. For my projects, it’s me who solicits other artists and I try to do consistent featurings with artists in the same vein as what I do, but I also broaden the horizons to make my music known to others. other audiences.
Did you pay American rapper Offset to appear on your album?
Offset discovered my music in France through GQ magazine and I learned that we might meet when he attended Fashion Week in Paris. We found ourselves in the studio to record a song and it happened naturally. But it doesn’t shock me to pay for featurings. In France, we don’t do it too much, but in the United States, it’s normal to do it. Even Travis Scott pays Drake for a featuring.
Is the French rap world a small world where you all know each other?
Yes, we know each other, we meet, but not everyone necessarily likes each other, I understand that well. For me, what’s cool is that I have a certain distance because I’m in Brussels, at home. And I’m here to make music, to share it.
Has success changed your life?
Financially, yes! Otherwise, I’m very much a homebody, I like being with my family, my friends and I work a lot. Success hasn’t gone to my head. But, inevitably, my circle has become smaller because, unfortunately, people change or they always have something to say, so I avoid being around some of them. In any case, a man’s life, whether he is popular or not, evolves over the years.
You say you are shy, sometimes stressed, we are far from the harsh image of the rapper…
I accept it, it’s not an image I’m trying to give. For me, only music matters, I only focus on that. My private life is something else.
Are you afraid of performing less, of pleasing less?
Yes, obviously, there is stress because I am expected even more now. I try to turn it positively by going to coal. I’m lucky to have a great team around me who put a lot of love and a lot of heart into everything we do. The team is fundamental.
Are you already working on your next album?
I start thinking regarding it and making sounds whenever I have time. On tour, I write and record in hotel rooms. I don’t have a real direction yet, it will take shape over time.
Do you have any ideas of the featurings that we will find there?
I would like to move more internationally, but it’s not easy. The ones I dream regarding are Drake and Future. But also Young Thug, but he’s incarcerated so it’s going to be difficult (laughs).
Is a collaboration with Angèle possible?
Of course ! We’ve already discussed it, but we haven’t found the right time yet. She is an artist that I really appreciate. And then, between Belgians, it is important to give each other strength, to set up projects together.
Hamza ©waiter ennio
Let’s talk a little regarding your connection to Brussels. Where did you grow up ?
In Laeken in the popular district of Bockstael, not too far from the Atomium. I had a great childhood, a great adolescence. We went out a lot, we went to the park, we played football. That’s when I discovered rap too, there were young people doing freestyle.
Ibrahim Ouassari, founder of Molengeek, told us that there is “a strong feeling of injustice among young Belgian-Moroccans, who want the same opportunities as others”. Did you feel injustice?
Yes, I also felt injustice, but you have to fight! If we give ourselves chances, we can all succeed. You have to go to school, study, move. Me, I am very happy with my journey, no one has ever put obstacles in my way, they have always helped me.
Do you still live in Brussels?
I went to Forest. My mother still lives in Laeken, I often go to see her. I love Brussels, I might never move. I like the Sainte-Catherine district, it’s good to live there. Duden Park, in Forest, is very pretty too. When I stay a week in Paris, I go crazy, I just want to go home. The same when I’m on vacation: at some point, it becomes too long…
Are you recognized on the street?
Yes, and the people are nice. They ask for selfies or chat a little. But they are not heavy. It’s part of notoriety, you have to accept the game.
Let’s move on to a quick Q&A. Your favorite song?
Remember the Time, de Michael Jackson.
In your own repertoire, your favorite piece?
The sauce.
The piece you would have liked to compose?
Liberian Girl, by Michael Jackson. But also all of Pharrell William’s production, which is incredible.
Your best featuring currently?
BXL Zoo or God Bless, with Damso.
The song you put on to get you in the mood?
Return of the Mack, by Mark Morrison. And since I’m very RnB from the 1990s-2000s, I would also say Jodeci and all these old-style artists.
The one who makes you sad?
I don’t listen to that! I hate music that makes me think or makes me sad (laughs).
The best concert you have given?
The Zenith, in Paris.
Best concert you’ve ever attended?
I’m disgusted, I would have liked to see The Weeknd in Brussels. I would also like to see 50 Cent. At Coachella, I saw Chance The Rapper, it was incredible.
The rapper who impresses you the most?
Drake, by his longevity, his business side.
The French rapper who impresses you the most?
For his long career, Booba. It’s one of the biggest we’ve had!
An art other than music that touches you?
I like to look at and analyze architecture when I travel. With my wife, I also like to go to museums. But I also follow sport a lot: I am passionate regarding football and motorcycle GP.
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