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RAP: Interview with ARTR and Vntoinekaio

Today Grunge News offers you in this new section dedicated to interviews (one will be published every week), that of the rapper ARTR and his manager/producer Vntoinekaio.


Go and support them on Instagram here:

- @artr974

- @vntoinekaio


ARTR's latest EP here :


Our article on rap here.


To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : Introduce yourself to the readers of Grunge News.


Vntoinekaio : Hi, I'm Kaio, beatmaker, sound engineer and producer Tourangeau.


ARTR : ARTR, rapper from Tours, I've been working with my manager Kaiomalefique (Vntoinekaio) for 2 years now.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : How was your passion for rap born ?


Vntoinekaio : It was at the beginning of middle school, I started listening to the different sounds of “La Fouine” released at the time and especially "La Fouine vs Laouni" which was really my first contact with rap. The arrival of “La Sexion d'Assaut” a few years later confirmed my interest in this musical taste/aesthetic. After that, on the production side, I really started about 3 years ago to compose prods and to record artists.


ARTR : I always liked music in general but my passion for rap came when I discovered “Sexion d'Assaut and Diam's”. I've always been a fan of the music in general but my passion for rap really came when I discovered and started listening to “Sexion d'Assaut and Diam's”.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : What have been or what are your influences in the musical field ?


ARTR : I like different styles of rap. I like trap music as well as chill sounds, but like I said I was very much influenced by Sexion d'Assaut and Diam's when I was younger.


Vntoinekaio : A lot of different influences. I listened to a lot of US rap when I was younger, including Lil Wayne, Eminem, Mac Miller, Yonas... but also a lot of reggae and dub. These tastes are very different but they have the same roots.



To ARTR : How would you define your rap ?


Today I don't want to put my rap in a category because I know how to make different styles of sounds. When the instrument that I listen to speaks to me I write.. it's as simple as that.



To ARTR : How do you write your freestyles ?


I find an instrument I like, then I write. When I write I'm usually alone except when I'm in the studio with Kaio.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : How do you work together (production level, vocals, video, ...) ?


ARTR : Sometimes I've prepared things on my side and we record when I get to the studio. I still prefer when we do the songs together from A to Z, Kaio does a prod and I write next to him when I'm inspired and then we record. When it comes to video clips, it's often just a whim, when we've finished the sound we go out to different parts of town to shoot shots. I'm lucky that he can do everything. When you're determined, everything goes very fast.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : How do you see rap evolving and how do you see it in 10 years ?

ARTR and Vntoinekaio : Rap is getting better and better, there's something for everyone, everyone can find themselves in the universe of a rapper. With the evolution of Instagram accounts such as @1minute2rap , rap can only evolve. Being known before was complicated, today, posting a good freestyle on social networks can get a career off the ground.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : How do you see yourself in rap and beat making in this evolution ?


Vntoinekaio : Without beatmakers, rappers wouldn’t be able to practice their art, so the two are clearly very linked.


ARTR : I have the impression that beat makers come up more and more on social networks ...and that's a good thing. Without beatmakers there wouldn't be as many good rappers.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : What's your opinion on the way rap is spread today compared to pop ?


ARTR and Vntoinekaio : Rap is the most listened music along with pop, unfortunately rap is not as diffused as pop on TV for example. But with the rise of social networks and streaming platforms, for me it's no longer a problem, less and less young people are watching TV.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : How would you describe French rap ?


Vntoinekaio and ARTR : Very eclectic, there's something for everyone and I think it's very good. Up until ten years ago, the codes of the scene often gave artists with very similar topologies, whereas today, with the power of social networks and all that surrounds them, anyone can impose their codes and make their place.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : Today with social networks, anyone posting a freestyle can call themselves a rapper - how can they stand out?


Vntoinekaio : I think we have to stand out in terms of images. Nowadays, we don't just talk about music anymore, we talk about images. The artist has to find the "thing" that makes him unique and from there, he can hope to exist in this "Rap Game".


ARTR : On the internet there are thousands of "rappers" who post freestyles. To stand out, there is no secret recipe, you have to broadcast the music you like to make while remaining the same.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio: How, according to you, did rap go from Gangsta to conscious rap?


ARTR : Both still exist, as I said, there's something for everyone, "gangsta" rap is not dead but other rappers have managed to make themselves known by bringing a new style.


Vntoinekaio : It's also the mix of these different styles that has allowed rap to become the number one music.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : What do you think of artists who mix for example pop and rap (as The Weeknd does), rock and rap (as Lil Peep did), Lo-Fi and rap (as XXXtentacion did), ... ?


ARTR and Vntoinekaio: When it's well done, it's just incredible. The artists you mentioned for example do it perfectly.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio: Nowadays beat makers are taking more place in the music industry, we can quote for example the famous Nick Mira, beatmaker of "Lucid Dreams" by Juice WRLD.


ARTR : Yes and that's quite normal, the beatmaker does a big part of the work.


Vntoinekaio : I think it's really good that some producers are put in the spotlight, like Metro Boomin or Murda Beatz. I think there is a part of the audience that is interested in who these producers are. On the French rap side, I think we're also lucky to have had some really good projects from producers, I'm thinking of Myth Syzer's "Bisous" or even the projects of Ikaz Boi or High Zen more recently.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : Same question for the video clip producers (we can quote Cole Bennett, founder of Lyrical Lemonade, who shot the videos of the greatest artists such as Lil Skies, Trippie Redd, ...) ?


ARTR : Same thing, music video directors manage the image of the artists by creating original visuals, it's important that we talk about the people behind the camera. Moreover, some directors manage YouTube channels followed by thousands or even millions of people, I think for example of Lyricale Lemonade that you mentioned, who made Lil Tecca known to the general public with the video clip of "Ransom".


Vntoinekaio : Today Cole Bennett has created a new broadcasting vector emanating from his YouTube channel. He has such a notoriety that if he decides to put forward an artist, there is a great chance that we will hear about it very quickly. It also shows how essential images and especially music videos are to an artist's success.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : What do you think of the place of women in rap ?


ARTR and Vntoinekaio : There are far fewer female rappers than male rappers, but they have as much place as men. Unfortunately, in France I think there's a lack of female rappers like Nicky Minaj and Cardi B in the States.



To ARTR and Vntoinekaio : What advice would you give to those who are looking for a place in this musical universe?


Vntoinekaio : Do what you like and above all, never stop producing. I'm convinced that it's from the moment you're satisfied with your creation that you can stagnate, whereas the engine of a successful career is the constant renewal of what you offer.


ARTR : I could give some advice when I've succeeded in "laughing" music for the moment we're far from it.



- The Grunge News team thanks you for your collaboration. - Find the planet rap on Skyrock of ARTR here (at 11:20) :


ARTR - ZÉRO :


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