From Metz greyness to Toulouse faded pink, Rok’s journey was strewn with doubts and pitfalls. Representative of modern rap, an autotuned chant of sadness and spleen all in reverb, like a nightclub where everything is except partying… Rok has just released “DYS” his first long format project, 8 tracks certified 100% doomer rap all wrapped-in impeccable new wave productions. Between anger and depression, let’s discover together the journey and aspirations of Rok who, if he can no longer reckon tomorrow, will unwrap everything today.
| Interview & translation by Nino Futur | Photos : Lou Persico & Murphy Bout.
Yo Rok, tell us everything, how long have you been rapping now? Were you already into music before?
It’s been about 4 years now, I did a lot of music before that, I went to music school as a teenager, I even had a band at that time, then I gave it all up.
I got back into music through activism, rap workshops at the Bure’s ZAD (a militant occupied zone in eastern France ED) which inspired me to get back into it, because I understood that it was the best way to say things.
There was the practical side of the writing workshops which allowed you to express yourself, and the material side made available to really get started.
And how did things went for you after that?
The first track that came out on the internet, I hadn’t written it with the aim of it being broadcast, I was formerly connected to the Coutoentrelesdents crew (Cf Karton n°6) through a convergence of ideas, they had me proposed to release the track. Then after that, things came little by little, the duo concerts with Dudu and everything…
My first sound was obviously a boom bap (laughs) but there were already the basics of what it was going to evolve into, already the autotune presence with a theme around mental health. It was the meeting with Dudu, who now produces most of my songs, that really gave me the taste, we had a rather similar vision on the way we wanted to make things straight, with a current rap/pop vibe.
We should also stop with this embarrassment of “it’s overproduced , it’s too pop… it doesn’t sound DIY” it’s reactionary.I don’t want to shoot the lot, but I have friends who really think like this, it’s still the dominant thought in this movement.
I don’t want to fall into this liberal discourse like “If you want it, you’ll get it”, it’s especially because materially we also have a base that a lot of friends can’t have.
We just want to make people feel good, and to pay particular attention to the form, in terms of style as well as in terms of production, so that the message is more accessible and reaches people more easily.
What inspires you the most in terms of rap lately?
We will say that I have influences but no role model, I really like Théodora, Asinine and Tif recently. Otherwise I would say that it’s mainly my friends who inspire me the most: Puzzmama, Speka, Cizif… Théa, Bromaz, who are more into a pop sound.
Everything we call “new wave”: Suijin, Rounhaa, La Feve, I think that you’ll perceive through my album that I listened alot to those.
As a kid I listened secretely to Skyrock at home because my parents didn’t like it, I felt like a gangster (laughs) it’s a music that accompanied me throughout, even if I missed things during period, I took back the lost times (laughs).
Let’s talk a little about your first album released recently: “DYS” a good summary of rap that is both soft and drowned in spleen, what pushed you to call the album like that?
It wasn’t necessarily for “dys” disorders even if we think about it directly.
It was more for the main idea of dysfunction, the idea of the suffix itself which lets us understand that things are malfunctioning
I was thinking about dysphoria too. It’s about me, my dysfunctions and the dysfunctional world, something broader.
Were you working on this album for some time, or did you generally write everything in a fairly short space of time?
Two/three sounds dragged on a bit but the other six were done in a period of three months which for my work pace is quite close.
A period when I was not doing so well and which allowed me to be productive.
Indeed we see that your album is on a different musical tone, more depressive and less clubby than the singles that you have released before…
I wanted to do something more rap than usual. I needed to prove things I think…
I was too upset about the fact that I was using too much autotune that I wasn’t really into rapping… The singing, autotune, pop stuff; I wanted to do more rap strictly speaking, there’s even a song without any autotune. It was a lot of condensed work for something that comes out quickly. But it’s true that it’s quite dark upon dark.
Did you get any global feedback on the album? Have people ever spoken to you openly about your lyrics?
A lot on “Souillure” which talks about SGBV.
Especially people from gender minorities who told me that it spoke alot to them.
It responded to a need to take care of things. It’s always weird for me to sing it, I always give myself the option of skipping it live.
I wrote it in a desire to give strength, but I know that it can also make people feel bad, you know that when you perform the sound in concert among the people watching you some people have does bad things.
I chose to rap on a beat which has an RNB lover vibe, it’s a sound which speaks of conjugal rape among other things, I found that this ambivalence made sense.
But live it gives something a little weird… but I don’t regret this choice. I’m still happy that it exists and to have approached this subject like that in a personal way but in a big bashback mood, it’s a bit like the song of the album.
I also wanted to talk about the song “Craving” if you could enlighten me a little on its text?
So I don’t often write on a theme, it often goes in every directions, but it mainly talks about dependence and my history with drugs and trying to manage myself…
The fact of repeating the same bullshit, and that drugs always seem to come out to help you. I tend to struggle to write on my own. I’m a basic doomer but I can’t write real things if I feel perfectly good, I tend to struggle to talk about happy things without thinking I look stupid… but that also raises the question to romanticize dangerous or painful things...
You still have to be careful about what you offer and how you present it: making sexy what destroys you etc…
Afterwards, these are questions that I ask myself for almost every subjects on which I write, and I have the impression of being rather honest in what I share, and I’m not sure that it sells dreams.
That’s also what the pop side of music helps for: bring a little joy into my lyrics and not to make people completely dooming.
Drug issues, I don’t have the impression that it’s a subject that’s widely discussed in French rap, especially if we’re talking about junk. I was a junkie for a while, things I faced were harsh, I want to put that forward to give representations without asking for pity or saying that it’s stylish. What should be dosed… (Laughs).
And besides that you have a sound like « Quoi de Neuf les Voyous » (“What’s up, thugs”ED), 141k views in one year, super festive and based of the scooby doo theme song, a little DIY rap hit. Did this song generally open up an audience for you?
So yes, obviously. I don’t know yet if this is desired or desirable but you have to take what you can take. It’s been crazy. We didn’t even think about the sound, we didn’t even know what to really do with it, we released it like that on my channel without asking too many questions.
This sound above all symbolizes our first real collaboration with Théa and the tangible beginning of our friendship. We are not afraid of making this kind of songs, if we have to liven up the mayhem rave, let’s do it!
Above all, what is notable is that as soon as I do a feat the sound takes on a more joyful color, when I’m solo at home I tend to get dark, whereas with several people on a song you feel supported. It’s cool to be able to offer something to counterbalance the gloomy. Many people only listen to this sound and don’t know what I’m doing.
How do you see the future for your project?
I have been able to see my boundaries recently. With my health problems it will be complicated to go beyond what I was able to give for this album. Fortunately there was Dudu again who gave it all for it! I saw my limits and I know it will be hard for me to shift gears.
I say that but at the same time I’m already doing more than I thought I could do.
I also know that if I want to produce more I will have to pay more people for it, which is not within my means. Otherwise I would like to try myself at bigger stages, we had some offers to see… (Rok will play at the Bifurk in Grenoble and at the Rack’am in Brétigny s/Orge with Théa this fall .ED)
Of course not to give up the activist and squat scene since we still owe a lot to this middle, we must continue to move for the people and the support funds. In any case, I think we will quickly see where our glass ceiling is…
