Hamza

Born in Laeken near Brussels on August 1, 1994, Moroccan-born Belgian rapper Hamza Al-Farissi, aka Hamza, formed the group Kilogramme Gang in his teens, and recorded the mixtape Gotham City, Vol. 1 with his two friends, before embarking on a solo career. After a first mixtape called Recto Verso (2013), he ceased all musical activity until meeting his manager, Darkose, who encouraged him to produce a new mixtape, H-24, released online in 2015 and followed by the Casanova EP and the Zombie Life and Santa Sauce mixtapes (2016). Several singles followed in 2017, including collaborations with German rappers Summer Cem and KC Rebell, before the release of a fifth mixtape entitled 1994, earning the rapper his first gold disc. After participating in Disiz La Peste's Pacifique album in 2017, Hamza set about recording his first album. Released in 2019 under the title Paradise and ranked No. 2 in the charts, it evokes the death of his father and features collaborations with SCH, Aya Nakamura, Oxmo Puccino and Christine and the Queens. The same year saw the release of the Santa Sauce 2 mixtape, featuring duets with Young Adz, Gambi and Koba LaD, and including the No. 5 single "God Bless " with Damso. Announced by the 140 BPM EP (2020), Hamza's third album, 140 BPM 2 (2021), features thirteen chart-topping tracks including "Réel" with Zed (#8), among other collaborations with Britain's Headie One, Kaaris, Gazo and Guy2Bezbar. In 2023, he invited Offset, Tiakola, CKay and Damso to take part in his new opus Sincèrement, which reached No. 1 in France and Belgium, and No. 2 in Switzerland. Released in June 2025, his successor Mania reached No. 1 in all three countries, including the hits "Kyky2Bondy" (an ode to Kylian Mbappé, which reached No. 1 in France and Belgium), "Dragons", a posthumous duet with Werenoi (who died on May 17, 2025), and "Toxic" with Nigerian Rema.