13 Block

13 Block are a French rap group from Beaudottes, Sevran, Seine-Saint-Denis. Formed in 2012, their music shows a strong American influence with stylistic traits taken from Atlanta trap and Chicago drill. Lyrical content references the troubled history of their hometown and its backdrop of gangs, drugs, riots and violence on the streets. Composed of rappers OldPee, Stavo, Zed, and Zefor, all four members of the group got their start in the local neighbourhood crew 93Gang, rapping alone or in pairs on tracks released online such as “Comment accepter” (2012). In 2014, 13 Block released XIII on the free mixtape website Datpiff. This was followed in 2016 by the mixtapes Violence Urbaine Émeute and ULTRAP on the HotDeff Record label. The group then began working with the producer Ikaz Boi, releasing their fourth mixtape Triple S in 2018. That year, they also released the dance-influenced track “Balayer” in collaboration with DJ Spike Miller, gaining more than five million streams. Collaborating again with Ikaz Boi, 13 Block released their debut studio album Blo in 2019, which hit Number 5 in France and quickly went gold aided by the singles “Fuck le 17,” “Ghetto,” and “Amis d'avant.” In 2019, the group were also chosen as ambassadors for the Nike Air Max Plus sneaker range. Second studio album Blo II (2020) debuted at Number 12 on the French charts and the single “Riina Toto,” featuring Maes, reached Number 23 on the Gallic Singles Chart. The star-studded LP also contained guest appearances by Niska (“Tieks”), Zola (“Kobe”), and SCH (“Pavel”).