Abou Tall

Born on September 18th, 1991 in Paris and raised between the city’s ninth and eighteenth arrondissements, French rapper Aboubacar “Abou” Tall first made his mark on the music industry in the early 2010s. While affiliated with various collectives over the years including Wost and Kla CX, his breakthrough came alongside singer Dadju as one half of the manga-loving duo Shin Sekaï. Signing to indie label Wati B shortly after their formation, the pair enjoyed an early boost in publicity after collaborating with Dadju’s older brother, diamond-certified rapper Maître Gims; they both featured on his 2013 single “Ça marche”, which reached number 38 on the French singles chart. Their debut mixtape, The Shin Sekaï Vol. I, emerged during the same year, reaching number eleven in the French albums chart. After releasing a sequel in 2014 and a debut album, the top-ten effort Indéfini, in 2016, the group parted ways the following year. Sticking with Wati B for an initial run of solo offerings, namely the singles “Dos”, “Maillot jaune”, “S.T.R.E.A.M.” and “Rétro”, Tall soon opted to go independent. In 2018, he founded his own label, Colombe Noire, which later secured a distribution deal with Wagram Music subsidiary Labréa. Following on from the themed DL singles series and a run of well-received ensuing singles, Tall returned with a debut solo album, Ghetto Chic, in September 2020. Primarily produced by close collaborators Raphaël Nadjiko and MKL, the LP found him both singing and rapping, channeling influences from a broader range of genres including afrobeats and UK garage. It peaked at number 101 on the French albums chart.