Rammellzee

A true precursor of hip-hop culture, Rammellzee is alien to the clichés of the genre. His music, with its raw sound, beats and robotic voice, draws from a strange plastic universe.

Rammellzee is a pure product of the New York subculture of the 70s and 80s. Known in the art world as a graffiti artist, he is above all a performer and MC. In 1981, he released the classic and visionary Beat Bop single with K-Rob and Jean-Michel Basquiat, which had a profound effect on the history of hip-hop, opening the way for the Beastie Boyes and Cypress Hill. After a twenty-year silence, during which he essentially developed the concept of Ghotic Futurism (an aesthetic and philosophical universe linked to the fascination of science fiction and horror films), Rammellzee returned to haunt the hip-hop scene. At forty years of age, he has lost none of his creativity and wit. Bi-Conicals (2004) is a radical album that skilfully fuses the spontaneity and down-town "experimentalism" of the 80s with the production prowess of the 2000s. With a raw voice, a choppy, dark sound and lyrics tinged with lyrical darkness and pseudo-scientific absurdity, Rammellzee is still a trailblazer.