Brussels rap rocks the world
The Brussels rap scene is on a roll. With names like Romeo Elvis, Damso, Caballero & Jeanjass, … a whole new generation of rappers is hitting international heights.
France, Canada, Switzerland, … pretty much every French-speaking region is keeping a close eye on the lively rap scene in Brussels. One name that keeps popping up as one of the pioneers in this new movement is Roméo Elvis. This young rapper from Linkebeek is popular with young people in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders and has already been tipped as the most important Belgian export since Stromae. Another name rapidly putting Belgian rap on the map is Damso. This Brussels rapper with Congolese roots took no time at all to collect over 12 million views on YouTube with his song ‘Bruxelles Vie’.
Furthermore, this impressive growth extends beyond Brussels' French-speaking community. Like the capital itself, Brussels rap is a cross-fertilisation of different cultures and characters. Language forms no barriers. In fact, partnerships between French-speaking rappers and those preferring to do their thing in Dutch are quite common in Brussels. The best example is ‘Zwangere Guy’, who raps in Dutch but can often be spotted in projects together with French-speaking rappers such as Romeo Elvis or Caballero & JeanJass and vice versa. So, the Brussels rap scene seems to successfully rise above any community issues.