Rhythm and Flow: France is officially out on Netflix, where French rappers battle it out for the £100K prize. To get close to the cash, they have to win over judges Niska, Shay and SCH. Let’s meet those taking part…
Jul, Soso Maness, Tiakola, Hamza, Gradur and other hip-hop stars are joining the France-based series, which involves freestyling, rap battles, making music videos, and writing and producing an original track.
In pursuit of their dreams, the rap competition sees each judge attempt to find local talent in their hometowns, including Paris, Brussels and Marseille. It follows the popularity of its original series based in the USA.
- REVISITED: Who won Rhythm and Flow 2019? Fan favourite took home the crown!
Jul
French rapper, singer and producer Julien Mari, known as Jul, is a 32-year-old contestant on Rhythm and Flow: France. He has released at least four albums throughout his music career, and accumulated over 3 million Instagram followers.
Also known as Le J, the Marseille-born star’s first single Sors le cross volé came out in November 2013. Less than a decade later, Jul has become the best-selling artist in French rap history, as of 2020.
By 30, he had sold over four million albums. In 2015, Jul left music label Liga One Industry and independently released his album D’Or et De Platine. In 2017, his next album My World won the “Urban Music Album of the Year”!
Soso Maness
Soso Maness, of Algerian descent, is a French rapper and father-of-two. The Netflix star has released three albums, Rescapé in 2019, Mistral in 2020 – which reached number two on French Albums Chart – and Avec le temps in 2021.
The 35-year-old Rhythm and Flow: France contestant’s song Petrouchka featuring rapper PLK reached number one on the French Singles Chart. His full name is Sofien Hakim Manessour, which he was given when born in Marseille.
Amid his appearance on the reality rap competition, Soso Maness also sells merchandise on his website. His Netflix debut comes after he performed at the You-F Festival in Narosse, in 2021, shortly after his album release.
