Photography © Antonin Nkruma
Photography © Antonin Nkruma
"When you're young, you want
to rap like your favourite rapper.
That gave me the foundation.
Known as a killer name in the Rap scene, Limsa is genuinely a rapper with excellent skills. Whether through his lyrics, his flow, or his production choices, Salim — his real name — has always known how to delight his fans throughout his career with songs like "4 Décembre" and "Starting Block" ft. Isha and "Avec Moi".
Born in the Parisian suburb of Aulnay-Sous-Bois (93), Limsa confessed that he was greatly inspired by this neighbourhood, where he started his first freestyles. Cool, funny, and warm but also talented, the rapper with a sharp pen took the time to answer the questions of A Rap & A Cup Of Tea with sincerity and spontaneity.
The one who claims to "rap as he talks" recalls his journey from his encounter with 75e Session to his trilogy of EPs named Logique. The one that PLK quoted, "As Limsa would say, humour is the frankness of cowards, I think we're getting closer to the truth", in the track "Dans les clips", also knew how to tell us his truths with a lot of frankness.
How would you describe your unique style in the French Rap scene?
I don't really feel like I'm that different from anyone else. I feel like we all rap a little bit the same way and talk about the same things in the end. Maybe what sets me apart is just the human being I am.
Indeed, during your interview with Grünt, you said something exciting about your features with Isha and JeanJass, that you are rappers who are very true to themselves.
As a rapper, I must be genuine about the person I am, but I would never demand it from other rappers. I listen to a lot of Rap fiction with guys saying they jump off the 8th floor and shoot people. (laughs) Everyone does what they want, and I like it when it's done correctly. But I think that with Isha and JeanJass, we allow ourselves to be rappers without worrying about whether people will like it or not. For example, JeanJass enables himself to make "funny" sounds despite the clichés of Rap, where you must be a gangster to break through. He doesn't care about that; he does what he wants, and when I listen to his music, I can see the same person he is in real life.
Was Rap always an obvious choice for you?
I think it's the first music I ever found myself in. It is pretty cliché, but everyone listened to Rap music in my hood. When I saw some friends rapping, I was excited and wanted to do the same. I guess it all started there.
Can you tell me about the importance of the 75e Session in your career?
I think meeting Georgio first and then the others of the 75e really changed everything for me in Rap. I really believe that without them, I would never have taken Rap in such a "serious" way. I don't know if we can talk about being professional because I'm still a considerable wanker, but I learned a lot from them. When you surround yourself with good rappers, you automatically improve. Meeting them was a great experience because they became my motivators and always pushed me into the music. They are all passionate about their own vision of Rap, and it's really fulfilling to be around them.
Do you think you would never have released a project without them?
To be honest with you, no, I'd never have gone this far. I'd have kept rapping in the hood with my small reputation of "Limsa is badass", and that's it. You know, at the time, we used to go to the studio to record our music and put it on a USB stick, then we listened to it with our mates in a Clio 2. (laughs) There were 4 people who liked it, and it was good, we were happy you know.
Aulnay-Sous-Bois is very important to you. It shows in your tracks, like "ASB," especially in your name. Can you tell me more about how vital Aulnay is to you?
For outsiders, they see it as one of the worst hoods in France, but for me, it's a special place. I know that growing up in a specific hood impacts you. I would be different if I grew up in another part of France. It wouldn't have changed who I am, but I'd definitely be different. The hood is an authentic culture, a way of life, a way of speaking, etc. I love my city as much as I hate it, but it's still essential to me. I learned many things I would never have learned anywhere else. It's shaped me in a way.
You often talk about the fact that Aulnay isn't Disneyland, and yet there's a lot of sensitivity in some of your songs, whether it's when you talk about your grandmother, for example, or through your chosen prods, like the one for "Le Ptit Limsa". Are you aware that you significantly impact your audience by showing your vulnerability?
I don't realise it in real life... My writing style is simple; I write like I speak. (laughs) If I'm sad, I'll write something sad without asking myself too many questions; the same happens if I'm happy.
"Maybe Logique Part.3 will be out before the summer...
Who knows? Everything's possible!"
"Maybe Logique Part.3 will be out
before the summer...
Who knows? Everything's possible!"
I think you're pretty gifted at writing. You use a lot of figures of speech, assonance, and alliteration...
I take my time with the rhymes and'd be lying if I said otherwise. I feel like if I write a rhyme of less than 3 syllables, it's not a rhyme. (laughs) When I write something, I know why I wrote it. But when it comes to word choice, etc., I always try to keep it simple. For example, my buddy Georgio's lyrics are very literary and could even be taught in school. With my lyrics, I don't think it's possible. (laughs)
Do you think your writing style has evolved over the years?
You want to rap like your favourite rapper when you're young, which gave me the foundation. Even if I'm not a "hard worker", I'd be lying to say that compared to those who work non-stop on their lyrics, I developed automatisms and got better at it. I'm glad I'm a better rapper now than I was 7 years ago. (laughs) I'm much more comfortable talking about myself. I always try to be transparent so people can feel it in my songs while keeping a certain sense of secrecy about my life.
You said back then that "you could say something you didn't mean if you thought the rhyme was neat" and that you couldn't do that now. In retrospect, are there any songs that you regret?
Yeah, there are a lot of songs that I deleted from YouTube. (laughs) Some of them were just because I couldn't listen to them anymore, and some of them, I thought, "Wow, I was foolish". It's more critical for me to be at peace with what I'm saying than to make money from streaming. You know, I've always liked to make people laugh. When I was younger, if I wanted to make three people laugh, I had to make one person cry. I'd say, "It's okay; it was just a joke." Now, I can't do that. With rhymes, it's kind of the same. I used to say, "It's okay if I say something stupid if it rhymes well", but now I can't do that kind of thing.
Did you ever experience a "click"?
One day I was watching an interview with my mate Sheldon about a rapper who I thought was a moron. When he started speaking, he was saying intelligible things, and he seemed to be a good guy, but when you listen to his music, you notice that he's pretty obnoxious. I admit, it clicked immediately, and I thought, "Wow, does that mean I can sound like that?" You can listen to my songs and think of me in a way that I'm not, and that bothers me. I told myself I had to fix that because the most important thing is being yourself.
In "Seul Two", you also say, "Rappers don't want to share me like I'm their girl / They want to be the only ones to love me like I'm their sister". Can you tell me more about that?
The truth is, I'm not the worst-case scenario. There must be a lot of guys who live in remote areas or the provinces, and because they have no connections in the Rap scene, they find it hard to make a name for themselves. I can't play the victim and say that I'm boycotted, but for a long time, I heard "Limsa is lit" from more or less known rappers but still didn't take the time to share my music or anything else. In fact, rappers know each other pretty well. More than we think, anyway. I noticed for a long time that people complimented me off the record, but nobody left as soon as it was time to say it publicly. It's okay, it's the game, and I don't ask anything from anyone. At least it inspired me with these punchlines. (laughs)
By the way, we often see you with significant artists like Georgio, PLK, Sopico...
Yeah, I'm lucky to have some excellent guys as brothers. Indeed, the fans often mention features. (laughs) Having a featuring with artists like Georgio and PLK isn't impossible at all. But really, they are brothers, and when we meet, we don't necessarily talk about it because making music together isn't something "out of the ordinary" since we have already done it. You know what I mean?
I heard you have already started working on Logique part 3...
Yeah, I already have several tracks ready, and honestly, I think I only need one or two more tracks before it's all good. But it won't be released now because it has to be mixed, mastered, etc.... You know the drill. (laughs) Maybe it will be out before the summer... Who knows? Everything's possible.
Copyright protected © 2025, A Rap & A Cup Of Tea.
All Rights Reserved.