Photography © Fifou
Photography © Fifou
"I didn’t want to die without trying music."
"I didn’t want to die
without trying music."
What about Mister V, who's considered a little legend in France? This 26-year-old man from Grenoble in the South-East of France, who was discovered for the first time on YouTube in 2010 and has conquered a large audience, has now become a fully-fledged rapper. Many have wondered how one can simultaneously make humorous and self-deprecating sketches on YouTube and Rap in a serious and structured environment. If we don't yet know the magic recipe for finding the perfect balance between humour and musical punchline, Mister V seems to have understood how to find the compromise between these two universes.
Yvick – by his real name – talks to A Rap & A Cup Of Tea with great sincerity, modesty and, of course, humour. He has always excelled through humour and recently made a video alongside Will Smith on the latter’s channel. Always on the move, working on his various projects, Yvick found the right words to describe his incredible journey. He told us everything about his dazzling return with his last album, MVP, released on January 31. Indeed, he wasn't afraid to highlight his fragility and how it allowed him to give the best of himself to his art.
Mister V is, first and foremost, one of the only French who managed to conquer the USA with a masterful hand. Indeed, Yvick is the only French or European celebrity modelled in NBA 2K20; the same goes for his music, which is available on the NBA 2K20 B.O. He has accumulated over 15 million followers through his various networks, and Yvick has returned to his career and evolution in the French Rap game.
I wanted to congratulate you on this new album, which is very lit! We can see that you left nothing to chance. Were you not somewhat worried about coming back with a second album?
Of course, I was. It’s something you think about every day in the sense that you’re in the studio, you’re working crazy hard, and you sometimes wonder, "Wait, I’m doing what?” Especially as most people know me from another domain [e.d: his YouTube channel]. When I meet people on the street, they ask me: "When will you release a new video?" And I knew I was working on a new album. As people aren’t in your head and don’t know your mindset, you can become a little schizophrenic. Because you come back with a Rap album, where you’re serious, and you’ve really worked on it, etc., and people are still waiting for your new humorous videos.
Do you ever worry about people locking you in the “Youtuber” box again without being taken seriously in Rap, or do you feel like things have changed?
I see that it changed because people felt my sincerity. They understood I had worked and wanted to give them an excellent project. I think opinions can change when people feel your sincerity and desire to do the right thing. Those who come from YouTube, like me, have also diversified quite a bit - some make comics and books; some become beatmakers, producers, etc. We created our work and had to learn to manage several tools. I'm a fan of many things, and by making videos, I discovered even more of my passions. Despite everything, I’ve been making music for 11 years. I’ve always incorporated it into my sketches, and I realised that I really like doing it, and my people have also encouraged me to do it. I didn’t want to die without trying to make music.
When we talk about Youtubers, we see an increasing number of them trying to get into Rap. For example, there was Seb La Frite, who just released his new single like Squeezie did. Do you feel you’ve paved the way for those who come after you?
I don’t know if I helped, but if I did, that’s cool. Honestly, I don’t want to be the spokesperson for anything. I do my stuff, and it’s fine with me. If it has allowed other people to get into this field and legitimise the image of “YouTuber-Rapper”, that’s fine with me. I think the most important thing is that things are done well and not just as a marketing product; otherwise, it will lose all its value.
You still try to clarify things in your video "Make a second album", where you say that you won't do sketches on stage, for example. Do you think it’s hard for people to say to themselves, “He’s going to be serious this time”?
My humour is based on self-derision, and I'm aware that when I'm on stage, there will always be people who have in mind the image of me with dreadlocks that make an imitation of Koba La D. I would be lying and be in denial if I said the opposite. I prefer to laugh at the situation because I know who I am, especially where I come from. This video was also essential because I wanted to warn people that they would see a new side of me on stage. Explaining it to people also allows them to understand better that Mister V also makes music and that he's a rapper as well. I’m convinced that without this video, there would have been plenty of people who wouldn’t even listen to the album because they wouldn’t necessarily understand. I needed to show that I was invested in this project and doing it out of passion.
And now that the album has come out, how do you feel?
I'm thrilled because I’ve had a perfect comeback, and this album has found its audience. I had this apprehension about how the public was going to react. With my first album, there was more tolerance because people said, “He gets a shot; we have to leave him enjoying it”. It’s different with a second album, and we need to prove ourselves more and 'prove' what we tried to show with the first opus. In all honesty, the results are well above my expectations. I find it crazy to see Instagram stories from a nightclub where my songs are being played. (laughs)
Speaking of fans, do you think your Rap audience differs from your YouTube one?
It's a familiar audience, even though it's true that I also have an audience in each area. Of course, some need to understand that I'm active in two different fields. (laughs)
Moreover, we see the evolution between your first opus and the second. You say in ‘Clinton’ that “the substance but not the form” changed. How do we reach this level, with an album congratulated by all, which has no flaws, and where all see the work you have devoted to it when you have many other projects next to it?
There are no secrets - I just worked. I needed to make this new album and respect Rap traditions. I tried to give myself the means to do so. I didn’t want to do anything sloppy where I rap in front of a wire, and that's it. I wanted to do my best and work for it simply because I liked it. I’m passionate about Rap, and I wanted to do things right. I surrounded myself with precisely the same people I made the first album with, and we worked hard together. We really “wore our balls” to work hard and do feats with artists like Jul, Dosseh and PLK. I wanted to do something that could be game-changing.
In 'Femme De Ménage', you say, "Rap is an option.” How did you tell yourself, “Come on, I’ll start working on a new album again”? Did you feel a need?
In Rap, there’s a lot of guilt-tripping, you know. (laughs) But seriously, Rap is not my first area of activity. We all have a plan A, B, C, etc. I’d say that YouTube is my plan A, and Rap went from plan E to plan B. (laughs) Rap is an option because I wasn’t supposed to do it.
"I'd say that we really 'wore our balls'
to work hard and do feats
with Jul, Dosseh and PLK."
"I'd say that we really
'wore our balls'
to work hard and do feats
with Jul, Dosseh and PLK."
There's a lot of sincerity in your songs, for example, in ‘Tudo Bem’, where you say, “I lose loved ones in combat, all the hatred I keep to myself.” You also say that sincere love is not easily found in your profession. Is that the kind of thing you couldn’t express through humour that made you want to write and get into Rap?
Yes completely. Imagine if I did videos where I said:"Well, I’m struggling a bit; it's not easy at the moment, but let's hope it's gonna be better soon enough". That would make a flop. (laughs) One thing I love about doing music and being in the studio is being able to see myself. Music is a universe in which you must be sincere towards yourself but also towards others, and it feels good sometimes to indulge in this way. I didn’t want to tell fake stories; I wanted to be honest and say things I cared about. When I make a song, I reveal myself and show more personal and profound things about myself, but once I get out of the recording booth, I start making jokes again, if you know what I mean. (laughs)
Do you think music is an outlet?
I think so. It's something I love about music; it's beautiful when an artist lets a facet of himself appear that we don't know about through his songs. For example, there are artists that you see in an interview, and you think, "Wow, I wouldn’t want to meet him at a party because he has nothing to say", and in the end, you listen to his songs, and you say, "Oh damn, a lot is going on inside him."
There's a lot of modesty in you. You have an impressive track record; you do incredible things and remain humble about your successes. We can see it when you show that you started from nothing by saying, “I think back to all those who laughed at me, today, they all make me laugh” in the song 'Tudo Bem' or in 'Lidl' when you say “Now I hang out with my idols, it’s true. It's crazy to think that I was supposed to end up working at Lidl.” Do you ever worry that people won’t take you seriously when you expose yourself in this way by showing a certain fragility they don’t necessarily know?
People will always have their own personal interpretations of things. When you’re in the studio, you lock yourself in your bubble - writing, recording, etc.- and don’t think about that. You write what’s in your heart, and then you remember that you also have the humorist hat and that people might think you’re joking when you’re not. Honestly, that second album really exposed me. You know, you usually have a challenging phase. The one where you wonder about the choices you make or you made, and I never really had that with YouTube. But, in music, with this second album, I took the time to sit down and ask myself what I really wanted to reveal about myself with this new project.
We have often seen you in the company of rappers like Nekfeu, Damso, and PLK...who are pillars of French-speaking Rap. Are they giving you advice, or are you anxious to get their take on your music?
The thing is, I’m trying not to jump the gun. When I spend time with my rappers' friends, I only share simple moments with them. It's even rare that I talk about music with rappers. Even if it's people I usually hang out with, I don’t see myself going to them and asking them for a feat because I’m not playing in the same yard at all. I’m not from a Rap background, so I can't imagine myself sitting at the same table as rappers like Fianso, Booba or Maes and saying, "Okay, guys, let’s do a feat!" (laughs) It will happen if something has to be done, like the song 'Jamais' with PLK, and I'll always be the most surprised.
On social media, many established rappers supported you during the release of your album, saying, “Yvick is a true rapper." How did you feel at that time?
It’s always lovely, of course. Each has its own vision of me, but if people understood all the work put into this new album, I'd be glad to see that the 'job' has been accomplished. Honestly, it’s not because so-and-so has ‘validated’ me that I will rely on my achievements.
Who would be the artist you'd dream of working with?
I’d say Drake. He’s got a crazy track record. He started acting with Degrassi, and it was a different world, far removed from Hip-Hop, and now he has marked the history of music globally. But we’re talking about a dream, obviously, not something achievable in my head. (laughs)
It seems like you’ve already lived several lives between all your projects. Don’t you want to take a break?
I don’t have time; I’m going on tour. (laughs) [e.d: few ones are delayed due to Covid-19]. That makes me feel like I had a break because, for almost a year, I devoted myself to music, which was different from my videos. I'm someone who fights my demons and my stress through work. I’m more relaxed by being busy than by doing nothing. Maybe after my tour, I’ll take a break. Who knows? I intend to spend a month in the United States, but for now, I'm working all guns blazing.
You will start the Zenith tour in October, and it's also the first time you're going on tour. Aren’t you nervous?
I won’t lie to you; I guess I am a little bit. But on the other hand, I’m super excited because I know I will have the best time of my life. Everyone on tour has always told me that the best moments happen on stage because it's a kind of “playground”. Especially compared to all the work and the creative process you provide in the studio.
We have often seen your grandmother on socials, and you also mention her in the song 'Facetime'. Is that your safeguard in the face of all the pressure you sometimes feel?
Yes completely. Generally speaking, I'm very close to the people I grew up with, and when I came to Paris seven years ago, it wasn't straightforward for me to find a circle of friends where I would feel good and where I could be myself. I also grew up with Grandma and had a special connection with her. It's also a strength because having grown up by her side and with my parents, who are very distant from this world of fame, etc., has always allowed me to keep my feet on the ground. They have always shown me that it's work that enables success and that modesty is the key to everything.
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