28 years after the creation of the group, and an undeniable mastery of rhythm and pen, they are still there! Indeed, it is at the beginning of March that Marseille group IAM, pillar of French rap, releases its eighth album: Rêvolution.History of the IAM Group:
Their seventh album IAM, was supposed (according to their statements) to be the last. But in June 2014, the label Def Jam France announced that it was extending the band's contract for 2 new albums!The album was partly recorded in Thailand over a period of 5 months. On January 9, 2017, the band announced the release of the album via their Twitter account and unveiled the explicit cover:
On January 13, 2017, IAM unveiled the title IAM 2017, promotional single of the album by specifying: "Before revealing more about our new album Rêvolution, we present the title IAM 2017, unreleased title of introduction available now in digital. »
The music video for the first single Monnaie de singe was unveiled on January 20, 2017. Directed by Didier Deroin, it features the members of the group in a black and white video. We also find the presence of K-Rhyme Le Roi, Faf Larage or Boss One of the group 3e Œil. The clip begins with the quote "Obtaining freedom is starting by not enclosing oneself". The band states that this song deals with:
"The difference in credits that society, the media and social networks give to the good and bad deeds of citizens from working-class neighborhoods. Especially when their skin is dark. »
The music video for the second single, "Big Dreams, Big Boxes", was released a month later. It is directed by Didier D. Daarwin and Akhenaten himself, who had previously collaborated on the TV movie Tale of Frustration (2010). This clip features Alejandra Gutierrez, an athlete who dreamed of winning an Olympic medal but who, after her failure, joined the army. The group explains: "In a world where keeping your feet on the ground is presented as a guarantee of success, defending the dream is essential. These dreams, immaterial, cannot be touched only if we give ourselves the means. To dream big, you need large boxes to contain them. »
WHO IS TALKING ABOUT IT?
- In his review in Télérama, Erwan Perron writes in particular "By derogating from the rule of "all samples" to record with musicians, real instruments, IAM go beyond their comfort zone. […] We would have liked them to take so many risks in terms of lyrics and song themes. Because by posing as guardians of a humanist hip-hop, nuanced, committed but not fooled, and remaining optimistic despite these troubled times, the Marseillais seriously dilute their purpose.
- In Le Parisien, we can also read "the Marseille group IAM claims more than ever its practice of old-fashioned rap, careful in its production, always as committed and positive in its lyrics".
- In the review of Rolling Stone, we can read "Contraction of Dream and Evolution, this new album of 19 tracks (no less!) proclaims loud and clear the style of the quintet: commitment and technique" or "The whole album retains this timeless production, very studied and which respects the codes of a rap of the roots, without going into the current stylistic effects"
19 tracks of "conscious rap" who does not mince his words, the themes are always the same: establish an observation of reality, the one we do not see on TV. The maturity they have acquired still leaves more room for hope. An eighth masterpiece therefore, that you can find on all music platforms now, waiting for the next and probably the last ... But for now, IAM is still there.
