OPÉRA PUCCINO celebrates its 20th anniversary! New remastered edition + 5 rarities

Rarely has a debut been such a masterstroke. Oxmo Puccino began his career with an album that already hinted at the full scope of his class as a complete and original artist. The Time Bomb production is in the "boom bap" spirit of New York rap, carefully crafted, but it is the rapper's unique flow that strikes from the very beginning.

Supple and rhythmically driven, he possesses an innate groove rare in French rap, which is all the more striking as his lyrics are of infinite richness, filled with bold metaphors, alliterations, breaks, and euphonies... This technicality, which is never flashy, goes unnoticed because the rapper establishes a kind of intimacy. He doesn't raise his voice; he doesn't need to in order to be heard—the musicality of his rap is enough to hypnotize the audience.

As for the themes chosen, they live up to this level of sophistication. "L’enfant seul" draws tears through its truthfulness and excellence in writing; "Mensongeur" is a polished social and romantic commentary. Finally, the art of Oxmo Puccino, which made him famous and which he would go on to develop in the years to come, is this ability to describe situations as if he were telling a film, with a striking sense of imagery. No one knows how to rap crime stories like this man; "Alias John Smoke" is a breathless, noir-drenched thriller. And Opéra Puccino is a major debut record.

CD 1 - Opéra Puccino
1 Visions De Vie
2 Black Mafioso (Interlude)
3 Hitman
4 Qui Peut Le Nier!
5 Peur Noire
6 L'Enfant Seul
7 Alias Jon Smoke
8 Peu De Gens Le Savent (Interlude)
9 Amour & Jalousie
10 24 Heures A Vivre (feat. Akhenaton, Freeman, Le Rat Luciano, Pit Baccardi)
11 Sacré Samedi Soir
12 Le Jour Où Tu Partiras (feat. K-Reen)
13 Sortilège
14 Black Cyrano De Bergerac (Interlude)
15 Mensongeur (feat. K-Reen)
16 La Lettre (Tant De Choses A Dire) (feat. Freeman)
17 La Loi Du Point Final (feat. Lino)
18 Mourir 1000 Fois

CD 2 - CODA
1 Si T'aime Ta Clique (feat. 113 Clan)
2 Kijujqui?
3 Sans-Abris (feat. Kerry James)
4 Les P'tits D'ici
5 Mourir 1000 Fois (Trio Acoustique)