PNL

Fusing the realist spirit of chanson with cutthroat parables from the fringes of French society, brothers Ademo and N.O.S used melancholic, pitch-altered poetics to recast rap français in their image in the mid-2010s. Born Tarik (Ademo) and Nabil (N.O.S.) Andrieu in 1986 and 1989 respectively, and raised on the segregated periphery of Paris, the siblings united as Peace N' Lovés (Peace and Money) in 2015, with the EP Que la famille. Their debut album, Le monde Chico, followed promptly, spearheaded by the mesmeric, win-at-all-costs anthem “Le monde ou rien”. Denying labels and media alike, PNL proclaimed their independent streak in their music, a reimagined take on Atlantan cloud rap, bedrocked by ethereal 808 arrangements and Auto-Tuned melodies, studded with elegiac tales of drug trafficking and an unshakable paranoia. Bestowing upon France its first native hip-hop variant, 2016’s Dans la légende augmented their vaporous rendering of trap, producing a wistful throng of would-be French rap classics, including the stentorian “DA” and the funereal masterpiece "Jusqu'au dernier gramme”. Following a three-year absence during which rap français proliferated to unimaginable heights, PNL returned in 2019 to further their outré saga with Deux frères. The collection of astral beats and pensive harmonies saw the duo expand upon their lugubrious trap triumphs with the frenetic “Au DD” and the aching acoustic chanson “À l'ammoniaque”, burnishing a legacy that continues to redefine French rap’s raison d'être.