Tiakola is making his hame by stealing the show

As he prepares to launch his solo career, Tiakola is painted through the words of the artists he has worked with.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN FRENCH ON YARD.MEDIA

In an industry that sometimes values numbers more than music, here’s one that speaks volumes about Tiakola: 1,384,954 monthly listeners on his Spotify artist page as of May 19, 2021. That’s more than his group 4keus, but most importantly, it's an impressive number for an artist who, at this point, has only released one solo track—Sombre mélodie, which came out two years ago as part of the CRCLR Mouvement compilation.

Tiakola, the rising star from La Courneuve, has a paradoxical discography: both limited and abundant. Over the past few months, through collaborations with Dadju, Franglish, and Gazo, he has left his mark on numerous hits, his smooth melodies and unforgettable hooks making him a master of features. He is the artist others call upon to transform a promising track into an undeniable hit. This has placed high expectations on him, matching the immense potential that many see in him, just as he prepares to finally take center stage on his own.

Ever since his explosive debut—both literally and figuratively—with 4keus, Tiakola has stood out from the rest. There’s his radiant smile, his angelic face, and his energy, which seem to predestine him for something great—much like MHD in 2015. And then there’s what he calls his “power” in Paris la nuit: a fluid, elastic, and agile sing-song flow that has led him to self-proclaim himself "La Mélo".

This gift, the young artist of Congolese descent believes he owes it to the many hours spent singing in church alongside his mother and aunts. But it was within the safety of his group that he first discovered and refined it, thanks to the encouragement of his bandmates: "I spent a long time searching for myself, and they helped me find my way. Because I realized that when I rapped, I sounded like everyone else. And the first time I put Auto-Tune on my voice, HK and Bné told me to keep going with it."

"O’KCLH," "Kassav," "Mignon garçon," "Biberon," "M.D"—so many hits, so many promises that Tiakola must now fulfill on his own. Excelling on collaborations is one thing; defining his own artistic identity is another. That’s why the 21-year-old artist is taking his time before making his entrance with "la bonne frappe"—the perfect shot—that will prove once and for all that he is more than just a feature artist. The first single from his upcoming solo album is set to drop in June, giving the first real glimpse of Tiakola’s own musical universe.

For now, however, Tiakola remains best known as the king of collaborations. So, who better than those who have worked with him to describe who he is? From his personality to his potential, along with behind-the-scenes stories of the hits he’s been a part of, Niska, Alonzo, Prototype, Gazo, and even UK artist Darkoo—best known for her banger Gangsta—share their insights on the Tiakola they know, as the French rap scene eagerly awaits him to step into the spotlight.

Alonzo, "AMI OU ENNEMI"

I had wanted to collaborate with Tiakola for a long time. I had already done a track with his group on the reissue of their album [on the track "C'est la vie", ed.], and since I was working on Capo Dei Capi Vol. II & III, I was waiting for the right beat to suggest to him. When I heard the beat for "Ami ou ennemi," I didn't hesitate to start working on the track before sending it to him. He started working on it on his side, but we quickly realized that we needed to be together, so he ended up coming down to Marseille. I think it's a track that really represents both of us, and I'm very happy with the feedback since it's one of the most streamed songs.

Does he have the same potential as the former Wati-B stars? It still seems too early to say. It's like when people used to ask me, back in the Psy4 de la Rime days, if someone like Soprano had the potential to fill stadiums like he does so well today. The only thing I'm certain about when it comes to Tiakola is that he's an artist with enormous talent, and his album is – I believe – highly anticipated. A debut album is crucial for a career. So he needs to stay focused, but also be spontaneous because he's young, and it's his generation that will set the tone for the industry in the years to come. I have a lot of confidence in him.

Some artists have tears in their voices; Tiakola, on the other hand, has a smile in his voice. And I tend to think that the most important thing for an artist is their voice. This is even more true for an artist like Tiakola, who relies heavily on melodies. But even for a rapper who just spits bars, the voice is crucial. To me, that's why Tiakola's music resonates so much: he has a smile in his voice that very few people can ignore.

Like me, Tiakola comes from a group. And when you're in a group, you quickly learn to share, to give it your all in just one verse. But when you go solo, you have to step up your game: you have to build entire tracks by yourself, do your own hooks, tell your own stories, etc. So I think the real transition will happen in the studio. Hours spent recording will help Tiakola understand himself better, and once he finds his rhythm, his cruising speed, he'll be able to deliver solo performances that will gradually form an album. And no matter how the public reacts, he’ll need to keep pushing. Some artists succeed on their first try, others need two albums to really make it – Sopra and I went through that. But with enough studio time and training, the transition should go smoothly.

An anecdote about our track? As we all know, Tiako is the king of melodies—that’s his reputation. And on our track, he’s the one who does the pre-chorus. When he found the melody for it, he was humming but didn’t want to put any words to it. He told me, "Trust me! Look, in the chorus we did with Dadju, there are no words. That’s how it is." He wanted it to just be a topline without lyrics. But to me, that sounded crazy—I wasn’t on his planet yet. So in the end, I convinced him to write something, and we came up with this simple phrase: ‘My friend, I don’t have the words.’

Prototype, "Bob Marley"

Tiakola and I have known each other since we were kids. Every holiday, he would come to the neighborhood because he had a cousin who lived near me. So we naturally built a strong bond, both personally and artistically. First of all, we’re both Congolese, so melodies are in our blood. [laughs] Plus, we have the same vibes, we’re from the same generation, and we listen to more or less the same music, so we connect very easily. Everything is super natural when working with him—nothing feels forced. And on top of that, he's really open-minded; he's not the type to keep to himself. Every time we work on a track, we brainstorm together, write together... and laugh together before even talking about music. It's really a fusion.

As for "Bob Marley," initially, another one of our songs was supposed to be on my project. Then one day, out of the blue, Tiakola called me. He just wanted to go out, for no particular reason, so we went to the studio. That’s often how it is with him—when he's feeling stuck, he makes music. Once we were there, we started listening to beats, and the first one we played just stuck in our heads. We kept it on loop, then the topline for the chorus came to us. He started humming, I jumped in right after, and we recorded the chorus on the spot—just for us, no pressure. After that, we left the studio and played it for our producers… and they went crazy. They basically dragged us back by our hair, saying, "Go back to the studio and finish this song!" And so we did. Once it was done, we just looked at each other, and it was obvious—we had to drop the other track and put this one instead.

Darkoo, "Cinderella"

I think I first heard of 4Keus in 2018 when they dropped "Mignon Garçon." I had a Congolese friend who played that song all the time, and she was the one who put me on to them. From then on, I started listening to 4Keus a lot. This was in 2018, right before my career took off. Later, when my first track blew up, I noticed that a lot of French people were listening to my music. And since I was already into 4Keus, I knew that if I ever collaborated with a French artist, it had to be them.

When I wanted to make the connection, I DMed Tiakola, and he was immediately down for the feature. I especially love his style because we operate in the same lane—melodies, sung flows, etc. To me, that's what makes his music accessible, even to foreign audiences. I don’t speak French, but the way he sings makes it catchy, whether you understand the language or not. It's all in the melody. I think Tiakola knows he’s a star. He has a wide range that allows him to shine on other people’s tracks as well as his own—his solo tracks already feel like features with himself. I can totally see him breaking out beyond France and going international.

An anecdote about "Cinderella"? We shot part of the video in France, and I remember the guys showed up super late—like an hour before the shoot ended. We had to film the clip in just 45 minutes, but during those 45 minutes, the vibes were amazing. So it was both a good and bad memory. [laughs] Tiakola and I have kept in touch since then. We often chat via DM, sometimes even go live on Instagram together. And the funny part is, even though I don’t speak French and he doesn’t speak English, we always find a way to communicate. Sometimes I catch myself putting everything I want to say through Google Translate before sending him a message. [laughs] One thing’s for sure—we’ll definitely collaborate again in the future.

Gazo, "Kassav"

At one point, Tiakola and I were recording in the same studio, through an older guy [MG Records, editor's note] who was managing them and came from the same neighborhood as me. We were both supporting this guy, so we crossed paths a lot in that studio. We got to see each other’s progress, so the connection happened naturally, leading to our first track together, a few years before "Kassav". Back then, you could already sense his potential—he stood out from the rest with his melodies and his unique approach. 4keus was already gaining some success, so I figured that if he kept going, he could really make it far.

I’m not the kind of guy who listens to what people say. In fact, I like going against expectations. With Tiakola, we had a good connection—I really like him. Even though he’s more about melodies and my style is definitely rougher, I was already convinced that the mix of our styles would work well, and I think he felt the same way. And so far, we’ve been proven right. But I won’t lie—I didn’t expect "Kassav" to become such a massive hit. That said, when we left the studio, I knew we had something strong.

People shouldn’t forget where Tiakola comes from [La Cité des 4000 in La Courneuve]. It’s the streets. That means that even if he doesn’t make it obvious through his melodies, he knows the reality of that type of environment—if you really pay attention to his lyrics, you’ll hear it. I see him a bit like those young American singers—you hear them singing, so you assume it’s just sweet things, but when you translate the lyrics, you realize what they’re actually talking about. The only thing misleading you is the melody.

Niska, "M.D"

Tiakola reached out to me at a time when I was working on my project. So we had to come up with something quickly and efficiently. The 4keus crew agreed to send just one member to do the track, and he was the one chosen. He was already the one I talked to the most online, so it made sense.

If I hadn’t felt that "M.D" could be a hit, I wouldn’t have released it. Straight up. The musicality of this track is really strong—we put in a lot of work in the studio to get the right chemistry, and I remember that when I heard the final version, I loved the way it sounded. It was unique, had an Afro vibe, and there was a power to it that made me think, "Yeah, this is the one we need to drop." And I don’t think I was wrong.

If I had to compare Tiakola’s career trajectory to someone else’s, in any field, I’d say he’s like Mbappé. That’s how I see him—young, incredibly talented, and above all, very versatile. Musically, he can do pretty much anything, and when I watch his videos, I already see him projecting something strong on screen. So I hope he follows my path and goes even further. He definitely has the potential.

An anecdote about "M.D"? We had to record this track abroad, and it was a struggle to finish. Initially, Tiakola came to join me in Morocco for two or three days, during which we recorded two first tracks that were good—but both of us knew they weren’t the one. We wanted something big. After those two days, he was supposed to go back home, but I thought, "I can’t let him leave like this—he came all the way to Morocco, and we’re not even 100% satisfied with what we’ve got." So he ended up extending his stay by one more day, and that’s when we finally created "M.D." That just proves that hard work pays off.