Benab, Maes

French rapper Youness Benabdelouahed, aka Benab, was born in Sevran, Seine Saint-Denis in 1993. He jumped to fame in 2018 with the “Baléares,” which went viral online and accumulated millions of views on his video streaming channel. In 2019, he released his studio debut Dracarys, an album inspired by the HBO series Game of Thrones that made extensive use of dialogues from the show. It also featured production by Bersa and Seven, and guest spots by Kalash Criminel (“Hey Mama”), Imen Es (“Nia”), and Maes (“Rude”). During 2020, Benab dropped a series of freestyles and the standalone singles “J'ai demandé à la rue,” “Kif Kif,” “Dounia,” and “En Bas.” That same year, he collaborated once again with Maes on the track “Sourire.” Au Clair de la Rue, his sophomore effort, saw the light in 2021 and included cameos by Timal (“RS3”), Imen Es (“Maladie”), Mister V (“Harira”), Naps (“Ça suffit pas”), and Marwa Loud (“Zone”). The album also spawned the Maes collaborative single “Andale,” which peaked at Number 22 on the French Singles Chart. Preceded by the single “Zéro,” an expanded edition titled Au clair de la rue (Part. 2) followed later that year. Maes was brought on board once again for the single "Faya," a piano-driven trap song that placed 56th on the French Singles Chart. Preceded by the single "6 Coups," his third studio effort Drapeau Blanc came out in 2023 and found the rapper trading verses with artists such as Timal, Naza, and Lynda. Drapeau Blanc was a massive success in France, reaching Number 3 on the SNEP albums chart.