Leto

One of the young trap stars to emerge from the 17th Arrondissement neighbourhood of Paris, Leto's fast-paced scattergun delivery comes backed by the kind of tense beats and heavy, static atmosphere that was first trademarked in Atlanta and Chicago. As part of PSO Thug with Aero, Leto (born Henoc Bofenda) first began featuring on tracks by KranMax and Kaaris in 2015 and the duo released their popular mixtape Demoniak the following year with appearances from Sadek, XV Barbar and Hayce Lemsi. Leto was also heard on tracks by Coyote Joe Bastard and Cheu-B before signing a deal with Warner Bros and crafting his style with producers Katrina Squad. His debut mixtape Trapstar came in 2018 alongside his track “Avon Barksdale” with Ninho, which referenced the gang boss from hit television series The Wire. Later single “Jump Dans la Porsche” was also championed by Booba on social media and Leto continued to build up a worldwide following on his video-sharing channel thanks to his regular Double Bang freestyle rap videos. By 2019, he had broken the national Top 20 and even charted in Belgium with another Ninho collaboration, “Tes Parents”, which appeared on his second mixtape, the national Top 10 success Trapstar 2, and marked the start in a colossal run of commercial hits for the rising star; 2020 proved to be a landmark year for Leto. He first teased his full-fledged debut album with a five-track precursor entitled Virus: Avant l’Album, which reached Number 8 in France and led to Top 100 chart positions for every song on the EP. The album itself, 100 Visages, arrived in August of the same year, boasting high-profile link-ups with nationally renowned emcees Booba and Lacrim. The LP peaked at Number 3 nationally, spawning a Number 2 hit in the form of a third team-up with Ninho, “Macaroni.” Remarkably, every one of its fifteen tracks reached the French Top 100. After showing up on the compilation 20/21 alongside Hornet La Frappe, DA Uzi, Sadek, Ninho, SCH, and Soprano, and dropping the freestyle series Mozart Capitaine Jackson, Leto delivered a second full-length titled 17% in 2021. Featuring guest spots by Maes, MHD, Hamza, Tiakola, Cheu-B, and Kepler, 17% became his highest-charting release by peaking at Number 2 on the French charts, partly thanks to the singles "Sale Historie" and "Mapessa," which bowed at Number 6.