“I think it was too hot in the studio when we were recording our verses. »
This hypothesis of Outra La Pieuvre, half of Rainmen, was not validated by the firefighters, but a fire actually broke out during the duo’s visit to the studios of the web series BARZUP – no one was injured, Fortunately.
The show, which began its second season last month, brings together Quebec rappers and producers every week for a demonstration of their talent and an interview hosted by Wahlee Sparks. Webster and MikeZup are among the well-known MCs who have already stopped by, while Connaisseur Ticaso and Koriass are expected by the final episode on January 18.
Cotola and Rainmen are the guest artists on the show on Thursday, November 23. As we celebrate this year the 25th anniversary of the important album Armageddon, this is a great opportunity to catch up on the two Rainmen, Outra and Naufrage.
When it was released in 1998, the impact of this first album, available in French and English versions, was resounding. Propelled by the extract Pas d’chilling, Armageddon contributed to the rise of Quebec rap, in the same way as 514-50 Dans mon network, from Sans Pression. However, various factors prevented Rainmen from continuing its momentum. “We’ve always stayed active. Our last official album was released in 2013 and we often found ourselves in the studio afterwards, but nothing had the scale of what we did in 1998, agrees Naufrage. The 25th anniversary gives us a chance to get back on track and gets us pumped up for the release of a new album early next year, if all goes well. »
The rapper mentions that it is too early to reveal the secrets of this future release, but his colleague Outra assures that it will be “real rap shit”. He adds that the song QUDSAK, released with Pro-V a few months ago, is a good indicator that “rawness remains [their] signature”.
Rainmen was formed on October 20, 1995. Outra and Naufrage had met the day before at a talent show in an underground parking lot and the two immediately hit it off. They promised to go on stage together the next day as part of an event organized by a youth center at the Bonsecours market, in Old Montreal. “That day, the rain was so heavy that it seemed like bricks were falling from the sky, Outra remembers. We arrived late and the guy who was doing the show didn’t want us to participate anymore. Finally, he gave in and we did our track. » It was on this evening of flood that Rainmen was born.
Initially, the group rapped in English, like the artists they listened to, such as Wu-Tang Clan and Gravediggaz. “When it came time to record the album, a proposal to do one in English and one in French was submitted to us. It was a challenge because the only French-speaking rap representation we had was IAM and a few others,” explains Outra. “We continued down this path, because the reception was good, but also because it’s the language we speak naturally and we love it,” adds Naufrage.
In recent years, raw sound and raw language have experienced a resurgence in popularity in the world of hip-hop and Quebec artists have contributed to it. Rainmen is happy to see that his influence continues. “It has become democratized, because all styles can be heard now,” says Naufrage. Nicholas Craven, Stack Moolah, Mike Shabb, SeinsSucrer are part of this wave which is gaining momentum without being mainstream. This is also the beauty of this movement. »
Rainmen hopes to take advantage of the favorable situation maintained by his followers, but is not motivated only by the desire to return to success. “Making music is like throwing a bottle into the sea, Naufrage philosopher. We continued because it was a need. It also feels good when people tell us they can’t wait to hear our next projects. […] I think the truth always triumphs in the end. It’s okay to let people have a little fun, but there always comes a hammer blow and I think that hammer blow comes every 25 years,” concludes Naufrage with the confidence of a rapper who has seen snow …and rain.