Published on April 3, 2026 at 6:19 pm
With over 500,000 albums sold and more than 500 million streams, both with Columbine and as a solo artist, Lujipeka has established himself as one of the heavyweights of French rap. A hard worker who doesn’t find comfort in his success, the Rennes native is back with a successful second album titled “Burning Paris,” which he will defend on April 4, 2026, at the Interference stage in Balma. Interview.
“Starting anew”
Actu: In what state of mind did you write this album? Lujipeka: I was in a state of anger, frustration, and bitterness. I think there is also a bit of melancholy… That’s probably why this record may seem very heavy. I had just come off six to seven years of touring, and I wanted to take some time for myself, to take a break.
You speak with great sincerity about the exhilarating success… and its corollary, loneliness… : I was caught up in all that and I had to tell this whole mess and my relationship with Paris and its golden youth. I put myself in opposition to things that were not my way of functioning.
“Telling it like it is”
Your style is remarkably truthful: you say things as they are, without pretense… : When you start, you can, out of modesty, use writing techniques that allow you to hide certain things: beautiful images, metaphors… You hide behind them. Here, the guiding principle was to tell, through the prism of my artistic life, what the real things are. Beyond my life and my world, I thought it could touch anyone, especially if it is said clearly and directly.
Antonio, your alter ego, will “give way to the real me,” you announce at the end of the album: is this album a new beginning? : Yes: Antonio is a bit my evil twin, the bad side of me. With my arm fracture – due to a fight at a party, I saw the symbolic of the fracture. And it’s true that I tended to blame him for everything! That’s why at the end of this rather dark record, I wanted to end on a note of hope… So, yes, after this phase of life that I recount, a new beginning may come…
“Pushing the boundaries”
Musically, you push the boundaries of purely rap instrumentation: a desire to reach the widest audience? : I have always incorporated all the music I listen to into my songs. I use rap codes, but I borrow from electro, from rock. Rap is like jazz: a music of rebels!
“We pushed the boundaries a bit!”
You released 20 different editions of “Burning Paris”: why? : I wanted to pay tribute to the provinces, and since I like to doodle, I drew twenty different CD covers: for Toulouse, I was inspired by my rugby dreams and I drew… what’s the name of your big square? The Capitole, that’s it!
About Toulouse, you are friends with Bigflo and Oli, right? : Yes, of course: they even invited me as a guest to their latest Rose festival. They work a lot, and it’s nice to see them succeed to this extent. Economically, they are true role models.
“Burning Paris” is a very personal record: is it as easy to bare yourself on stage as on record? : I have never been very modest – even though it is true that we pushed the boundaries a bit on this one. We are already in the middle of the tour, and everything is going very well. We have a nice mix of songs from this record, the old ones, and even some new ones. No chance of offering a gloomy concert!
Interview by Yves GABAY
Lujipeka in concert on Saturday, April 4 at 8:00 pm at Interference (56, route de Lavaur) Balma. Ticket price: 28 euros. Reservations at all usual points of sale.
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