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VIVE LE HIP-HOP: Doc Gyneco - French rapper - Brief Article - Interview
Interview, Oct, 2001 by Paul Oakenfold
A TALK BETWEEN TWO MUSIC HEAVYWEIGHTS
PAUL OAKENFOLD: After the release of your 1997 debut solo album, you became one of the most successful rappers in France. You've recently collaborated with RZA and Dr. Dre. Yet you now say that rap is finished in France. Why?
DOC GYNECO: Even if rap is selling, it dies every 10 years in France because it isn't recognized like it is in the U.S., where it's part of awards shows, like the Grammys.
PO: How is French rap different from American rap?
DG: It's mainly a difference in culture. French rap doesn't use the same facts and the same miscellaneous things that happen in everybody's lives. It's not nourished with the same elements.
PO: Which U.S. artists would you like to work with?
DG: Dr. Dre. We did a day's work together, but we need to finalize our collaboration. I'd also love to work with Babyface.
PO: Your most recent album is called Quality Street. What does the title mean to you?
DG: Since it's difficult for street culture to emerge in France, I wanted to show that I could produce street art of quality.
PO: Your debut album sold over a million copies in France. How have you dealt with your success?
DG: I tricked myself into thinking that I was a genius and that I could draw inspiration from my inner self. Then I lost touch with the people around me and realized that I needed to go back to normal people for inspiration.
PO: The French newspaper Le Parisien called you the romantic rapper. Are you romantic?
DG: Yes. Paris is a romantic town with romantic architecture. You go more for the look of the Moulin Rouge than for the hookers. You get plastered in beautiful places and not in tunnels.
PO: Women seem to be your greatest passion.
DG: Love is dangerous for me. I'm afraid of what people are capable of, yet I like to push the limits in relationships. Love is my Achilles' heel.
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COPYRIGHT 2001 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
