Sainte-Foy

Akena Lohamba Okoko, aka KNLO, Quebec City rapper and very talented beatmaker, knows how to make the most of his African ancestry and his keb-rap culture, taking us along a trail from Sainte-Foy to Limoilou, but also everywhere in Montreal where hip hop flourishes. The flow is expressed in Frenglish and Quebec joual, and the beats concocted in concert with Vlooper, an Alaclair Ensemble colleague (KNLO is an essential member). The references are less experimental than those of his previous album, this amalgam found full of pop catchphrases bathed in Afro music — soul/ R&B, trap, breakbeat, West Coast hip hop, Congolese rumba, etc. Fresh, playful, enjoyable, singular and groovy from beginning to end.