User:Yamadou/sandbox
Roméo Elvis | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roméo Johnny Elvis Kiki Van Laeken |
| Born | December 13, 1992 Uccle, Brussels, Belgium. |
| Genres | hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | rapper, musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, piano, voice |
| Years active | 2012 to present |
| Labels | Daring Music, L'Œil Écoute Laboratoire |
| Website | www |
Roméo Johnny Elvis Kiki Van Laeken (born 1992), known professionally as Roméo Elvis, is a Belgian rapper. He has so far released three EPs and two albums, the latest in February 2018. He is close from the Belgian collective L'Or du Commun, the duet Caballero & JeanJass and the French rapper Lomepal.
Biography[edit]
Roméo Elvis was born 13 December 1992 in Uccle, Belgium. He was raised in a family of actors and musicians: his father is the singer Marka, his mother is the actress Laurence Bibot, his sister the singer and pianist Angèle, and both his half-brothers are well known in the world of Street Art. Born in Uccle, Elvis grew up in the south Brussels neighbourhood of Linkebeek.
After being expelled from middle school, he attended the Saint-Luc Institute in Tournai where he studied photography. At that time Roméo Elvis started to rap with a few friends. He kept on his artistic formation by attending the ESA 75 School in Brussels and studying the photo-essay. He also kept on rapping and got closer to members of the L'Or du Commun collective.
When his first EPs were released, Roméo Elvis was still working as a cashier in the big supermarket chain Carrefour, because rap, in spite of a notable success, did not yet allow him to earn enough money to live. It was only a short time before his single "Brussels" was issued that he decided to resign to completely dedicate himself to rap. His new album, Morale 2luxe, was released the 15 February 2018. Morale 2luxe is the reissue of his album Morale 2, issued in March 2017.
Roméo Elvis is afflicted with tinnitus, a disease affecting many musicians, which handicaps him considerably on an everyday basis. He talks about it in many of his songs: "Oreille sifflante", "dans ma tête", for example. In an Interview for the radio Nova, he explained that if, one day, rap allowed him to make a lot of money, he would seize the opportunity to support the fight against the condition.
Artistry[edit]
The musical style of Roméo Elvis has continued to change through new projects. He mainly raps on old-school instrumentals and has a flow fitting this ambiance on his first two EPs. But the collaboration with the producer Le Motel on “Morale” and “Morale 2” deeply changed the atmosphere and style of the rapper. He allows himself to sing much more in the choruses and electronic instrumentals gave his album Motel a touch in accordance to current trends.
His influences are numerous: the Belgian collective L'Or du Commun with whom he collaborated and earned his first stripes is probably one of his main influences and it is easy to spot the style in the first two projects that include features of some members of the collective. He also often mentions the rapper Caballero as someone who is a huge inspiration for him. He is notably featured on the song "Bruxelles arrive".
Discography[edit]
EPs[edit]
- Bruxelles c’est devenu la jungle (2013)
- Famille nombreuse (2014)
- Morale (2016)
Albums[edit]
- Morale 2 (2017)
- Morale 2luxe (2018)