Gradur

Shaped by the working-class neighborhoods of Roubaix in northern France, Gradur emerged in the early 2010s as one of the defining voices of Francophone street rap. Of Congolese descent, Wanani Gradi Mariadi first circulated his raw, repetitive freestyles online around the Sheguey concept and the Sheguey Squad collective, crafting a world deeply rooted in trap and hardcore rap. Gradur broke through nationally with the mixtape ShegueyVara in 2014, followed by ShegueyVara 2 in 2015, where massive instrumentals, chanted hooks, and accounts of life on the urban periphery intertwine. The album L’homme au bob, released in 2015, then Where is l’album de Gradur in 2016, cemented his place at the heart of the French rap scene thanks to an aesthetic built on bangers, repetitive flows, and appearances from many rappers of his generation. After a quieter spell, he returned with Zone 59 in 2019, a project that strengthens his bond with his home region and opens his writing to more introspective registers while preserving the trap and street-rap foundation that defines his style. A regular on hip-hop stages and festivals in France and Belgium, Gradur has since alternated between single releases, targeted features, and an active online presence, maintaining a direct and often dark musical identity built around the street, the collective, and a blunt, hard-hitting energy.