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Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Gubril N’Diaye (aka Shotto Guapo) thirsts for freedom and equality, two principles that transcend his life and his music.
It was first through reggae, one of the favorite genres of Ivorians, that the rapper, singer and director developed a love for music. As a teenager, he took his first steps in dancehall and hip-hop group Celtic, but the romance was short-lived: the young artist had to leave his native land, ravaged by a civil war.
He landed with his grandmother, in deep Normandy. It was there that he discovered the basics of French and American rap, two musical scenes that were completely foreign to him. Inspired by 2Pac, Redman and Kery James, the young rapper writes his first lyrics in secret.
Promised to a bright future in a business school, N’Diaye made a choice as surprising as it was decisive in 2010: he left France to go to Montreal, in search of a better world. This simple curiosity for French-speaking America will radically change his life.
This is where the young adult gives himself the means to achieve his ambitions. Barely used to his new climate, he recorded songs with the sound engineer M-Press Live, a big boss of the Montreal rap scene, and carried out studies in film and television production. So many strings to his bow that will help him launch his career in the music industry.
And it's in 2019 that it all takes shape. Alongside his good friend David Campana, he released CE7TE LIFE, a mini-album which officially revealed him under the pseudonym Shotto Guapo.
A reference to the Japanese manga character Shoto Todoroki, who represents both fire and ice, this alter ego aptly embodies the personality of the Montreal artist. As comfortable with a fiery trap composition as with a slower R&B production, Guapo enjoys excess and intensity, but also softness and lightness. He is both calm and storm.
Drawing on his experiences at La Relève se lève, a series of shows highlighting the best rookies of the local rap scene, and in the semi-finals of the Les Francouvertes showcase competition, Shotto Guapo is taking the plunge in 2020 with a first solo album, Âme Nesia. Released in the wake of his victory at the Abidjan Hip-Hop Awards in the category of “best artist from the diaspora”, this debut project presented in two parts (the pop / R & B / dancehall Âme side and the Nesia rap side) allows its author to stand out on several major editorial playlists, including those of Spotify and Apple Music.
With two projects in preparation for 2021, Shotto Guapo continues on its path with determination. He is ready to tell us his story.
