ElGrande Toto is a Moroccan rapper who rose to fame in 2017 with his song “Pablo”. However, the song I wish to discuss is “Hash and Blem”, which allegedly reflects ElGrande’s lifestyle involving drugs, money, and illicit activities. This song discusses ElGrande’s alleged lifestyle of drugs, money, and illicit behaviors. I find this very interesting because he was arrested in October of 2022 because he said in a press conference that he “smokes Hash — so what?” Cannabis became legal in Northern Morocco in 2021 for medicinal use, but it remains illegal for recreational purposes; so the artist was arrested after complaints were filed against him. It calls into question why he would feel the need to glorify such a lifestyle in his music, especially considering Morocco’s laws and cultural norms.

While watching the music video, I noticed a couple of things that helped me reach an answer. In the video, he was wearing a durag with chains while throwing up gang signs. He was also smoking a jay and talking about drinking lean for the fun of it. These are all things that famous rappers in the United States have coined and portrayed doing in their lives. I believe that’s the reason he chose to do these things in his video. He saw what brought success to them in their careers and decided to emulate that as opposed to speaking his truth. It ended up working for him because he has done very well for himself, but I personally really dislike the song and the route he ended up taking for this. Much like the discussion we had in class, there is a way to market your truth even if it’s not what is necessarily popular. It sets an artist apart and, unfortunately, with the average beat, same cadence, and common message, I’m just very unimpressed.

@elgrandetoto on Instagram and his music video is attached to the title of the song ^^^