Yesterday, I listened to Ivorian rapper Jeune Lion’s latest album, BABYLONE BRÛLE, which came out just last week. I played it during my metro ride to work, and unsurprisingly, I found several new additions to my current rotation. The French flows on NYAMIEN SON NO FALL are just so satisfying to the ears. CUBE MAGGI and 446 also made it into the Liked Songs, but I enjoyed the entire album. Though I speak almost no French, occasionally, I will recognize a word or two. When listening to GARBA 13K feat. Suspect95, one word in particular stuck out: Président. 

Only then did I realize that the cover of the album portrays Jeune Lion as an angel floating down, with a flaming sword in hand, to save a city under attack. I later found a translation of the lyrics, and despite not knowing a lot of the Nouchi sprinkled throughout the verses, the line still stood out. Jeun Lion says, “President, my people are dying, do you know about it?” President Outarra has maintained office since 2011, reigning for 15 years. His 3rd and 4th term elections caused major unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, leaving many hungry for a political change. I began to understand the scope of the album a bit more.

 Jeune Lion immediately goes on to say, “But who finesse us on almost all the electricity bills,” one of several lines calling out the government’s greed, but he doesn’t stop there. The chorus gets into wealth disparity, and the realities of life in the Ivory Coast’s “economic capital,” Abidjan: 

Wallaye Abidjan is not simple dêh

They have all the djai we don’t even know where it comes from tchai

As soon as it comes in I put my token in the gwell

The salary of the 5th the boss pays us that on the 35th tchai

As an American, I found their political grievances strikingly relatable. It’s good to know that people in other countries are making music to call out corruption and greed in government. Not to mention the song is quite catchy.