Black M's Fake Boxing Match to Announce His New Single

Black M had kept the address of his boxing match secret. For weeks, on his social media, particularly his Instagram account, which boasts 2.8 million followers, the rapper had announced he was embarking on a new career in boxing. And to take the plunge into the world of combat sports, he was scheduled to face the young MMA fighter Bemba, 20 years his junior, this Friday evening in a gym in northern Paris. The event was therefore reserved for a handful of journalists. The event was also announced as a live stream on his YouTube channel.

A little after 9:30 p.m., a few hundred people are waiting for the fight. Except that the ring, barely three square meters in size, seems undersized for a real encounter. This odd size is starting to cast doubt on the evening's announced schedule. After security forces the front rows back for several minutes in this basement packed with Instagrammers ready to immortalize Black M's ring debut, the lights go out. And the artist comes running out, wearing a huge XXL hoodie and surrounded by about thirty hip-hop musicians chanting "pull up, pull up." To the beat of the music.

The track is brand new, classic rap, driven by Black M's flow and energy. Once the song is over, the 40-year-old artist grabs a small piece of paper and begins to read a speech. The audience begins to understand. What if this match wasn't really one? After all, the extremely generous buffet was more reminiscent of those at album release parties than a noble art gathering. The brand-new room, decorated with highly Instagrammable neon lights, also has a club feel, which is just as well. The atmosphere is there.

"Yes, I know, I see it in your eyes, you're all wondering what's going on," he says in a solemn speech. "Tonight, we were supposed to see Black M create or eat chaos. But Black M is here giving you a speech and you can't ask for a refund, you haven't paid anything. (...) For a few years now, many have asked me where I am musically, have I stopped or am I taking a break. I've never stopped, but I'll tell you the truth, music is hard, it's hard to be at the top and especially to stay there. After weeks of turmoil, I'm announcing that I'm back, notably with this nod to combat sports, to the noble art. I have the honor of presenting the first single, Pull Up, from a new album, Roue libre, to come. There will be no fight." “Let the party begin,” he finished, while continuing to chant “Pull Up” with his dancers.

Since his participation last year in "Dancing with the Stars" on TF1 , the rapper from Sexion d'Assaut had not given any news, sharing only a few stories on his social networks. "Big Black M", one of his many nicknames, was in reality in the studio and now works without a record label, after having spent years under contract with Sony Music, then with the TF1 label.

"I have lots of sounds, lots of demos, I don't stop," he told us after this surprise. "I've been searching for myself musically for quite a long time and I'm now 100% self-producing. Now that I'm completely independent, I decide on my music myself, I make my decisions with my small team, my manager Mariama and my wife Léa, in particular. I'm my own artistic director now. It's a choice because I'm much freer. I'm taking everything back in hand. And I only had the idea for this fake fight a week ago . I've been releasing songs for years and people don't necessarily pay attention. This is a way to put the spotlight back on what Black does. So everyone wanted to see me get my face beaten up but in fact, what I do is music."

And to conclude: "In recent years, I've been asked a lot if I've stopped playing music, even though I never have. While there are just ups and downs in a career. And now, the album is coming at the end of the year, or the beginning of next year. In the meantime, I also have a festival tour this summer, I've been named a cultural ambassador in Guinea and I even have a festival project there. In short, things are not idle."