Loud - Tout ça pour ça (2019)

Up until Loud (a.k.a. Quebec's Simon Cliche Trudeau) released his solo debut, Une année record, in 2017, it seemed like the province’s hip-hop scene still wasn’t quite ready for prime time. But the success of that album's wildly catchy "Toutes les femmes savent danser,” which put Loud’s easygoing flow front and centre after he left the underground trio Loud Lary Ajust, signalled something new entirely. Not only did it propel Loud to become the first Quebec rapper to headline Montreal's Bell Centre arena, but he also started making inroads in France.

Tout ça pour ça (translation: “All that for this”) is a victory lap of sorts, the artist finding his comfort zone amid intricately rapped lyrics and hints of pop. He revisits the rush of success on “Médailles," shutting down haters while proving that dreaming big pays off. And he gets vulnerable on the Charlotte Cardin-featuring "Sometimes, All the Time,” where he confesses that he doesn't need a "trophy girl" but rather a real relationship. Perhaps the album's truest sentiment comes on the effortlessly bouncy "Fallait y aller," as Loud ruminates on the convergence between his ambition and the current moment: "I waited all my life," he raps, dipping briefly into English, before proffering that when the opportunity presents itself, you've got to go for it.