Jul - My World (Edition collector) (2016)

French hip-hop artist Jul first emerged in 2007 as part of the rap collective Ghetto Phénomène. While still a teenager, the Marseille native cut his teeth with collaborators Houari, Bil-K, and Friz Veazy before leaving the group in 2009. Over the next few years, he developed a new sound incorporating dance music and rap and eventually signed a deal with the Liga One Industry label in 2012. His arrival in 2014 as a solo artist was noteworthy, not only for his commercial success, but for the quantity of material he produced. In a single year, he released three LPs (Dans Ma Paranoïa, Lacrizeomic, and Je Trouve pas le Sommeil), one of which went gold, while the other two went platinum. By the end of the year, he'd become one of French rap's major players and, following disagreements with Liga One, he formed his own company called D'or et de Platine, which translates to "Gold and Platinum." Taking full creative control, he wrote, recorded, and produced his fourth album, My World, which he released in late 2015. His winning streak continued when the album reached number two in France and subsequently went double platinum. Continuing to release music at a rapid rate, he followed up in early 2016 which Emotions, which found him reunited with members of Ghetto Phénomène and others.