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| Népal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Népal |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Clément Enzo Florian Dort |
| Birth date | 19 January 1990 |
| Death date | 9 November 2019 |
| Birth place | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France |
| Origin | Paris metropolitan area |
| Genres | Hip hop, cloud rap, lo-fi, trap |
| Occupations | Rapper, beatmaker, producer, graphic designer |
| Instruments | Vocals, sampler, MPC |
| Years active | 2008–2019 |
| Labels | 75e Session, 90BPM |
| Associated acts | 75eSession, 90BPM, Lomepal, Nekfeu, Alpha Wann, Isleym |
Népal was a French rapper, beatmaker, and graphic designer active from the late 2000s until his death in 2019. Known for his masked anonymity and introspective lyrics, he worked with notable figures in the French hip hop scene and influenced a generation of cloud rap and lo-fi artists. His productions and visual identity informed projects across collectives connected to Parisian rap movements.
Born Clément Enzo Florian Dort in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Népal grew up in the Île-de-France region and emerged amid artists associated with Paris and the wider Île-de-France. He maintained a concealed persona, often appearing masked and avoiding traditional publicity similar to approaches by MF DOOM, Daft Punk, and Sia. His circle included collaborators from groups such as 75e Session, 90BPM, and members tied to crews around Lomepal, Nekfeu, and Alpha Wann. Népal balanced musical work with graphic design, contributing artwork reminiscent of aesthetics used by Banksy, Takashi Murakami, and album visuals from Kanye West's creative teams. He died in 2019, a passing that prompted tributes from contemporaries like Vald, Damso, SCH, and collectives across France.
Népal began releasing beats and mixtapes in the late 2000s, distributing material through platforms and networks affiliated with SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and Parisian independent labels such as 75e Session. Early exchanges linked him to producers and rappers from crews around Hocus Pocus alumni and newer faces like Lomepal, Nekfeu, and Dosseh. He produced instrumentals used by artists including Alpha Wann, Sneazzy, and Hatik, and contributed to projects associated with the 90BPM collective. Népal released the instrumental project series "444 Nuits" and the posthumous compilation "Adios Bahamas," which gathered tracks and beats circulated among peers such as Kore, Skread, DJ Pone, and Matheo.
Népal's sonic signature fused cloud rap atmospheres, lo-fi textures, and trap percussion, drawing comparisons to the production palettes of Clams Casino, Metro Boomin, and The Alchemist. His vocal delivery—muted, introspective, and occasionally distorted—echoed approaches by Earl Sweatshirt, Bon Iver, and French counterparts like Lomepal and Orelsan. As a visual artist, he combined minimalism and noir elements akin to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francis Bacon, and contemporary street-art tendencies seen in JR's work. Lyrically, his themes resonated with threads explored by Damso, Nekfeu, La Caution, and poets referenced by Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine in French literary tradition.
Népal's releases include solo and collaborative projects circulated via physical cassettes, digital platforms, and limited vinyls: - 444 Nuits (instrumental series) — used by artists in 75e Session, 90BPM, and friends like Lomepal and Alpha Wann. - Adios Bahamas (posthumous compilation) — features contributions and tributes from peers including Nekfeu, Vald, Roméo Elvis, and producers in the Paris hip hop network. - Various mixtapes and beat tapes distributed through networks associated with SoundCloud, YouTube, and independent outlets such as Booska-P-linked collectives. His catalog also included numerous unreleased instrumentals and guest productions appearing on projects by Sneazzy, Keny Arkana, S.Pri Noir, and members of the L'entourage collective.
Népal was integral to crews and loose collectives centered in Paris and surrounding suburbs. He worked with members of 75e Session, shared beats with 90BPM, and collaborated with artists tied to Lomepal, Nekfeu, Alpha Wann, Sneazzy, and Fonky Family-adjacent scenes. He featured on tracks alongside rappers such as Vald, Hornet La Frappe, Kofs, Orm, and producers like Matheo, Skread, and Kore. His networks extended to Belgian and Swiss francophone artists such as Roméo Elvis and Lary Kidd, and influenced younger Parisian acts emerging from venues like La Cigale, Le Trianon, and festival circuits including Les Vieilles Charrues and Solidays.
Népal's anonymity, visual identity, and melancholic production left a lasting imprint on French hip hop, cloud rap, and lo-fi scenes linked to Paris and francophone communities in Belgium and Switzerland. Posthumous releases and tributes involved figures like Nekfeu, Vald, Damso, and collective responses from labels such as 75e Session and 90BPM. His work influenced producers and rappers exploring subdued vocal timbres and textured beats, seen in acts following the trajectories of Polo & Pan-adjacent chill production and the introspective turns taken by artists like Lomepal and Orelsan. Memorial concerts and tribute compilations brought together performers from crews including L'entourage, 75e Session, and independent collectives across francophone hip hop, cementing his status as a cult figure within the contemporary scene.
Category:French rappers Category:French record producers Category:2019 deaths Category:1990 births