Everything Tasteful is the debut album of Lala &ce, French-Ivorian rapper from Lyons based out of London. Since 2017 Lala has created a futuristic, extra-terrestrial soundwave. With the release of her 2019 project, ‘Le Son D’apres,’ translated to The Sound of After or The Sound of the Future, Lala establishes this slowed, melodic pimp flow that hooks listeners instantly. She describes her mixtape as a compilation of her prior work, “a soft drug meant to take her audience to another plane.”
&ce (Ace) kept her audience intrigued with her A Color Show performance of Parapluie, an acoustic opening that permitted Lala to slide in the cut and deliver a swagged out club story line. The song ends just as gently as it started; however, you can’t help but be marked by the ground-shaking sound and Lala’s smooth delivery. Swag has no gender, and the female rapper Lala &ce serves you plenty with a Mrs. steal-yo-girl demeanor. It’s evident that La Mac of French rap has carved her place in the game with this debut album.
1. Sous tes lèvres (produced by De Jaeger)
The album opens with Sous Tes Lèvres, and we’re dropped into an insteplar tidal wave production by De Jager. &ce delivers a simple yet profound chorus:
“Tu me rends faible, j’dois partir / J’voulais mourir sous tes lèvres”
Translation: “You make me weak, I have to go / I wanted to die under [the influence of] your lips”
A short but sweet tango of seduction, Lala &ce opens with her sensuality and leads us to Atlantis
2. Atlantis (produced by SOVATH)
The tidal wave seems to wash us to Atlantis, a place few believe to exist. With a theatrical production from SOVATH, &ce introduces us to new territory.
3. Parapluie (produced by PH Trigano)
Hear we’re brought back to the sensual, acoustic, extraterrestrial, pill-poppin f*ck balade that is Parapluie. The track speaks of seductions laced with pills, a play on words in French.
“Pluie annoncée, juste une p’tite pill, j’suis lancée / Une chute romancée, juste un peu d’pluie annoncée…
[Pont] J’sais qu’ty as pensé, maint’nant j’peux plus renoncer / J’t’ai vue te pencher, what’s your name?
[Refrain] Girl, j’te donne ça bien, j’suis dans pu$$y jusqu’à la fin / Sous parapluie y’a plein / Girl, j’te donne ça bien, j’suis dans pussy jusqu’à la fin / Sous parapluie y’a plein, quand ça coule j’en ai plein”Translation: “Rain showers announced, just a lil pill, I’m launched / A romanticized plunge, just small showers announced…
[Bridge] I know you thought about it, now I can’t renounce / I saw you bend over, what’s your name?
[Chorus] Girl, I gave you that proper, I’m in pu$$y until the end / Under my umbrella there’s plenty / Girl, I give you that proper, I’m in pu$$y until the end / Under my umbrella there’s plenty, when it flows I have plenty”
4. Sipa (produced by CHASETHEMONEY):
The beat automatically makes you want to stunt, and the mentality is quickly re-enforced by the track ID. “CHASE THE MONEY, Chase the Money!” A sinister sound that has Lala on the attack from the gate serves as a warning to biters and “basic b!tches.”
5. Gasoleana ft. Rad Cartier (produced by Blasé):
If you’ve been following Lala, then you know Rad Cartier. The two have a connection that plays perfectly in their musical universe, and they have created a family of eclectique artists. Gasoleana is an instant lap dance classic, as Rad exclaims:
“Move, elle se dandine sur mes cuisses / Ça rebondit je m’agrippe / J’sais qu’au bout du fil, elle me félicitera / Tu peux mous catch tard la nuit / Nos étoiles shine comme les rings / Tout dans le training, lean, gasoleana / La ride infinie, rimes, loca vida, move”
Translation: “Move, she writhes on my thighs / It bounces I cling / Everything’s in the training, lean, gasoleana / I know that at the end of the line, she will congratulate me / You can catch us late at night / Our stars shine like the rings / Everything’s in the training, lean, gasoleana / The infinite ride, rhymes, loca vida, move”
The hook gets you in, and, as soon as Lala gets on the mic, her flow transmits a swagger that wants you to know she can get whatever she wants. She doesn’t just care to be the best chick in the game, or even say she can run with the boys. She affirms the fact that if you’re not with the vibe, you’re gonna be left in the dust! A sensuality as potent as Rihanna‘s with a swag and flow all of her own, it’s complicated not to be enchanted by this track.
6. Rival ft. S3nsi Molly (produced by Konna Killa):
If you haven’t heeded the warning, Lala reiterates it here with some heavy backup from Texas-native S3nsi Molly. You quickly get a sense that &ce doesn’t see much competition in front of her…
“Cette b!tch c’est ma h*e, c’est pas ma rivale / Je suis dans d’autres fréquences, j’ai pas l’même signal / Pop la chloroquine, mon sh!t est viral (hey, hey, hey) / J’suis rare comme rouquine japonaise timale (waye)”
Translation: “This b!tch is my h*e, she is not my rival / I’m on other frequences, I ain’t got the same signal / Pop the chloroquine, my sh!t is viral (hey, hey, hey) / I’m rare as a timale Japanese redhead (waye)”
You then get bumped to a “new number who this” stunt, followed by S3nsi Molly flossing on the 808s.
The track demonstrates Lala’s grasp on both the French and English language with the facility she has of employing both and the connection betweens both verses.
7. Dodow&ve is a theatrical production that wades listeners into a sober yet colorful intoxicated realm, reminiscent of those created by Weezer F. Baby.
“Ça fait, whole lotta lean in my cup, tu connais, j’me connecte (yeah, yeah, yeah) / Whole lotta lean, yeah, in my cup, tu connais, j’me connecte (hey, ouais) / J’mets des pi-pills dans sa bouche, j’crois qu’elle connaît-naît / Yeah, she on it (it, it, it, it) / Brand new mouvement sur le net, (net) / Recless j’me connecte / J’me déconnecte-necte-necte”
Translation: “It’s done, whole lotta lean in my cup, you know, I connect (yeah, yeah, yeah) / Whole lotta lean, yeah, in my cup, you know, I’m connecting (hey, yeah) / I put pi-pills in her mouth, I think she knows she is born / Yeah, she on it (it, it, it, it) / Brand new movement on the net, (net) / Reckless I connect / I disconnect-nect-necte”
As a matter of fact, you hear an excerpt from the legend split over the two bridges exclaiming,
8. Juju (produced by Clinton):
I won’t need to translate, because we finally have Lala spitting in English on a freestyle flow.
This track inverts what she has been doing with easy, this time integrating small French words in the flow.
9. Nytro ft. Pucci Jr produced by 404Soundlab)
This one is a trap production with a menacing tone. Lala &ce rolls up with a ROSS boss type of stunt accompanied by an old friend, Pucci Jr,a fellow French-English bilingual of the London rap scene. Each feature on this album not only compliments &ce, but also reveals a talented entourage for new listeners.
“Regarde moi tourner dans la ville / J’ai l’plein, j’ai l’plein, j’ai l’plein, j’ai l’plein / Je vend des pi-pills dans la ville, yeah / Fais l’plain, fais l’plein, fais l’plein, fais l’plein / Speed up la nitroglycérine / Le cash, le cash, le cash, le cash / Vendre vite, vite, vite, tabasse cette fille / J’ai faim, j’ai faim, j’ai faim, j’ai faim”
Translation: “Watch me roll around town / I’m flush, I’m flush, I’m flush, I’m flush / I sell pi-pills in the city, yeah / Fill up, fill up, fill up, fill up / Speed up nitroglycerin / Cash, cash, cash, cash / Sell quick, quick, quick, beat that girl up / I am hungry, I am hungry, I am hungry, I am hungry”
10. In Luv Again (produced by BLVTH x TAIIME)
We switch up with a more light-hearted vibe with a futuristic, synthesized Afro-beat. &ce delivers her love ballad with flirtatious energy, and the ride is a toboggan of sensuality.
“Je sais rien mais j’observe, baby, j’ai pas d’honneur / Damn c’est trop obscène. Dans ma boca, chérie, j’ai un bon appétit, yeah / On t’a jamais open J’vais ouvrir la bouteille”
Translation: “I know nothing but I observe, Baby, I have no honor / Damn it’s too obscene. In my boca, darling, I have a good appetite, yeah / We never open you, I’ma open the bottle”
11. Cyborg ft. Pull Up Boyz (produced by Bamao Yendé)
A transition into another register of sensuality, Cyborg is a musical waterfall where we seem to transition from plane to plane as chaque artists take turns.
12. Laisse Ça (produced by Ghenda)
Laisse Ça is an Afro-beat wildfire where &ce continues to implement her multicultural existence by employing African dialect. It’s a production by Ghenda, who is also featured on the track.
[Couplet 1: Lala &Ace] “Un verre, deux verres, baby nalingi yo / Sers-moi ton corps, j’peux très bien tuer ça / J’suis dans ta pu$$y, t’peux pas oublier ça / J’veux ton body, body / Baby, all eyes on me / I’ll go where you go / On s’est pris la te-tê, t’es repartie / Mama j’connais ça, très bien / Tu bouges ton body, j’aime bien / Yeah, envoie ça comme Lala &ce, je fly dans l’espace, me parle pas maint’nant / Pétasse, libère ça.
[Refrain: Lala &ce] Baby, s’envoler dans les airs c’est le thème / Et puis, j’aime pas les two faces, visages de traitres / Guette-la, ma petite, attends, un prince te cherche / Laisse ça”Translation: [Verse 1: Lala &ce] “One drink, two glasses, baby I love you / Give me your body, I can kill that very well / I’m in your pu$$y, can’t you forget that / I want your body, body / Baby, all eyes on me / I’ll go where you go / We bumped heads, you left / Mama I know that, very well / You move your body, I like it / Yeah, send it like Lala &ce on this, I fly in space, don’t talk to me now / B!tch, step off that
[Chorus: Lala &ce] Baby, soaring in the air is the theme / Plus, I don’t like the two-faced, faces of traitors / Check her, my little one, wait, a prince is looking for you / Leave that”
13. Holy ft. Lancey Foux (produced by Nk.F & Joa):
“Holy” tracks Lala falling into a trap, enchanted by lust and beauty.
“Holy sh!t, holy sh!t, j’crois que c’est une folie b!tch / Elle sent que j’suis une étoile et que j’serai fully rich (yeah) / Des jolies filles, du beau linge dans un beau lit vide, holy sh!t / What’s going on? (hein, hein) / Son back fait des tonnes (fait des tonnes) / Pour ça j’garde la forme / Tu déboutonnes (Tonne-tonne-tonne) / J’crois qu’c’est la bonne (Elle me donne) / What’s going on?”
Translation: “Holy, sh!t, holy sh!t, I think she’s a crazy b!tch / She feels that I’m a star and that I’ll be fully rich (yeah) / Pretty girls, beautiful lingerie in a big beautiful bed, holy sh!t / What’s going on? (Huh huh) / That back it weighs tons (weighs tons) / For that I stay in form / Girl unbutton (Ton-ton-ton) / I think she’s the right one (She gives a ton) / What’s going on?”
14. Show me Luv (produced by MOOKICE):
A Mediterranean warmth builds, and the guitar on this production is spiced with &ce‘s erotic wordplay in the opening verse.
“Haut les mains, ôte ton haut, et baby, prends ma main / Finit, fait le sans les, oh la la, elle fait tomber le top sans les mains / Sur 31 pour un gros câlin / Mais comment ça, tu veux plus m’parler? / Comment ça? Tu veux plus whiner tout en bas? / J’prends sur moi, j’me prends pour qui?! B!tch, j’me prends pour moi! / Tu comprends ça? / Tombe le top, bébé, fais doucement / My lady, t’es encore dedans / Beaucoup d’efforts pour finir tout d’vant / Ça, c’est du sport, fais très attention”
Translation: “Hands up, take your top off, and baby, take my hand / Finished, do it without them, oh la la, she drops the top with no hands / On her A game looking for some warmth / Whatchu mean, you don’t wanna talk to me anymore? / What do you mean? You don’t wanna whine to the floor? / I take it upon myself, who do I take myself for?! B!tch, I take myself for Me! / Do you understand that? / Drop the top, baby, take it easy / My lady, you are still in me. / A lot of effort to finish everything early / This is sport, do it carefully”
The visual for “Show Me Luv” speaks volumes:
15. Kita (produced by Risky Business)
Lala &ce closes out her first album with a production from Risky Business that alternates in tempo and transmit a longing. It almost sounds as if the artist gives us a To Be Continued…
With this complete project Lala &ce continues to build and bet on herself. La Mac du rap Français est al!
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