Monsieur Ice

Photo Courtesy Of Monsieur Ice

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED AND WHERE DO YOU PRESENTLY LIVE?
I’m born and raised in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Today I live in Paris, France.

WHAT ARE THE TOP THINGS ABOUT YOUR TOWN?
Paris? Without hesitation, the mixture. And because of it, there’s something new every day. An exhibition, a concert, a meeting etc. There are so many different aspects of Paris, in Paris, that it's impossible to be bored.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES AND WHAT WERE YOUR INFANT ASPIRATIONS?
The afternoons playing football with friends in the streets of Yaoundé. The victories of the national football team (2000, 2002). Sundays with family.

WHAT HAS BEEN A SEMINAL EXPERIENCE?
I think it has to be the death of my younger brother. Nothing was the same after that. I learned to relativize and live without real regrets. It isn't easy to explain. But, after that you never give up because you know you have a chance at life, while others don’t.

WHY MUSIC?
I grew up in it without really realizing it. My father was a trumpeter and singer in a band in his youth (Les Têtes Brûlées). I took it more seriously in high school. I made remixes of hot songs of the moment and recorded on hip hop ejay. In life, I try to do things naturally and the music came to me and has been with me since forever. The signing of my first contract (Sony ATV) was the sign that I had to continue in this direction. There is no calculation. I think it’s a profession that matches my lifestyle and my personality most.

FIRST SONG EVER SUNG OR BARS TO A BEAT?
The first song I recorded was a featuring with my little brother and my cousin. We sang on top of "Do for Love" by Tupac. We didn’t have any music software to record, so we used the "record" option of Windows 98. It was really rough. We didn’t have the instrumental version either. While one was singing, another was doing  instrumental sounds with the mouth as we passed the microphone around. As soon as one ended his verse and sang "You tu tu tu", another acted as a beat box, and then we’d switch.

HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR SOUND?
I'll define my music from "vibe". These are just moods that I refer to. I’m currently working on something that speaks of confusion and emotion. It’s a rhythm of feeling happy, arrogant, sexy, lost. It’s life. Musically it blends with hip hop, RnB rhythms, afro and electro. The common point of all this, is the presence of the 808 like a heartbeat. Aggressive, sweet and so on.

WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION?
On the next project, I started from an idea, "A man who wants to kill Cupid". And from there I wrote a book first and a screenplay for a short film. Then I sort of made the book's soundtrack. Each passage and chapter illustrates an atmosphere that inspired me. Then I talk with Jo, who is a beatmaker, and we try to turn these images into songs.

DO YOU PURSUE ANY SPECIFIC THEMES THROUGH YOUR LYRICS?
I don’t have a specific theme on which I prefer to write. At this moment, I write a lot of love songs. Before it was often about ego trip. It really depends on the periods.

WHO OR WHAT HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST ARTISTICALLY?
What inspires me most is what I see, my friends, my family, TV, my exes, and the beatmakers I work with. But, I also have a very cinematic and visual approach. Films, series, photos and films have a big influence on my work.

WHO ARE THE HIP HOP PIONEERS IN YOUR OPINION?
There are hip hop pioneers all the time, that's why the art doesn’t die. Afrika Bambaataa of course, who is at the genesis of the movement. Then there were Tupac and Biggie who made the rap in a new era. Jay Z and Nas. But also the new old school with Fabolous or Cam'ron who I grew up with. And finally, Lil Wayne who succeeded at bringing back a fresh freshness. Maybe the next pioneer of the next generation will be Drake.
 For every era, there’s a pioneer, and it’s so much the better for it.

IS THERE A MUSICAL PASSAGE THAT NEVER FAILS TO MOVE YOU?
"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff daddy.

My junior brother died in 2004 while playing basketball. The girls from his school sang it as a tribute. Since then, every time I hear the song, tears flow.

HOW DO YOU STAY FOCUSED AND MINDFUL?
It's enough to look at reality. It’s beautiful to dream but sometimes a glance in the eyes of one's mother or in the mirror, enables you put your ideas into action and get back to work.