Description
The Franco-American hip-hop duo of American MC and poet Napoleon Maddox and French beatmaker and producer Sorg has been building its discography since 2014: three EPs and two albums, Checkin' Us (2018) and Louverture (2022), followed in 2024 by a special-edition vinyl compilation celebrating ten years of collaboration. Over the years they have found that a particular creative energy emerges when they choose a theme for an album. This time, the theme is 1968.
So much was born, or brought to light, that year. Beyond the student movements in France, tragedies also united crowds: the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King led to a significant rise in membership of, and support for, the Black Panthers across the United States. 1968 is neither a nostalgic album nor simply a protest record; it takes time to set today's world against the lessons of the past.
It denounces today's lies and genocides by recalling the Vietnam War and the great peace movements on tracks such as "March", a call to action and resistance, and "No Shelter", whose melancholic blues and realist storytelling are carried by Maddox and the poet Mike Ladd. It also celebrates people's resilience and ingenuity, with anthems such as "Breakfast Program" and hard-hitting tracks like "No Back Down", on which two Cincinnati activists and lyricists, CJ the Cynic and long-time collaborator Boogie Bang, deliver incendiary rhymes inspired by recent acts of racist intimidation in one of the city's historically Black communities. The dancefloor becomes a rallying point too, on hypnotic tracks like "So Long" and "The Ball".
Sorg's writing and production carry a new, sophisticated rage: basslines, beats and synths pulse with urgency, joined by regular partners Erik Sevret (tenor saxophone), Constantin Meyer (trombone) and DJ Menas (scratches), and newcomers Faycal Salhi (oud), Sophia Domancich (Fender Rhodes) and Selim Le Chan (flute). The cover, by designer ease, who has created all of the duo's visuals since 2014, is based on a painting by Napoleon Maddox paying tribute to the three athletes who joined in a protest against racism at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
