Forever Pavot, XP The Marxman - Forever XP
After exploring the jazz sphere with his project La Récré, French pop with solo works on Born Bad Records including the recent album L’Idiophone, and movie soundtracks for both Monia Chokri films “Babysitter” and “Simple Comme Sylvain”, Forever Pavot is everywhere but where we expect him to be. He now lands on the hip-hop planet with this beat-heavy west coast rap LP in collaboration with XP The Marxman.
XP The Marxman is a rapper, producer and street activist helping the homeless in Los Angeles. From an early age, music helped him cope with the violence, drugs and gang life in which he grew up. Known for his collaborations with Roc Marciano and The Beat Junkies, he is also passionate about cannabis, jury member of the first High Times Cannabis Cup in San Bernardino in 2013 and involved in the production of medicinal cannabis.
It all started when english producer Agor sent him a beat sampling “Le Beefteak” by Forever Pavot. XP recorded vocals over it and released the single “Sharpshooters”. This song caught the attention of Émile Sornin, who reached out on Instagram and proposed the idea of a rap album with vintage instruments. Some emails went back and forth and the Forever XP project started around April 2022.
“Working with Émile was like a dream come true. I’d always yearned to collaborate with someone who played real instruments, and with Émile, expanding my style was effortless. The music he sent me begged for more than just raps; it demanded harmonies and a chance to flex my full musical range. Usually, my beat tastes lean grimy, but Émile’s instrumentals called for something different. So, I embraced the process, threw caution to the wind, and just went with what felt good.”
While the first eponymous track might scare the most sensitive listeners with its menacing instrumental and incisive lyrics, the LP evolves toward more laid-back tracks like Turkey Bag Diaries, an ode to the best strains of weed XP has ever smoked, or PCH Pacific Coast Highway, a short instrumental to play on a 70’s Cadillac stereo while cruising the sunny roads of the west coast. It eventually reaches the last song, Magnifying Glass, where XP opens up about the challenges he went through in the streets of LA over a beat-heavy instrumental with a horn section recorded at the BMM studio in Nancy.
BMM089
All music composed, produced and recorded by Émile Sornin aka Forever Pavot
YAll vocals recorded and performed by Joseph Acosta aka XP The Marxman
Horn section on “Magnifying Glass” recorded by Louis Treffel at BMM Land
Drums on “1 Way Ticket” by Cédric Laban
Drums on “Forever XP” and “The Turkey Bag Diaries” by Bastien Bonnefont
Flute on “The Turkey Bag Diaries” by Arnaud Sèche
Trombone on “Magnifying Glass” by Carl Lelonge
Saxophone on “Magnifying Glass” by Quentin Thomas
Trumpet on “Magnifying Glass” by Valentin Berteaux
Scratches on “Just Like That” by DJ D-Styles
Mixed by Louis Treffel at BMM Land
Mastered by Damien Bolo at Spectrum Studio
Artwork by Marie Baudet