“ I know the risks of love but I still love the risk “sang rapper Nekfeu in 2018, in his track Risibles amours. The life of the 34-year-old artist, who evokes the depth of his love relationships in his song Galatée and the quest for sincerity in Plume, has unwittingly found himself in the spotlight. For the past week, the rapper has been accused of “psychological, sexual and physical violence”. by his former partner. The latter claims that the acts were committed during their relationship, i.e. over a period of almost four years. In a statement published by his lawyer on X, Nekfeu, whose real name is Ken Samaras, points out that these accusations had already been dismissed by the courts, and coincide with the arrest of the complainant for the worrying disappearance of her 3-year-old son.

“ Wait, Nekfeu has a kid? “asks an Internet user, clearly more concerned about the rapper’s private life than the accusations. Nekfeu – the Jean-Jacques Goldman of French rap – cultivates his discreet image, and most of his fans are now discovering the existence of his ex-girlfriend and child. Unlike many rappers (such as Jul, Ninho or Booba), he refuses almost all interviews and even quit social networks in 2019. His last live appearance was in 2022.

An artist with a wide range of influences, from Brassens to Tolstoy, Nekfeu’s lyrics tackle themes such as urban life, relationships and the impact of technology on young people’s mental health. He is a fervent political opponent of the extreme right. In ten years, he has released three solo albums, all of them successful, his latest reaching double diamond disc status (one million sales). He has also collaborated with artists such as Clara Luciani and Vanessa Paradis, and made his film debut in 2017 alongside Catherine Deneuve in Everything Separates Us.

Starting out in Parisian rap collectives

Originally from the suburbs of Nice, Ken Samaras began his career in Paris with the S-Crew, 1995 and L’Entourage collectives. In 2015, his debut album Feu was a runaway success. We’ll see is his most listened-to track to date, with 137 million listens on Spotify. Renowned for his gentle, poetic style, Nekfeu sets himself apart from rap stereotypes, which sometimes earns him criticism. In September 2015, Nekfeu was lambasted by Yann Moix on the set of “On n’est pas couché” : “ It’s like a bunch of guys doing crack, but in the playground of Petit Nicolas. It’s ultra-violence on Care Bear kindness. “ Nekfeu calmly replies: “ Inner peace is one of my inspirations. I’m glad to have made my violence sweet to your ears. “

His second album, Cyborgreleased in 2016, addresses the often toxic relationship between young people and technology, while confirming its media distance. The media Interlude a specialist in pop and urban culture news, estimates four years after its release that “ Cyborg remains a UFO in French rap”. In 2019, he announced the release of Wandering Stars. On the day of its release, he publishes his third album of the same name, which enabled him to become one of the rare rappers to obtain three diamond discs. In 2022, he made his last live appearances alongside fellow rappers Laylow and Dinos.

” Cyborg remains a UFO in French rap.”

Interlude, media specializing in pop and urban culture.

Today, while raising his son, he announces that he has been in divorce proceedings for three years. In his statement, he declares: “ [Mon ex-compagne] tried to use our child to get to me. It was in this context that I was given custody of our child. “ Could the accusations against him tarnish his smooth image? Nekfeu seems aware that his credibility is at stake: “ I myself once said with aplomb that there’s no smoke without fire on this subject, but life has shown me that on rare occasions other motivations can come into play, and that’s the case with me today. “