Rimebo: the artist who crossed the Atlantic to pursue his dream

There are artists you discover because they have massive popularity. And then there are those who stand out because everything they do has meaning. Rimebo belongs to the second category. Originally from France, he chose to cross the Atlantic to study music production at Collège Unica/Musitechnic in Montreal, a cult institution that has just entered into partnerships with E&A Talent and Cash Money Records, as well as with Magazine Hip-Hop, with the aim of structuring the next generation of Francophone artists. Rimebo is the first to have joined this pathway. What follows is the story of how he got there.

At just twenty-five years old, he left everything behind. His family, his comfort zone, the reassuring circle of a life that already seemed mapped out. A suitcase, a ticket to Montreal, and the quiet conviction that music deserves more than half measures. We wanted to understand what goes through the mind of an artist who wakes up one morning and decides that rap matters more than the routine of everyday life.

A small step for a man, a giant leap for culture

The story begins at the age of seven. Not with a microphone, not with a beat, but with an electric guitar in his head and the dream of shaking stadiums. He grew up in that in-between world that is neither poor nor truly wealthy, where you learn early on how to behave properly. Except that Rimebo never really fit into that mold. At school, he was already the kind of kid teachers noticed for all the wrong reasons, too curious, too unconventional, too distracted by what was happening elsewhere.

At fourteen, rap burst into his life without warning. It wasn’t a gentle discovery—it was a collision. Because for him, rap is not just another musical genre. It is a way of thinking, a way of dissolving the distance between what we live and what we say. A wave, as he puts it himself:

“Something that spreads from him to others.”

At eighteen, he left his hometown for Paris. Not to party, but to study the arts. And then Paris was no longer enough. He had to see what was happening on the other side of the ocean.

What stands out about Rimebo is not just his talent or potential, but the consistency of his approach. Moving to Canada to study music production at Collège Unica/Musitechnic, in a country where he had no prior knowledge of anything, was a bold risk that says a lot about who he is. Montreal responded in kind. Rimebo quickly took root there, with the instinct of someone who knows how to recognize fertile ground.

“Everything you need is already there. The rest can be learned.”

The numbers are starting to speak for themselves. On Spotify, Rimebo currently has 1,155 monthly listeners and released two projects in 2024 that laid the foundation for a coherent catalog: Préambule.Wav in March, followed by Eternal Moonlight in April. It is Abîmes, however, that has emerged as his signature track, approaching 128,000 streams. It’s a song worth taking the time to discover. If you’re not yet familiar with Rimebo, this is where you should start.

When asked why music, and not something else, he pauses for a second, not long, just enough for the answer to be honest.

“Music allows people to understand another side of life they might never have thought about.”

That’s the point for him. Not fame, not streaming numbers, not followers. It’s about making sure that someone you would never have crossed paths with in real life can still see themselves in what you’ve put into a verse.

It’s an ambition that feels both deeply French, in this idea that art carries responsibility, and very rap at the same time. The contradiction suits him well.

L’artiste qui avait tournée avec Jack Daniel’s

Before crossing the Atlantic, Rimebo had already proven that he knew how to command a stage. In 2022, he took part in the Jack Daniel’s Tour, performing more than 60 shows across France, including stops at Point Éphémère in Paris, Douala City in Lyon, and Le Secteur in Bordeaux. It was a large-scale baptism by fire alongside emerging artists who were already making waves, teaching him something that no studio can: how to hold a crowd, night after night, city after city.

In 2023, he stepped onto the stage of the Kindarena in Rouen during the second edition of the KOF, an unconventional format that says a lot about his ability to adapt to any environment. In 2024, he took matters into his own hands: the Péniche Antipode became the setting for the first show he organized entirely himself, delivering a one-hour live performance in front of an audience of around one hundred people.

On June 25, Rimebo will present what all of this translates to on stage at Vampréal 3: SummerMosh at the Belmont in Montreal, an event bringing together several artists from the Montreal underground rap scene, headlined by Juxger, alongside YNG, Jay TNYF, KOZZYY, BRSKK, Cupidvic, Lencci, Stoney, Lofsky and Intro Perspective.

For an artist who crossed the Atlantic for this, stepping onto a Montreal stage is far from ordinary. It represents the culmination of a journey, proof that the path he chose had meaning. That this voluntary exile was not an escape, but a logical continuation of his artistic journey.

Rimebo has quickly become an artist to watch. His journey, authenticity, and artistic growth are already drawing attention. We will continue to follow his path and keep you informed about the next steps of this young rapper who isn’t afraid of anything.

To follow...