Europe
Rimebo: the artist who crossed the Atlantic to realize his dream
At fourteen, rap burst into his life without warning.
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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.
One small step for man, one 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. It wasn't a gentle discovery; it was a collision. Because for him, rap isn't just another musical genre. It's a way of thinking, a way of dissolving the distance between what you experience and what you say. A wave, as he himself puts it:
“Something that spreads from him to others.”
At eighteen, he left his hometown for Paris. Not to party, but to study art. And then Paris wasn't enough anymore. He had to go 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, however, are starting to speak for themselves. On Spotify, Rimebo claims 1,155 monthly listeners and two projects released in 2024 that lay the foundations for a coherent catalogue: Preamble.wav in March, then Eternal Moonlight In April. That's Abysses which has become his signature song, nearing 128,000 listens. A song worth checking out, if you haven't already. RimeboThat's where we need to 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.
The artist who had toured with Jack Daniel's
Before crossing the Atlantic, Rimebo had already proven he knew how to command a stage. In 2022, he participated to the Jack Daniel's tour, having accumulated more than 60 dates across France, passing through the Ephemeral Point in Paris, the Douala City in Lyon or even The Sector in Bordeaux. A large-scale baptism of fire, alongside up-and-coming artists already noticed, which teaches him what studios don't teach: how to hold a venue, night after night, city after city.
In 2023, he graced the stage of Kindarena from Rouen during the 2nd edition of the KOF, an atypical format that says a lot about its ability to adapt to any context. In 2024, it takes the reins: the Antipode Barge becomes the stage for his first fully organized performance, an hour-long live show in front of about a hundred people.
June 25th, Rimebo will show what all this looks like on stage, during Vampire Real 3: SummerMosh at the Belmont in Montreal, an event bringing together several rappers from the Montreal underground around Juxger headlining the show, including YNG, Jay TNYF, KOZZYY, BRSKK, Cupidvic, Lencci, Stoney, Lofsky and Intro Perspective.
For an artist who crossed the Atlantic for this very reason, performing on a Montreal stage is no small feat; it's a demonstration of culmination and accomplishment. It shows that the journey he'd undertaken had meaning. That his self-imposed exile wasn't an escape, but a logical continuation in his artistic life.
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 be continued…
