Toulouse’s most famous rapping brothers, BIG FLO & OLI, held a press conference hosted by BLEU CITRON on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 in a room of the Pathé Gaumont Toulouse Wilson cinema. A moment of exchange and sharing rather intimate which allowed the duo to confide on its news and its projects to come.
Arrived a little after 3:00 pm, BIG FLO & OLI quickly made themselves available to journalists and other guests.
In a cool, almost collegial atmosphere, the 2 brothers naturally came back on their 2 years media break. They explained that the restrictions linked to the Covid crisis allowed them to benefit from a much needed break. Despite all the bans, the 2 artists were able to paradoxically enjoy 2 years of freedom, development, reflection and innovative creation. BIG FLO & OLI continued to make music during this period, but differently. They felt the need for a change, to make sounds still rooted in popular music, while moving away from what they had already done. Their 4th album “Les autres c’est nous”, released on June 24, 2022, testifies to this evolution.
The 2 brothers now allow themselves to assume their differences, to have very personal desires and to imagine solo projects in parallel of their duo. Don’t panic, the separation is not at all envisaged ! But rather a possible common album with 2 CDs, on one the sounds of BIG FLO and on the other those of OLI, as the OUTKAST had done it several years ago.
OLI also specified another very personal desire, which does not interest his brother at all : the desire to create a talk show. He didn’t bring any other details, we just have to wait to discover his concept…
At the question “What is your favorite song of your career?”, BIG FLO answered the intro of their last album: a rap of 7 minutes without chorus, while for OLI it would be rather ‘La vraie vie’, a sound summarizing their life and their state of mind.
This press conference was held a few days before the series of 3 dates at the Zenith of Toulouse, their hometown, on April 13, 14 and 15, 2023. BIG FLO & OLI took the opportunity to confide that upon their return to the media scene, they were in a state of great stress and fear of public dislike. They were afraid that their absence of 2 years would be fatal to them. The brothers know that nowadays, music and its authors can be consumed and forgotten very quickly. They are also aware of the competition and the talent of the ‘young’ rappers of France. They are no longer the new generation, the new wave, and must act accordingly. BIG FLO and OLI recognize, in an almost emotional way, that their public has remained faithful to them, that it trusts them and responds to each of their new projects.
Last summer, ‘La tournée des petites salles’ (35 in total) was a real success and the ‘La tournée des Zeniths’ tour’ started at the end of March with the same dynamics.
New show means new decorations. The Toulouse-based rappers are now focusing on more elegant, arty-inspired atmospheres. On stage, 4 additional musicians ensure the melody with their copper, BIG FLO also starts in the drums and quality guests come to punctuate the show. The two brothers have been working with the same core group of ten people for ten years on their tours. They also work with the feeling to choose their guests.
A small point was also made on the ROSE FESTIVAL #1, the event with the multiple facets created by BIG FLO & OLI and whose 1st edition takes place on September 2 and 3, 2022 at the MEETT of Toulouse. Following the success of last year’s 2-day festival, the 2023 edition will be held over 3 days and will feature a panel of renowned artists from various universes such as ANGELE, HAMZA, DISIZ, GAZO, VLADIMIR CAUCHEMAR, or M83 and M, as well as emerging talents from the fields of rap, rock, pop and electro (not all artists are booked yet). To highlight and give strength to Toulouse artists, the 2 brothers will organize a local TREMPLIN of young talents. The winners will earn money to finance their passion and will be presented at the ROSE FESTIVAL Edition 2.
In the longer term, BIG FLO & OLI will develop ideas to ‘give back to the community’. Their wish is to help the creatives of the Toulouse area to be able to bloom personally and financially in their arts. A project to follow closely and we will keep you informed.
BIG FLO & OLI’s current event is the “TOURNEE des ZENITHS”, which started on March 26, 2023 in Brussels and will end on December 8, 2023 at La Défense Arena in Paris. Some dates are already sold out, remaining tickets are available HERE. The 2 Toulouse-based musicians are also finalizing the preparation of the ROSE FESTIVAL 2023 for which tickets are already on sale HERE. Let’s go and enjoy !
