Soso Maness

Sofian Manessour, commonly known as Soso Maness, is a French rapper from the neighborhood of Font Vert, Marseille. Even though he started rapping at the age of 11 with his group Mafia K’1 Fry, his career took off in 2012 when he was signed to the Liga One Industry label, home of rappers Jul and Kamikaz. Following a couple of well-received collaborations with fellow MCs L’Algérino, Ghetto Phénomène, and Kalif Hardcore, Maness released “Merlish” (2016), his debut single, whose accompanying video quickly accumulated millions of views on YouTube. After a brief stint in jail, Manessour followed up with “KTM,” an uptempo dance-rap number that proved to be as successful as its predecessor. Rescapé (2019), the rapper’s highly-anticipated studio debut, came out via Sony Music and featured appearances by Fianso, Hooss, Font Vert Clan, and longtime collaborator l’Algérino. The album represented Maness’ breakthrough moment and paved the way for Mistral (2020), a more mature, full-bodied effort whose star-studded cast included names like Da Uzi, Lacrim, and Hornet La Frappe. © ©Copyright Music Story Evelyn Duskey 2020