Gracy Hopkins is both a rapper and a producer, and it shows. There is a great sense harmony between the vocals and the production that could only have been the product of one mind. ENCORE is something of a follow-up to Time, released in 2019. In fact, the large majority of its tracks are again found on this album. Perhaps as a means of compiling the project into a deluxe edition or previously unreleased version. But formats don’t mean much anymore anyway. What is clear, is that the new tracks mix perfectly with those we already know well. The songs bring a supplementary sense of complexity and ease that compliments the sound of one of France’s most underestimated rappers. Since arriving on the scene in 2015, Gracy Hopkins has by far become the most experienced French rapper to rap in English. No mistranslations nor thick accents are to be found here like some others… He manages both trap sounds (Wrong Reasons) and uneasy electronic productions (No Regrets) with unnerving ease, while including some more RnB elements and even a singer like Tayc on Melody. The album as a whole is coherent, audacious and pertinent. Solid. © Brice Miclet/Qobuz