The year is 2014.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have just won 4 Grammy Awards for their album The Heist. Boosie Badazz has just been released from prison. 50 Cent has just left Shady Records. The hip hop charts are being dominated by Eminem & Rihanna's single The Monster and Travis Scott is a few months from releasing his debut album Rodeo.
While all of this is happening, somewhere in Paris, France two brothers Tarik and Nabile Andrieu are about to release their first single.
At this point no one has any idea that within 3 years these siblings, collectively known as PNL, will come to dominate the French rap scene and become one of the most popular hip hop acts in French hip hop history.
Tarik also known as Ademo, and Nabil whose stage name is N.O.S. were born in the late 80s and grew up in a difficult neighbourhood called Les Tarterêts in Paris, France. Witnessing their father serve a jail term for bank robbery, growing up in the absence of their biological mother, and being around colleagues that sold drugs at an early age laid the ground work for a lot of the subject matter they would tackle in their music later on in life. In the years 2010 and 2013, Tarik, the older of the two also served jail time on drug trafficking charges.
As of August 2020 PNL has released four studio albums and have sold hundreds of thousands of copies of their music, with several of their music having more than a hundred million views on YouTube.
The question is how does a group of unknowns catapult itself into the musical stratosphere?
Great Music
Firstly, their music is really dope. They have an ethereal, cloud rap sound that's almost dreamlike. Sonically the music is appealing even to people who don't understand the French language. Their beats are melodic; their mix of singing and rapping has mass appeal; their subject matter is captivating and risky; and their mixes sound hypnotic, almost like they're pulling you in.
They have a sound that's easily identifiable and unique to them. To be a great artist your product has to be good. After all it's what you're selling and it's what you build everything else around. Good music sounds good regardless of what language it's made in and PNL's music is a good example of this. Some of their music is easy to digest and contains subject-matter that people can relate to making it appealing to a lot of people.
Strong Message
PNL popularized the term Que la Famille abbreviated as QLF, which means 'Only the Family"
The term simply means that you would do anything for your family and loved ones, and you don't look for any other allies. This message is plastered throughout all their music and has a certain appeal to it because most people understand the sentiment of wanting to do anything for their family. This is relatable. They often make references to anime, popular children's stories such as the Jungle Book, and various topics that are easy for young people to relate to.
They also talk about the hardships of growing up in a tough environment and the struggles of feeling forced to do things that are unethical or illegal in order to feed yourself and your family. This is a universal message that most people understand.
Saturation
Another reason why the group is successful is that PNL doesn't over-saturate its music. The two brothers release an album once every year or two and that's it. They don't release mixtapes, loose singles, EPs, or feature in other people's music.
Once a PNL album is out fans know that they have to wait a while till the next one. So in effect they cherish and listen to that project until the next one comes out. There's a saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder and that's part of the psychology involved in their group's approach to no over-saturate themselves.
Artistic Mystique
This leads into the next reason the group is successful. They also don't saturate themselves on social media, blogs, music sites, the Internet in general and all sorts of media outlets. They are kind of reclusive in a sense which helps to create an aura of mystery around them. This approach has been proven to work for many artists in the past including the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, and most musicians who were active before social media. And in more recent times it's worked for artists such as, Dr Dre, Eminem, Jay-Z, Nas, Beyonce, NF, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole.
It's an event when these people release their music or make an appearance because they are so scarce and scarcity is a big factor in driving up the perceived value of something. PNL doesn't even do interviews. They let their music speak for itself.
High-level Storytelling
All things taken into account, it's probably not a stretch to say that PNL's strongest point is their storytelling ability. This is the glue that holds the music, mystique, and message together. They have mastered the art of telling stories through visuals. Their music videos are cinematic and are almost like miniature movies which leave you captivated and in awe. We first got a glimpse of their eye for cinema in the 2015 singles Oh Lala and Le Monde or Rien which have well over 80 million and 100 million views respectively on YouTube. Their story-telling prowess was elevated further when they pieced together a story that spanned four of their singles from their second album Dans La Legende.
Their 2019 album Deux Freres brought more cinematic videos in the singles A l'Ammoniaue, the title track Deux Freres, Blanka, and Au DD which is their highest viewed video with over 150 million views and was the first music video to be shot inside the Eiffel Tower.
Story-telling is one of the most effective ways of creating a connection with people and through their mastery of the art PNL has managed to capture the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.
They have broken multiple records in their 6 year stint in the music industry and have created a legacy that many people dream about but very few people ever achieve.
