LANSKY NAMEK
(Rap, Marseille)
INTERVIEW
As a pure product of La Plaine district in Marseille, Lansky Namek is a unique artist!
Close to the ultra movement and the heated curves of the Vélodrome, she excels in rap, whether it’s kicked or sung.
While letting her rage explode between metal, grunge, and hardcore punk sound with her band: Vodk47!
A straightforward, unfiltered interview with a hyperactive person, who burns her daily life through the fire of her passion.
Interview by Polka B. / Translation: Nino Futur.
Can you tell us about your childhood in Marseille? What were your first contact with music?
A very broad question! My childhood wasn’t bathed in joy, far from it… Ever since I was a kid, I was keeping a lot of anger. I found my escape through music. It came into my life because with my Gypsy grandmother, I was always surrounded by instruments. There was still a musician side of my family; I grew up listening to Russian and Slavic songs.
Next to that, there were my cousins; they’re the ones who introduced me to punk and metal when I was very young. I started playing guitar by my own.
Afterwards, I always hung out with older people, in bars and on the street. At the local fan club too. That’s where I discovered bands like Massilia Sound System. I talked a lot to people, all the time. All my discoveries come from there. For me, music is about sharing.
Do you remember your first concerts?
When I was a kid, I didn’t go to many. As a teenager, yes. I went independent at 15, and I did a lot of open mics. I remember the early days of Molotov, just after the Balthazar club era. Hazem gave me free admission. But I loved it so much, so I saved up to buy my first ticket. That’s how it started. I also went to Salle Gueule, where they played mostly punk music.
How did you start rapping?
Very obviously, thanks to my fourth-grade teacher! Nothing really interested me, I was just messing around. So he came to talk to me about it.
That I could rap poetry. At 12, it took a bit of courage.
But I did it. Lansky Namek has always been my nickname. Lansky for the Polish side of my family. Namek for the graffiti side. And it’s still here.
What rap represents you?
A way to free myself. My outlet for injustice, my childhood and adolescence… everything that piss me with society.
Without it, I wanted to brawl with people in the street! It opened my eyes to what I wanted to do and build. That’s how I reached out to others.
I’d run into someone, we’d talk, and right away I’d start rapping! I didn’t look any further. It was instinctive. It’s still like that today. I grew up in La Plaine. It’s lively, popular, very hip-hop. You see: everyone talks to each other, there’s graffiti everywhere, people paint in broad daylight here…
What’s your relationship with football and the ultra culture in Marseille?
When I was a child, around 4 or 5 years old, I ran away for the first time and ended up in the fans’ lounge.
My family wasn’t into football at all, but I was surrounded by guys singing at the afternoon drinks. I was immersed in that fervor, in anti-fascism, in the club’s history… I’ve been into that since I was a kid. It happened at the same time as sports. I put everything on the same level.
Rap, football, Muay Thai. It was my life. Being in Marseille means a lot, because everything is connected. It was the same unifying values: solidarity, respect. Everything that gave me the strength to fight and resist.
What stands out in your music is the musical openness. You rap over boom-bap (“Liquide d’Hadès”), you sing (“Arkham”), you lay down on beats over “Marseille 2000” (“Je ne suis qu’un chiffre”), you make trap (“Le Oaï”)… Where does this all-terrain side come from?
I like to do everything. Musical genres are multiple, you can mix everything if you want. For me, fusion is the very essence of creation. I also like the challenge of taking any beat. That’s where I feel most comfortable. I don’t have a niche. I have fun, I have no limits. Otherwise, for me, it’s not worth it. I don’t think about who I’m going to target with my music. I don’t care. If I reach one person, that’s already a lot! I don’t like conforming to an industry. I don’t need to please to anyone.
You say so, but your recordings and videoclips are solid! You still deliver quality.
If you don’t want to do things well, don’t do them. That’s what I tell myself. I do everything to the best of my ability with the means at my disposal. I don’t have any crazy expectations with music. I’ve already given writing workshops, and I tell myself I’d like to make a living from it.
But I’m not ready to do anything to fit into a box. I’m torn between that and the desire to please myself by releasing good quality stuff.
You’ve worked in social work. Does having a steady income alongside music help you gain this perspective?
I worked in social work for a long time, it’s true. I still work for two associations I founded. The RCQ (Le “Rap C Quoi”), which helps spread positive vibes through rap, and « Massilia Unity » where we put on free concerts. We also produce young artists who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have been incarcerated.
Today, I’m a healthcare assistant. I changed careers because social work didn’t pay enough, and it’s very important to me not to ask for subsidies. Begging for money isn’t my thing. I don’t want to be accountable to them. It’s by people for the people.
And your band Vodk47? It’s pretty rare for rappers to actually play rock!
Still, there’s Body Count!
It’s true! But it’s old school!
But for me, that’s where it comes from! That’s why I do it! When I was in high school, I already had a band, I was already playing punk and metal. I like the hardcore thing too…
We’re quite from the same generation. And in the schoolyard, those who liked rap didn’t hang out at all with those Korn kids dressed in black! It was totally separate worlds…
That’s true! There was the camp of those who were into rap, and the camp of people who listened to Muse, Deftones… But I didn’t care. Like I was saying, I always refused to be labelised. I was kind of the lonely girl who defended the guy who was getting beaten up! Those who weren’t happy were the same. At 12, I was already thinking like that… I had a natural curiosity. No boundaries. In rock, there was this call to insurrection. This kind of revolt. It spoke to me straight away. In hardcore, there were drums that sounded like hip-hop. In the way people dressed too, they wore baggy clothes. The attitude too… Frankly, I didn’t see any opposition between the two.
How would you define Vodk47?
We started as a fusion of grunge and hardcore. Two unlikely opposites! But I’m proud of what we’re building. It stems from a feeling of being fed up with the rap industry, because for me, hip-hop is a movement above all else. The trends, telling a story, being fake to get followers… honestly, fuck off.
We’re punks, we don’t need that. I’m the opposite of that system. Personally, I wanted to scream into a microphone again, to take on other vibes
I’m really fulfilled, I really feel freer than rapping. The guys in the group are very motivated, we’re not going to give up. It’s brawlish music! Violence doesn’t solve anything, but we can do ourselves some good through mosh pit!
How did your audience, who knew you from the rap scene, react?
They were shocked! They weren’t expecting that! My inner circle wasn’t, because they know my chameleon side. For them, it made sense.
But for some, it was like I was losing it! I’m not at all into that purist thing. I like to do lots of different things, and even more so to share them with others. Rap can be too repetitive sometimes. You do a sixteen-bar, chorus, a sixteen-bar, chorus… After a while, it’s good. Even in what I was saying. I felt like I was holding myself back. Now, I’m really letting loose.
What are you listening to all the time?
Merciless, Bodycount’s latest album, released last year. It’s truly amazing. I listen to old music, I admit! Hardcore bands like Backtrack… For the project, I’ve been getting back into grunge a bit. And I can never live without listening to thrash! I’m a big fan of Slayer and Sepultura. There are tons of bands in Marseille that are popping up all the time. The problem is the lack of venues to play gigs.
What do you think of the new metal scene coming out of Marseille, and highlighted by bands like Landmvrks?
I’m not going to lie, I have a bit of a problem with modern metal, and anything about nu-metal. But I respect it ! Besides, the singer of Novelists is a good friend of mine. It’s just that personally, I like the dirty sound. When it’s smooth, it’s less my thing. I need some mess! That’s why I listened to this music.
It’s fun, even when you rap on a trap track like “Le Oaï,” we can feel that punk side with your voice!
It’s true that the production is very modern. The mix too. But my interpretation, my voice, is something completely different. In my listening, I try to distance myself from what’s currently happening. It’s really intentional. I want to be in tune with myself.
Do you hang out with people from the current Marseille’s rap scene ?
Of course! I have many friends who are awesome. IStony Stone for example. It’s not what I listen to, but he’s my friend! And that’s fun. Zamdane too. Nothing to say! There’s Maze among the new ones too. It’s not my musical craze, but a unique and united mentality. Marseille, the real!
That’s the end of the interview, thank you!
Thank you! And a shout-out to my guitarist and drummer who started a new band with some guys from Unfit. It’s called Filade and it’s really cool.
Aren’t you in it?
No, I can’t scream all the time either! Honestly, I only sleep three hours a night, and then I’m back on track, but if there are too many projects at the same time, I can’t give 100%!