Rilès

About

Also known as: Rilès Kacimi

Rilès, born Rilès Kacimi in Rouen, France, is a Franco Algerian artist who does pretty much everything himself: writing, producing, mastering, recording, directing, and editing his own music videos. Most of his songs are in English, which sets him apart in the French rap world, though he also dips into French, Spanish, Portuguese, and even Japanese. His 2016 project RILÈSUNDAYZ, a collection of 52 songs released one per Sunday for an entire year, shows just how prolific he can be, and tracks like "Brothers", "Pesetas" and "Should I" became some of his most recognisable work. His 2025 album Survival Mode marked a real turning point, reflecting two years of serious personal struggle including suicide attempts, and he launched it with a 24 hour treadmill run inside a glass arena in Paris, in front of a large circular saw, streaming the whole thing live. He followed that up the same year with The 25th Hour, for which he hand stamped 20,000 physical copies over 25 hours, a nod to the tegata tradition of Japanese sumo wrestlers.