KING KARLEMAGNE has been on a musical warpath, as this is the second time this year that he dropped off a stellar body of work. Serving as the follow-up to March 2023’s Kamericano: The Legend of the Invincible Karl Talla, Vol. 1, The Gospel not only holds its own weight but excels in its predecessor’s shortcomings. The rapper, now turned film producer raises the anticipation for the LP with his own sentiments. “On Kamericano I wanted to show I could make songs in French, write melodies. This time around I proved I could rap with the best of them,” he stated.
This entire year King Karlemagne, whose real name is Karl Talla, has been working like a man with point to prove. Between running a non-profit (ADO Foundation), producing a film on Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis entitled, Caller ID: Unknown, and the release of Kamericano earlier this year, it’s safe to say the 32 year old has been keeping busy. In the competitive space of indie rap, this latest offering solidifies Karl as a force to be
reckoned with. And despite only sporadicly releasing music over the years, Karl proves he never lost a step lyrically.
“I never had the luxury of focusing solely on releasing music because it never paid the bills for me. Also, the last five years of my life were so chaotic— I just now found myself in a headspace where I could get back to my passion,” the wordsmith says of his 6 year long hiatus. “As far as being older, I think Nas, Lloyd Banks, Griselda, are proving that there are no age limits to this.”
With Hip-Hop being considered a young man’s sport, the Massachusetts raised rapper is now an elder-statesmen with a lot to give back to the culture that he grew up on. On Christmas Eve (12/24), he delivers the second installment of The Legend of the Invincible Karl Talla series, christened The Gospel of Karlemagne, under his Nomad Est. 2000 imprint.
“This is the fifth music project I’ve put out since my first mixtape in 2010. I call this one The Gospel of Karlemagne because it also happens to be my most personal, and dear to my heart— for a multitude of reasons. When Roll’x and I were doing ‘Kamericano’ we were also editing a film, scoring the film, working on the soundtrack for the film, and so forth. So even if the quality was there, that project did not have our undivided attention. About a week after it went up on streaming services, we both looked at each other and decided to do something with a theme so the entire project would be more cohesive.”
Equipped with 14 records, the album’s production is handled solely by Roll’X King, who has worked with Cameroon music heavyweights Lady B, Valsero, Maahlox le Vibeur, Z-Tra, Lady Ponce, Duke Z, to name a few. On the side of features, Karl privileges his Nomad Publishing, Films, & Recordings, LLC. label mates, Roll’X King, who makes several appearances as an artist, along side new comer and “Reach Out” songstress, Johane Essomba.
Tap in to some quality Hip-Hop on The Legend of the Invincible Karl Talla, Vol. 2: The Gospel of Karlemagne.
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