Ziak

Ziak is a French rapper from the Essonne department south of Paris who emerged in early 2020 with a string of clipped, viral tracks. He rose alongside the drill wave that swept French rap, with the single «Raspoutine» becoming a breakout hit that carried him beyond the underground scene into wider recognition. In 2021 he signed with the Millenium label, through which he released his debut studio album Akimbo that November.

What sets Ziak apart is as much his aesthetic as his music: he consistently appears masked in his videos, reveals almost nothing about his personal identity, and his single covers depict him only as a drawn, illustrated figure rather than a photograph. He deliberately restricts communication around his releases, even removing comments on his videos days after release to sustain intrigue and keep listener anticipation high.

After his initial run of drill-leaning tracks such as «Fixette» and «Galerie», Ziak began diversifying his sound, experimenting with different rhythms and flows and drawing on UK-influenced productions. Songs like «Flocko» and «Shonen» reflect this stylistic broadening beyond his drill roots, positioning him as one of the more distinctive and image-conscious figures in contemporary French rap.