Bigflo & Oli
Bigflo & Oli is a French hip hop duo from Toulouse, composed of brothers Florian "Bigflo" Ordoñez and Olivio "Oli" Ordoñez.[1] The pair rose to prominence via YouTube videos featuring introspective and eclectic rap lyrics that mix humor with social observations, amassing over one billion views on the platform.[2][3] Their music career includes multiple albums certified platinum or higher, with combined sales exceeding one million copies by 2019, alongside over one billion streams across platforms.[2][3] Bigflo & Oli have earned three Victoires de la Musique awards, ten NRJ Music Awards—including Best Francophone Duet/Group in 2017—and the MTV Europe Music Award for Best French Act.[2][3] After completing sold-out stadium tours and an international run, the duo announced further performances for 2025, including festival appearances.[2]Early life and formation
Childhood and family background
Florian José Ordoñez, known professionally as Bigflo, was born on January 22, 1993, in Toulouse, France, while his younger brother Olivio Laurentino Ordoñez, known as Oli, was born on April 19, 1996, also in Toulouse.[4][5] The brothers grew up in the city's Barrière de Paris neighborhood, residing for approximately two decades in a modest family home on a quiet street, which shaped their early experiences in a working-class urban environment.[6] Their family background is multicultural, with their father, Fabian Ordoñez, originating from Argentina and working as a salsa singer, exposing the household to Latin musical traditions.[5][7] Their mother, Patricia, is French with Algerian heritage, contributing to a blend of North African and European influences in the home.[8] This music-oriented family dynamic immersed the siblings in an environment rich with performative arts from a young age, though specific details on siblings beyond the duo remain limited in public records.[4][9]Initial music influences and amateur beginnings
Bigflo and Oli, the brothers Florian Ordoñez (born January 22, 1993) and Olivio Ordoñez (born April 19, 1996), were exposed to music from an early age through their multicultural family environment in Toulouse, France. Their father, Fabian Ordoñez, an Argentine salsa singer, and their mother, Patricia, of French-Algerian origin with a strong affinity for chanson française, immersed them in diverse musical traditions including salsa rhythms and classic French songs.[10][4] Complementing this familial foundation, both brothers received formal classical training at the Toulouse Conservatory of Music. Florian studied drums and piano, while Olivio focused on trumpet, developing technical proficiency that later informed their self-produced beats and instrumentation in rap tracks.[11][12] Their transition to rap occurred during pre-teen years, with Florian beginning to write and perform rhymes around age 11 and Olivio joining at age 8, often supported by their mother who drove them to early local gigs.[13] Influenced by French rap artists such as I AM, Sully Sefil, and Orelsan, they honed their skills through amateur participation in Toulouse-area rap battles and open mic scenes, gradually building a grassroots following before releasing early freestyles online around 2011.[14][15] These initial efforts emphasized lyrical storytelling and humor, setting the stage for their duo's signature style blending conscious themes with accessible production.Career trajectory
Debut and breakthrough: La Cour des grands (2015–2016)
La Cour des grands, the debut studio album by French rap duo Bigflo & Oli, was released on June 1, 2015, via Polydor/Universal Music France.[16][17] Comprising 18 tracks in the conscious hip-hop style, it showcased the brothers' lyrical prowess on themes of ambition and societal critique, with production credits including Luc Blanchot and co-compositions by the duo.[18] The album built on their prior YouTube virality, marking their transition to professional recording artists after signing with a major label.[19] Commercially, La Cour des grands peaked at number 2 on the French Albums Chart and charted for a total of 72 weeks, demonstrating sustained popularity in the domestic market.[20] The Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) certified it gold on December 23, 2015, for surpassing 50,000 units in sales or equivalent streams, a milestone achieved within approximately six months of release.[17] This certification underscored the album's breakthrough impact, elevating Bigflo & Oli from internet sensations to established figures in French rap.[19] In 2016, the duo capitalized on the album's momentum through live performances and media appearances, further solidifying their presence amid a competitive hip-hop landscape dominated by established acts.[21] The success of La Cour des grands laid the foundation for subsequent releases, proving the viability of their brotherly dynamic and authentic storytelling in attracting a broad audience.[19]Mainstream success: La Vraie Vie (2017)
La Vraie Vie, the second studio album by French rap duo Bigflo & Oli, was released on June 23, 2017, through Polydor (Universal Music France).[22] The project featured 15 tracks, including collaborations with artists such as Vérino and Disiz, and emphasized the brothers' signature blend of introspective lyrics on everyday struggles with melodic hooks.[22] It debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart, marking their first chart-topping release and surpassing their debut La Cour des Grands.[23] The lead single, "Dommage," released on June 22, 2017, propelled the album's promotion with its reflective take on missed opportunities and societal pressures.[24] The track peaked at number 11 on the French Singles Chart and amassed over 25 million equivalent units, earning a diamond certification from SNEP on March 2, 2018.[24] Follow-up singles like "Ça va trop vite" also contributed to the album's momentum, achieving gold status.[25] La Vraie Vie achieved rapid commercial validation, certified gold within three weeks of release for 50,000 units sold, platinum by September 18, 2017, for 100,000 units, and ultimately diamond on August 28, 2018, with total sales exceeding 500,000 copies in France.[26] This success reflected growing public resonance with their authentic storytelling, sustaining chart presence into 2018 and solidifying their transition from underground acclaim to mainstream prominence.[27] The album garnered critical and industry recognition, including a nomination for Urban Music Album of the Year at the 2018 Victoires de la Musique awards.[3] Bigflo & Oli won the NRJ Music Award for Francophone Duo/Group of the Year in November 2017, performing "Dommage" at the ceremony.[28] Additionally, they received a SACEM award in November 2017 for the track "Je suis" from the album.[29] These accolades underscored the duo's rising influence in French urban music.Peak commercial era: La Vie de rêve (2018–2023)
La Vie de rêve, the third studio album by the French rap duo Bigflo & Oli, was released on November 23, 2018, by Polydor.[30] The 17-track project featured collaborations including Petit Biscuit on "Demain" and addressed themes of fame, societal pressures, and personal reflection through introspective lyrics and varied production styles blending rap, pop, and electronic elements.[31] It debuted strongly on the French Albums Chart, reaching positions that reflected sustained commercial momentum into 2019, with year-end rankings placing it at number 22 on the SNEP French Albums Chart for that year.[32] The album achieved rapid commercial certification milestones in France, earning triple platinum status from SNEP by May 22, 2020, equivalent to 300,000 units sold or streamed.[33] Key singles contributed to this success; "Demain," featuring Petit Biscuit and released ahead of the album on July 6, 2018, gained traction through its melodic production and radio play, while tracks like "Plus tard" and "Sur la lune" supported promotional efforts with moderate chart entries, the latter peaking at number 57 on the Top Singles France. These releases underscored the duo's ability to blend accessible hooks with narrative-driven rap, driving album streams and physical sales during a period of heightened visibility.[34] Live performances amplified the era's commercial peak, with Bigflo & Oli embarking on arena tours and festival appearances that drew large crowds, including slots at major events like the 2019 Papillons de Nuit festival. Their setlists from this period, such as those on the Le Grand Tour, emphasized high-energy renditions of La Vie de rêve material alongside earlier hits, filling venues across France and demonstrating expanded fan engagement.[35] Awards recognition further highlighted their dominance; at the 2018 NRJ Music Awards, they won the Groupe/Duo Francophone de l'Année, and in 2019, they secured two trophies, including another in the francophone group category, affirming peer and industry validation amid rising sales.[36] This phase from 2018 to 2023 marked their most sustained chart presence and revenue generation before shifting to new projects, with the album's enduring certifications reflecting long-term listener loyalty.[37]Revival and new directions: Les autres c'est nous (2024–present)
In 2024, Bigflo & Oli extended their "Les autres c'est nous" tour with high-profile stadium performances, including two sold-out shows at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse on June 8 and 9, drawing over 60,000 attendees across the weekend and marking a historic return to arena-scale events in their hometown.[38][39] The duo also appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorsport event on April 30, performing as part of the race village entertainment program alongside acts like Louise Attaque.[40] The tour, supporting their 2022 album, ultimately spanned three years and concluded in 2025 after more than 60 dates across French-speaking venues, including Zéniths and arenas, emphasizing a mature production with custom visuals and props like a central cube for immersive staging.[41][42] This phase represented a revival of live momentum following earlier commercial peaks, with enhanced spectacle including 400 automated lights and searchlights for larger productions.[43] Shifting toward new directions, Bigflo & Oli released several freestyles and singles in 2025, including "Mexico en Janvier (Freestyle 2025)" on March 14, "Londres en Mars_freestyle 2025," and "Insolent 5," signaling ongoing creative output amid tour commitments.[44][45] By September 2025, the brothers announced work on a fifth studio album slated for 2026 release, three years after "Les autres c'est nous," building on tour successes to explore fresh material.[46] They also curated the Rose Festival in Toulouse, with a 2025 edition featuring expanded cultural programming rooted in their local ties.[47]Musical style and themes
Core elements of style and production
Bigflo & Oli employ a hybrid production style rooted in hip-hop, integrating technical rap delivery with melodic structures and accessible instrumentation to broaden appeal beyond traditional rap audiences. Their beats typically feature energetic rhythms, layered percussion, and hooks that emphasize piano or guitar accents, creating a balance between introspective verses and anthemic choruses. This approach is evident in tracks like those from La Vie de rêve, where production prioritizes enthusiasm and rhyme-driven flows over heavy trap elements, resulting in "pure hip-hop" with emotional depth.[3] The duo frequently self-produces their music, leveraging in-house capabilities honed through early instrumental training—Olivio on trumpet and Florian on drums and piano—which informs their incorporation of live-feel elements into digital beats. While core tracks maintain a DIY ethos for authenticity, they occasionally collaborate with external producers, such as Accent Beats and Seezy for "Insolent #4," to introduce varied sonic textures like darker synths or punchier basslines. This evolution is marked by escalating production budgets across albums, enabling richer arrangements in La Vraie Vie onward, with deliberate beat selections that support narrative-driven lyrics without overpowering them.[48] [49] [50] In live contexts, their production translates to setups emphasizing instrumental melodies alongside rap, using dynamic mixes to enhance storytelling impact, as seen in arena tours where FOH engineering amplifies fiery flows with melodic interludes. Overall, this style avoids genre rigidity, favoring versatile, melody-infused hip-hop that prioritizes catchiness and thematic resonance over experimental abstraction.[51][7]Lyrical content, influences, and evolution
Bigflo & Oli's lyrics emphasize narrative storytelling, intricate wordplay, and emotional introspection, often drawing from personal and familial experiences to depict everyday struggles, societal absurdities, and the tensions between authenticity and fame. Their content frequently incorporates humor, social critique, and themes of brotherhood, ambition, and resilience, distinguishing them from more aggressive strains of French rap through a focus on relatability and technical rhyme schemes.[14][7][52] The duo's primary influences stem from the French rap tradition, including groups like IAM for their foundational lyricism and MC Solaar for melodic flow, alongside modern artists such as Orelsan for introspective storytelling; these are augmented by chanson française structures and Latin rhythmic elements reflective of their Argentinian paternal heritage and childhood exposures to diverse sounds.[14][53][7][11] Early in their career, with the 2015 album La Cour des grands, their style leaned toward playful parody and conscious pop-rap, satirizing youthful pretensions and routine banalities in tracks like "Le bouchon" to evoke the "cour des grands" as a metaphor for entering adulthood's challenges.[53][54] This evolved in La Vraie Vie (2017), where lyrics delved into raw introspection on family bonds, romantic failures, and the grind of ordinary existence versus emerging success, as in "Dommage" and "Personne," prioritizing emotional depth over humor.[55][56] By La Vie de rêve (2018), their content matured to confront celebrity's illusions, fame's isolating pressures, and the duty to inspire amid public scrutiny, with songs like "Plus tard" and "Rentrez chez vous!" blending critique of superficiality with calls for grounded perspectives.[57][58] Subsequent releases, including Les autres c'est nous (2022), further refined this trajectory toward hybrid emotional narratives and collective empathy, enriching their technical rap with broader social resonance while preserving accessibility and sincerity.[59][7][60]Discography
Studio albums
Bigflo & Oli's debut studio album, La Cour des grands, was released on June 2, 2015, through Polydor, a label under Universal Music France.[61][54] The album marked their entry into professional recording after years of independent mixtapes and YouTube freestyles, featuring 15 tracks with production handled primarily by the duo alongside collaborators like Thug Millionnaire.[21] It received gold certification in France, recognizing sales equivalent to 50,000 units, making the brothers the youngest French rappers to achieve this milestone at the time.[19] Their second studio album, La Vraie Vie, followed on June 23, 2017, again via Polydor and Universal Music France.[62][22] Comprising 18 tracks, it built on their breakthrough with introspective lyrics addressing everyday struggles and family dynamics, produced in-house with external beats from artists like Nekfeu contributors.[52] The record earned gold certification within three weeks, platinum after three months on September 18, 2017, double platinum by early December 2017, and ultimately diamond status for over 300,000 equivalent units sold.[62][19] La Vie de rêve, the third studio album, arrived on November 23, 2018, under the same Polydor/Universal imprint.[63] It includes 17 tracks exploring themes of fame and aspiration, with self-production emphasizing melodic hooks and guest features from Vianney and Ben Mazué.[3] The album secured gold certification in just ten days and reached triple platinum status in France.[3][19] The duo's fourth studio album, Les autres c'est nous, was released on June 24, 2022.[64] Featuring 14 tracks, it shifts toward collaborative and socially conscious content, with production involving the brothers and associates like Videoclub.[65] While specific French certifications remain unconfirmed in available data, it achieved gold status in Belgium for 15,000 units.[66]Singles and featured tracks
Bigflo & Oli have released a series of singles tied to their album cycles, often emphasizing introspective or social themes through rapid-fire lyrics and melodic hooks. Their debut major single, "Dommage" from the album La Vraie Vie, was released on June 23, 2017, marking their entry into mainstream French rap with a track critiquing modern regrets and societal pressures.[67] Subsequent singles from the same era included "Alors Alors" on May 12, 2017, and "Personne" on June 2, 2017, both promoting the album's raw portrayal of everyday life. For La Vie de Rêve, key singles encompassed "Demain" featuring Petit Biscuit, released June 29, 2018, blending electronic production with aspirational verses, alongside "Plus Tard" and "Mytho" in 2018, which explored fame and authenticity.[68] In the Les Autres c'est Nous period and beyond, singles shifted toward collaborative and experimental releases, including "Mexico en Janvier" (Youssoupha Remix) and freestyles like "Londres en Mars" in 2025, reflecting evolving production influences.[69] Recent standalone efforts, such as "Insolent 5" and "Mourir pour renaître" in 2025, continue their tradition of self-released tracks via platforms like Spotify, prioritizing direct fan engagement over traditional radio promotion.[69] As featured artists, Bigflo & Oli have contributed verses to tracks by peers, enhancing cross-genre appeal. Notable appearances include "One Life" by Mcfly & Carlito, released December 9, 2021, where their rap delivery complements the producers' upbeat style on the album Notre Meilleur Album.[70] They also featured on Grand Médine's "High & Fines Herbes," integrating into the rapper's introspective flows, and Rubi's "XXV," adding punchy bars to emerging trap influences.[69]| Title | Artist | Release Date | Album/Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Life | Mcfly & Carlito feat. Bigflo & Oli | December 9, 2021 | Notre Meilleur Album |
| High & Fines Herbes | Grand Médine feat. Bigflo & Oli | N/A (album track, 2020s) | Standalone collaboration |
| XXV | Rubi feat. Bigflo & Oli | N/A (single-era, 2020s) | Emerging rap feature |
Chart performance and certifications
Bigflo & Oli's albums have consistently achieved high positions on the French Albums Chart (SNEP), with La Vraie Vie (2017) ranking 17th on the year-end chart that year.[26] La Vie de rêve (2018) placed 30th on one annual SNEP ranking and 22nd in 2019.[32] Their 2022 release Les autres c'est nous logged 51 weeks on the chart, peaking outside the top 50 in the 2024 year-end compilation.[71] On the singles chart, "Dommage" from La Vraie Vie peaked at number 11 and remained on the SNEP Singles Chart for 60 weeks.[72] "Coup de vieux" reached number 36 in 2022.[73] The duo's works have earned multiple SNEP certifications based on equivalent unit sales (physical, downloads, and streams). The following table summarizes key album certifications:| Album | Certification | Equivalent Units | Certification Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cour des grands (2015) | Or (Gold) | 50,000 | December 23, 2015 |
| La Vraie Vie (2017) | Diamant (Diamond) | 500,000 | Unspecified (post-2018) |
| La Vie de rêve (2018) | Triple Platine (3× Platinum) | 300,000 | May 22 (year unspecified) |