''Civilisation'' is the fourth studio album by French rapper
Orelsan
Aurélien Cotentin (; born 1 August 1982), better known by his stage name Orelsan, sometimes stylized as OrelSan (), is a French rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor and film director. He has released four studio albums: his debut ''Perdu d ...
, released on 19 November 2021 through
7th Magnitude
7th Magnitude (french: Septième magnitude) is a record label founded by French record producer Matthieu "Skread" Le Carpentier and co-founder Abdoulaye "Ablaye" Doucouré. The label is known for having signed French rappers Orelsan and Nessbeal. ...
, 3
e Bureau and
Wagram
Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the states of Austria, state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Morava (river), Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city ...
. The album was largely produced by long-time collaborator
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his partn ...
and features guest appearances by
Gringe and
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, ...
. It marks his first album release in over four years.
The album made a record-breaking debut on the French Albums Chart, moving more units than any other album in 2021.
Background and reception
Prior to its release, Orelsan did not reveal much about the album.
According to him, in his mind the record signifies a "deconstruction". In late October 2021, it was announced that physical copies of the album would arrive in 15 different designs.
Two vinyl editions of the album were released on 10 December 2021.
''Civilisation'' sees the rapper departing from his "crazed humour" trademark style, instead settling for more "commited and personal tracks", in a soundscape between "drill" and "disco". French publication ''
Le Parisien
''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH.
Histor ...
'' called ''Civilisation'' the best French rap album of 2021.
However, the record was also criticised for containing too much singing while it was also noted that the rapper took himself too seriously at times.
Commercial performance
In its first three days, ''Civilisation'' sold 94,306 units, beating a record previously held by
PNL's ''
Deux frères'' (2019). The album arrived atop the
French Albums Chart
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, moving 138,929 units in its first week, 96,615 of which were physical sales. The sum reset the record for the largest opening week in France for an album in 2021, beating
Adele's ''
30'' which debuted at number two the same week.
The lead single "
L'odeur de l'essence
"L'odeur de l'essence" is a song by French rapper Orelsan, released on 17 November 2021, through 7th Magnitude, 3ème Bureau and Wagram Music, as the lead single from his fourth studio album, ''Civilisation
A civilization (or civilisation) ...
" reached number one on the
French Singles Chart a week prior. In total, the album spawned two number-one songs. All of the album tracks entered the French Singles Chart in its first week, eight of which reached the top ten.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Orelsan
2021 albums
7th Magnitude albums
Albums produced by Skread
French-language albums
Orelsan albums