Casablancan rap heavyweight ElGrandeToto returns with SALGOAT (Vol. 2), the second installment of a mixtape series that allows him to step outside the expectations attached to his status as Morocco’s biggest rapper. Across 17 tracks, the project finds Toto reconnecting with the darker, more instinctive sound that first made him a phenomenon, while expanding the world of SALGOAT. The sequel, SALGOAT (Vol. 2) feels like a statement of intent from an artist determined to rediscover.
Rooted in dark trap production, the mixtape offers significantly more variety in both structure and mood. Toto also shifts his collaborative focus inward. After years of seeking high-profile international collaborations with artists like CKay, Ayra Starr, Hamza, French Montana, Baby Gang, Mourad, and Samara, he uses this project to spotlight a new generation of Moroccan talent. Rising names such as Gello 4031, Najm, and Shaw share space with longtime collaborator Draganov, while French rappers Jolagreen23, ZKR, and Rounhaa help bridge Moroccan and French rap scenes without overshadowing the project’s local identity.
Built around eerie synth arpeggios and a drumless arrangement, ‘RITUEL’ slowly summons the alter ego before the chaos begins. The pitched-down vocal layers and haunting atmosphere establish the project’s darker tone from the outset.
‘LIBERTÉ’ acts as the project’s emotional and thematic centerpiece. Toto has described it as one of the songs that defined the mixtape’s direction, and its title (French for “freedom”), balancing club energy with subtle experimentation, while Toto’s delivery feels liberated from the commercial expectations that have followed him throughout the past few years.
One of the standout tracks arrives with ‘SHEVCHENKO.’ Named after legendary Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko, the track showcases some of Toto’s sharpest writing and most effortless delivery with much of the second verse freestyled in the studio, making its precision even more impressive. The lo-fi textures and understated production create one of the mixtape’s most replayable moments.
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