20-year-old French rapper Joke AKA Giles Soren has been garnering quite a bit of attention recently. His debut release on Institubes' hip hop imprint STUNTS earned him some much-deserved praise from DJ, label founder and general trend setter Teki Latex, and the young musician has been playing venues across the country consistently over the last two years.

Dazed Digital: How would you describe what you do?
Joke: It's a mix between Russian dolls and musical boxes. You listen to a song and you see the packaging, the style, the flow and the image. Then as you dig a little deeper you start focusing on the lyrics and you get something more out of it. It's images, metaphors and emotions, translated into music.

DD: What first inspired you to start making music?
Joke: It was the older guys in my neighbourhood that were doing it, it was the attitude they had, their style – going hard and being admired.

DD: Where do your ideas come from?
Joke: Honestly, I don't even ask myself that question. Usually I say I'm inspired by every day life, so people stop asking me...but at the end of the day I guess it's the most plausible explanation I have found.

DD: Who do you want to hear your music? 
Joke: There are no limits when it comes to that. I do it for any people who might understand me or feel something when they listen to the songs. If there are cute girls among them, I'm even happier.

DD: What do you find inspiring about the country you live in?
Joke: I think French culture inspires me without even me realizing it. French people have a very important legacy when it comes to literature and you can feel that in the art over here.


Celebrating a year of creativity Converse presents a series of their favourite new artists from around the world. Find out more about how to enter the Converse/DAZED 2010 Emerging Artists Award