''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 director. He has released four studio albums: his debut ''Perdu d'av ...

, released on 19 November 2021 through

7th Magnitude 7th 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. Activity 7th Magnitude ha ...

, 3^e Bureau and

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) north ...

. The album was largely produced by long-time collaborator

Skread Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born September 22, 1981, 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 partner " ...

and features guest appearances by

Gringe Guillaume Tranchant (; born 20 February 1980), better known by his stage name Gringe (), is a French Rapping, rapper and songwriter. He is one half of the French hip hop duo Casseurs Flowters, along with Orelsan, with whom he has released two st ...

and

The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

. It marks his first album release in over four years. The album made a record-breaking debut on the French Albums Chart, selling more units than any other album in 2021. The album topped at 1st on French and Belgian (Wallonia) charts, as well as 2nd on Swiss charts at its best week. It was certified diamond by the

SNEP SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

within five months in France, becoming the fastest album to be certified diamond in the history of French rap. According to the

, ''Civilisation'' was the No.1 selling album in France for two consecutive years of 2021 and 2022.

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 "committed and personal tracks", in a soundscape between "drill" and "disco". French publication ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; ) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of ...

'' 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 SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in 1 ...

, 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 Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by 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 Single (music), lead single from his fourth studio album, ''Civilisation (album), Civilisation'' ...

" reached number one on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

. The other lead single " Jour meilleur" reached number one the following week. All of the album tracks entered the

Top 20 in its first week, nine of which reached the Top 10.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Orelsan 2021 albums 7th Magnitude albums Albums produced by Skread 2020s French-language albums Orelsan albums Wagram Music albums