lit a candle 4h agoMy son showed me a clip of his a few months back, something about Montreuil and a hospital across the street. I didn't understand half the words but you could feel it. 34 is no age at all.
Their story
Prince Waly, born Moussa Magassa on 24 December 1991 in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, was a French rapper whose cinematic, old-school-rooted style made him one of the most respected voices of his generation in francophone rap. He died on 4 October 2026 at the age of 34, after eight years of fighting…
Prince Waly, born Moussa Magassa on 24 December 1991 in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, was a French rapper whose cinematic, old-school-rooted style made him one of the most respected voices of his generation in francophone rap. He died on 4 October 2026 at the age of 34, after eight years of fighting serious illness.
Magassa grew up in the La Boissière neighbourhood of Montreuil, opposite the André-Grégoire hospital, before his family moved to Bas-Montreuil. At the age of eight his older brother introduced him to Mauvais Œil, the landmark album by the group Lunatic, a record he said marked him for life. He began rapping at middle school with his childhood friend Fiasko Proximo. Their first group, Recto Verso, soon became Big Budha Cheez. His stage name came from two places: the film Boyz n the Hood, in which a father tells his son that he is a prince because the father is king of the house, and the first name of his own father, Waly.
Big Budha Cheez released the EP Ma Routine roule à M.City in 2012 on the Exepoq label, followed in 2013 by the three-track M.City Citizen, whose video was shot on a VHS camcorder for lack of budget, and a twelve-track EP with DJ Med Fleed featuring Jazzy Bazz. M.City was the duo's nickname for Montreuil. In November 2013 Prince Waly appeared alone for the first time on Clean Shoes, from Myth Syzer's EP ZEro. He later said that without Clean Shoes, Prince Waly would not have existed. Appearances in Grünt freestyles led to collaborations with Alpha Wann and Hologram Lo' on Rov or Benz, and with the Bon Gamin collective.
In 2016 Big Budha Cheez released their first album, L'heure des loups, produced entirely by Fiasko, while Magassa worked as a nursery school activity leader in Montreuil. That November he released his first solo EP, Junior, made with Myth Syzer. In 2017 he rapped alongside Lomepal on Forêt, from The Alchemist's mixtape Paris L.A. Bruxelles, and in 2018 Big Budha Cheez released Épicerie coréenne on PIAS, featuring Oxmo Puccino. His second solo EP, BO Y Z, arrived on 18 January 2019. Steeped in references to American gangster films, it was a critical success and featured Feu! Chatterton, Alpha Wann, Enchantée Julia and Triplego.
Two months later, in March 2019, he learned that he had cancer of the thymus. The tumour sat on a nerve controlling his vocal cords and he lost his voice for months. By late 2021 he announced that he had recovered, and encouraged by the beatmaker JayJay he began work on a debut album. He returned in March 2022 with the single Walygator, followed by Avertisseurs (Part II), a tribute to Lunatic. His first and only solo album, Moussa, came out on 30 September 2022 with guests including Ali of Lunatic, Feu! Chatterton, Enchantée Julia, Freeze Corleone, Jazzy Bazz, Luidji and Makala. The album won the Prix Joséphine in September 2023 and is widely seen as the major work of his career.
On 11 March 2023 he married the singer Enchantée Julia, a frequent collaborator. In May 2023 the couple performed Cra$h together at the first Flammes ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. In December 2023 he released the EP BO Y Z Vol. 2, featuring Dinos and Enchantée Julia, and he went on to headline the Olympia and, on 12 January 2025, the Philharmonie de Paris with a live band. He kept collaborating in 2025 and 2026, with artists including Dosseh, Baby Neelou and Zach Zoya.
In September 2026 he revealed that his fight was not over: he was suffering from paraneoplastic pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the skin and mucous membranes. His label and management, I See Colors, announced his death on the evening of Sunday 4 October 2026, describing a man of rare aura, deep sensitivity, immense kindness and great elegance, respected by artists of every generation and style. Tributes poured in from across French rap and the media, and his wife Enchantée Julia wrote that no words could ever say how much she loved Moussa.
Biography adapted from Le Figaro (4 Oct 2026), Le Monde, RFI, franceinfo, Vogue France, L'Écho Républicain, Public.fr, French Wikipedia (Prince Waly). Wikipedia ↗
In their own words
“Sans Clean Shoes, Prince Waly n'aurait pas existé aujourd'hui.”
On his 2013 feature with Myth Syzer: without Clean Shoes, Prince Waly would not exist today. Le Bon Son interview, 31 October 2022.
“La tumeur que j'avais était placée sur un nerf qui gère les cordes vocales, c'est pour ça que j'ai perdu ma voix.”
Explaining how cancer of the thymus took his voice (the tumour was on a nerve controlling the vocal cords). Abcdr du Son, October 2022, quoted by Le Figaro.
“Je voulais faire un album qui traverse le temps.”
On Moussa: I wanted to make an album that stands the test of time. Interlude interview, 20 October 2022.
“L'important n'est pas de retrouver son niveau, c'est de l'élever.”
On his return after illness: the important thing is not to get back to your level but to raise it. Libération, October 2022.
Photos
1Prince Waly at Yardland festival, Paris, 2025
Jul 2025 · by People Forever
he was something else, even in translation