"For me, music means I enjoy it first; money comes afterwards", says I2S today to explain his rap, which he arrived at backwards in hip hop. It's a Parisian rap, born in his native 20th arrondissement, on rue Piat, a popular, colorful thoroughfare linking rue des Pyrénées and the restful Parc de Belleville. This is where Issa grew up in a family originally from Guinea-Conakry. Issa formed his first band, 20e SYIN ("we grew up together"), with a group of local buddies. The initials of the band's first names later became Blv Mafia, Blv for Belleville, calling their style "pour nous" ("for us"). The group's first videos were posted on social networks. "People loved it," says Issa, who sings: "J'ai maille-maillé pour nous/J'ai battaille-taillé pour nous/ Et tu taillée-taillée du jour au lendemain". At the same time, he writes: "As soon as I had an inspiration, I'd put it down in the studio. That's how I made my first solo sound with an Afro rhythm. I called it thug style. In other words, the lifestyle of young people on the street. The street was Issa's first inspiration, and in March 2017 he received a boost when he opened for MHD in Guinea.