The world of French rap is in mourning. The Parisian artist Prince Waly, a recognized and appreciated figure in the field, died this Sunday, at only 34 years old, “following a long illness against which he fought courageously for eight years”, his relatives announced on social networks.
Real name Moussa Magassa, Prince Waly first suffered from thymus cancer in 2019, from which he announced recovery in 2021. “The tumor that I had was placed on a nerve which manages the vocal cords, that’s why I lost my voice,” he explained in an interview with “ABCDR du Son” in 2022.
Although he was cured of this cancer, Prince Waly later suffered from another illness: paraneoplastic pemphigus. It is a rare and very serious autoimmune disease that combines painful lesions of the skin and mucous membranes with an underlying cancer. The rapper announced the bad news to his community in September. “He will have faced the illness with strength and determination, until the end,” his loved ones underlined in their press release.
An album in 2022
His health concerns did not prevent him from making music. “Despite his illness, he continued to create and bring his music to life. His album “Moussa”, released in 2022, will remain one of the major works of his career. An album in which he put his story, his trials and all the singularity of his rap,” writes those around him. He had also released three EPs: “Junior” (2016), “BO YZ” (2019) and “BO YZ vol. 2” (2023).
Prince Waly was married to singer Enchantée Julia since March 2023.
