Orelsan Addresses Feud with Kylian Mbappé: A Misunderstanding at Heart

PARIS — French rap artist Orelsan clarified on Wednesday that a “misunderstanding” likely fueled his recent conflict with soccer star Kylian Mbappé.

Orelsan, one of France’s most popular and bestselling rap artists, inadvertently offended the Real Madrid forward with a line from his latest album, “La fuite en avant.” Specifically, the track “La petite voix” features Orelsan’s inner voice critiquing and insulting not only himself but also his family and fans.

Among the lyrics, Orelsan makes a pointed reference to the Mbappé family: “You’ll sink your city like the Mbappés,” alluding to the 2024 acquisition of Caen’s soccer club by Mbappé’s company, Interconnected Ventures. Orelsan, a lifelong supporter of the team from his hometown in Normandy, expressed frustration as the club faced relegation to the third tier of French soccer last season.

In response to the lyric, Mbappé voiced his displeasure, accusing Orelsan of hypocrisy. “You’re welcome to come ‘save’ the city you love so much,” Mbappé remarked in a social media post, adding, “The guy kept begging us to join with 1% without paying a cent — because he’s broke — just to look like the nice guy from Normandy.”

Orelsan opted not to escalate the situation, discussing the matter during an interview with Fun Radio. He stated, “I don’t really feel like responding. I’m still in the heat of the moment, and I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s a misunderstanding. I think I just need to properly explain the concept of the album.”

Expounding on the themes of his song, Orelsan noted, “These negative thoughts form a sort of inner voice — an inner critic — that begins to consume me, focusing solely on the bad. It’s a significant theme of the album.”

When approached for comments at France’s training camp, Mbappé declined to engage further, stating, “Nothing to say, I’m not interested.”