NI is the fourth studio album by French rapper Ninho, released on 30 June 2023 through Rec. 118 and Jefe Production.[1] The album features guest appearances from American rapper Lil Baby, British rapper Central Cee, and Nigerian singers Omah Lay and Ayra Starr.[2] Conceived as a more internationally oriented project than his previous albums, NI pairs Ninho’s melodic trap with Afropop, UK rap and piano-driven productions.[3] A deluxe edition with five additional tracks, titled NI (Extension), was released on 7 July 2023.[4] The album debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart with 37,116 equivalent album units in its first week.[5] It also peaked at number two in Switzerland and number one in Belgium (Wallonia).[6][7]NI became the fastest album in France to reach platinum status in 2023, and was later certified triple platinum by the SNEP in September 2025.[8]
Following the release of his third studio album Jefe in 2021, which featured no guest artists, Ninho re-emerged in early 2023 with a continuation of his "Freestyle LVL UP" series. A fourth instalment, initially teased on social media, was cancelled. The three freestyles he released instead were widely interpreted by French music press as marking his return to solo material after several high-profile collaborations.[9] On 5 June 2023, Ninho formally announced his next album, confirming the title NI and unveiling its lead single, "25 G", released two days later through Rec. 118 and Warner Music France.[10] The album’s full tracklist was revealed on 27 June 2023, confirming guest contributions from Central Cee, Lil Baby, Omah Lay, and Ayra Starr.[11]
A private album listening party was held on 28 June 2023 at La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt. The event attracted more than 6,000 attendees, during which Ninho performed selections from the project for approximately forty minutes and previewed the album’s concept and collaborations.[12] The standard edition of NI was released on 30 June 2023 in digital and physical formats, including limited-edition vinyl pressings and merchandising collaborations with his clothing line NI.[13]NI (Extension) followed on 7 July 2023, adding five new tracks to the original sequence and extending the runtime to 21 songs and 73 minutes.[4] The reissue was released only one week after the standard album, a strategy that drew attention in French rap media and on social networks.[14][15]
Composition and themes
Critics described NI as a more melodic and polished record than Ninho’s previous projects, with production built around mid-tempo trap beats, pianos and atmospheric synths rather than aggressive club tracks.[3]Charts in France wrote that, apart from a few more energetic songs such as "Yo moko oyebi", "25 G", "Branché sur Snap", "Chiraq" and "Plus qu’eux", the album favours a smoother, slower sound that can at times feel homogeneous but underlines his attempt to renew his formula.[3]
Lyrically, the record continues Ninho’s focus on street survival, ambition and relationships, while also revisiting his upbringing and early career. "La vie de Johnny" opens the album with autobiographical references, and tracks such as "Edouard Nahum" and "Grands ensembles" revisit his environment and early supporters.[3] Rap-focused outlet Rap City highlighted Ninho’s use of punchlines and narrative detail, and compiled several lines from the album as examples of his wordplay.[16]
Most of the songs incorporate Afrobeats and afropop influences. "Bad", featuring Omah Lay, blends Ninho’s melodic flow with a Nigerian pop groove, while "No Love" pairs Ayra Starr’s vocals with a laid-back, guitar-laced beat that reviewers described as one of the album’s most effective crossovers.[3][14] "Eurostar" with Central Cee draws on UK rap while softening his usual drill style, and "Blue story" (featuring Lil Baby) mixes melancholic piano with an Atlanta-influenced guest verse.[3] AMG Records characterised the project and its deluxe edition as a "cross-cultural" album that brings together French rap, Nigerian Afrobeats and UK rap in a single tracklist.[17]
Commercial performance
NI debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart, becoming Ninho’s fourth chart-topping album in France. According to Charts in France and Booska-P, the album opened with one of the strongest first-week performances of 2023, posting 37,116 album-equivalent units, including 30,046 streaming-equivalent units, 6,658 physical sales and 412 digital downloads.[18][19] The publication also reported on 21 August 2023 that the album had been certified Platinum by the SNEP, with multiple media outlets such as HipHopCorner describing it as the fastest project of 2023 to reach Platinum status in France.[20]
NI continued its chart run throughout 2023 and 2024. In France, it remained in the top tier of the classement for more than 110 weeks, eventually receiving a triple platinum certification from the SNEP on 4 September 2025.[8] Its eleventh track, "No Love", a collaboration with Ayra Starr, was also certified Diamond in France,[21] and earned a Gold certification in Switzerland.[22] In Belgium (Wallonia), NI debuted at number one and spent 96 weeks on the Ultratop Albums chart, becoming one of the region’s most stable francophone rap releases of its cycle.[6] It also charted in Flanders, peaking at number 27.[6] In Switzerland, the album debuted at number two on the Schweizer Hitparade, spending 13 weeks on the chart.[7]
The deluxe edition NI (Extension) adds five new songs including "Griot", "Mode S Plus", "Vinicius", "Signes de gang" and "Christopher Wallace" to the original tracklist.[4] The material is produced by Gabbi, TripleNBeat, Kary, Baki, Dorian, Hoodstar and Dvgz, and continues the mix of introspective songwriting and street-oriented tracks found on the standard album. While critics pointed to the extension as both a way of refreshing the album for streaming platforms and an example of Ninho’s increasingly global positioning, its rapid arrival generated some mixed commentary. According to VSD, rapper Booba criticised the reissue’s timing, arguing that releasing an expanded version after only a week amounted to an unusually fast "réédition" and remarking on Ninho’s decision to feature only non-French guests on the album.[15]
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