Moroccan rapper ElGrandeToto released SALGOAT Vol. 2 on June 5, a mixtape that extends the narrative of his alter ego SALGOAT and marks a deliberate shift back to the darker, trappy sound of his earliest work.
The SALGOAT Persona
The SALGOAT character, a black hairy monster with red eyes, sharp teeth, and a spliff, was originally created by French photographer Frankie Allio for Toto’s previous mixtape. Toto had envisioned showing multiple versions of himself, but Allio produced a Basquiat-inspired cartoon. He added the teeth, red eyes, and joint, and placed it on the cover. “It all started as a joke,” Toto said. “But this joke became like a symbol. SALGOAT is a vigilante. A Moroccan villain.”
Toto described the persona as handling everything he would not do. “He’s the voice of the person with no voice. He’s the image of the person with no image. He represents your darkest version, terrifying, but good.”
A Return to Roots and a Moroccan Spotlight
With SALGOAT Vol. 2, Toto said he wanted to “get back to the source” after years of commercial releases. “I’ve been doing commercial stuff for a long time, and I’ve just been sick of it for a moment. I just wanted to get back to the music I made when I started.”
Previously, Toto intentionally collaborated with international acts such as CKay, Ayra Starr, Hamza, Farid Bang, and French Montana to demonstrate that a Moroccan artist could secure those features without payment. Having held the position of the most-streamed artist in Morocco and the MENA region on Spotify for five consecutive years, he now redirects his focus toward domestic talent. The mixtape features Moroccan rappers including Draganov, Gello 4031, Shaw, and Najm. “I’m like the display window of the Moroccan rap scene,” he said. “So maybe it’s the right moment to introduce the Moroccan scene to the world.”
The Core Tracks: ‘Liberté’ and ‘Shevchenko’
Two solo tracks form the mixtape’s backbone. “‘Liberté’ gave me the conduct of wire,” Toto said, “and ‘Shevchenko’ is the best delivery I had on the whole mixtape when it comes to the flows and lyrics.” Neither song was written in advance. “Liberté” emerged spontaneously in the studio: Toto recalled saying “pull up” to hear the beat, then immediately recording. For “Shevchenko,” he wrote the first verse and freestyled the second. The title references Ukrainian football star Andriy Shevchenko.
The mixtape’s sound is dark and trappy, with much of the lyrics freestyled in the moment. “I didn’t give a fuck about what I recorded when I recorded the whole thing,” he said.
Fatherhood, Influence, and the Future
Toto acknowledged a growing awareness of his impact as a father and public figure. While he once believed everyone is responsible for themselves and noted that team members have never smoked despite his example, he admitted his perspective has shifted. “I was young and dumb when I started,” he said. “I wasn’t aware of my impact. When I started inking myself, suddenly the whole hood got tatted. It showed that you can have tattoos and get a job.” His parents encouraged him to reduce profanity and smoking, and having a child deepened his understanding. “With some growing up and having a kid, that’s when I finally understood what many people were saying to me. It’s a messy situation. When it comes to influence, I get messy. But I started to get the point about how much music can impact lives.”
Since rising to fame at 20, Toto has taken only three breaks: after his mother’s death, when his son was born, and during a stay in Dakar. In Dakar, away from cameras, he went fishing and visited mosques, which allowed him to reflect. He credits his team for keeping him grounded. Despite his achievements, he remains driven: “Until I do Coachella, nothing will ever be enough. Even after that, there isn’t a final accomplishment in hip hop. I think I’ll still be rapping until I’m 50 and, who knows, maybe get into beef with my son.” He is already working on his third album, fueled by what he calls a deep love for hip hop. In Casablanca, he returns to Place Rachidi, also known as Nevada, lights a spliff in his car, and watches people breakdance and skate. “The whole culture is in my blood,” he said. “That’s what keeps me alive.”
