Elji

The story so far.

Written and edited by Smokiller

Elji is a singer from the Montgérald neighbourhood of Fort-de-France, Martinique, and his Qobuz biography gives him a key role in building the shatta movement, which rests on reggae and dancehall, and notes that he draws on Sizzla and Capleton while folding in rap, French variété and Afrobeat. He came up through the sound system scene and put out the Fake Mixtape in 2016. His wider breakthrough arrived in 2022 with two tracks: "Ki moun ki pli shatta", whose official clip credits the producer Digital, and "Ek c tou", a collaboration with Shaydee's that also features Natoxie. "Shatta Boss" also came out in 2022, followed by the release Le roi du Shatta and the single "Bad Man" in 2023, then "Shatta De Minuit" with Gold Up in 2024. His YouTube channel runs under the name Elji Le Roi du Shatta, and Qobuz names Gold Up and Priscillia among the Caribbean artists he has worked with.