French rapper Rilès has launched another extreme artistic performance challenge, continuously stamping CDs with his paint-soaked hand for 24 hours straight without eating or sleeping. The 29-year-old artist from Rouen began this marathon session on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 12:35 PM to promote his third album "The 25th Hour," with the entire performance being livestreamed on YouTube.
This latest challenge follows his previous death-defying stunt for his album "Survival Mode," where he successfully ran for 24 hours while being chased by giant saw blades in a Parisian venue. That physical and artistic performance was designed to "question mental and physical resilience in the face of adversity," according to the Rouen-based artist.
For his current challenge, an art gallery in central Paris has been transformed into a factory-like setting. Machine sounds echo through speakers while staff members dress in white coats, masks, and protective eyewear, creating an industrial atmosphere. Separated from the public by plexiglass barriers, Rilès aims to create approximately 800 album covers per hour, totaling around 20,000 unique pieces that visitors can purchase on-site.
"I dip my hand in red paint. I stamp the cover. I start again. Again. Again. Again. For twenty-four hours, or more. I don't sleep. I don't eat. I repeat until exhaustion. Each mark is raw," Rilès explained about his performance. He added, "At a time when artificial intelligence blurs the boundaries of reality, I become the machine. I transform repetition into ritual. Exhaustion into creation. I exhaust myself to exist."
The performance draws inspiration from Japanese sumo wrestlers' "Tegata" – handprint signatures they leave as autographs. Rilès views this challenge as a "declaration" against an era "where humans are gradually being replaced" in creative processes. Each album cover will be unique and numbered, creating "a personal connection between the artist, the object, and the person who buys it," he explained in an interview.
Rilès describes having "a phobia of comfort," explaining that he seeks to challenge himself by pushing his limits and expressing himself "through mediums other than music," including painting and physical endurance. "If I don't have a little fear and apprehension, something's wrong," confides the artist, who says he's "attached" to mental and physical endurance. Augustin Charnet, a collaborator, describes it as "a personal quest, almost spiritual," noting that "he does it for himself above all."
These hand-stamped covers will be the only physical editions of "The 25th Hour," which was released at midnight on Friday. The new album serves as an extension of his previous work "Survival Mode," released in January 2025, which explores themes of self-improvement, perseverance, and survival. Rilès himself says he lives in "survival mode" daily, working to "survive his demons."
Born Rilès Kacimi and raised in Rouen, the artist grew up surrounded by rap music and harbored dreams of breaking into the American market like Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, or Rosalía. He writes his first tracks in English, a language he feels "more comfortable expressing himself" in. This linguistic choice allows him to "keep a shell while being vulnerable" and ensures his parents don't understand the lyrics.
As a self-taught artist, Rilès learned to record and produce his tracks independently in his bedroom studio. He gained recognition in 2016 with his "Rilèsundayz" series, releasing a new track every Sunday for a year. The project caught the attention of YouTuber Seb la Frite, whose video about the rapper caused Rilès' subscriber count to jump from 20,000 to 300,000 in just one week.
While he started in rap, Rilès' musical universe has gradually expanded. Today, he draws inspiration "as much from folk as from alternative rock, hip-hop, or western music." After signing with Republic Records in 2018 – the American label home to Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Stromae – and releasing a gold-certified debut album, he chose not to renew his contract and surprisingly returned to independence. "That's how I function best. I can release a track on a whim, without asking for validation from people in suits and ties," he revealed.
