It is over thirty years since rap arrived on the scene in France. These thirty-odd years have seen the music arrive, evolve and become big business at breakneck speed. Between highlights such as Dee Nasty’s “Paname City Rappin’” in 1981, the Rapattitude compilation in 1990, MC Solaar and IAM’s first commercial successes, Booba’s cataclysmic appearance at the start of the 21st century, the alternative scene led by figures such as TTC and La Caution and the independence claimed by Alpha 5.20 in the 2000s, a huge amount has happened.
Despite never fully escaping the influence of American rap, French rappers have nevertheless shown themselves capable of increasing diversity over the years, to the extent that it is debatable whether we should even be referring to the French ‘scene’ in the singular at all. What common ground is there between MC/graffiti writer Grems’ deepkho and Kaaris’s brand of testosterone-fuelled rap? What possible connection between Médine’s thoughtful musings and Joke’s astronomical ego tripping? It is all evidence of a cultural richness, proving the rude health of a genre which, despite its detractors, continues to sell plenty of records.
“New artists who had grown up with social networking started to take matters into their own hands”
Since 2010, there has justifiably been a lot of noise surrounding the emergence of a new generation of rappers. Following on the heels of an uncertain decade, which saw rap become more firmly entrenched whilst the internet completely transformed the industry, new artists who had grown up with social networking and non-physical music formats started to take matters into their own hands. From Niro to the 1995 crew, to the likes of Joke and Sofiane, a raft of new young talents took YouTube and iTunes by storm, racking up astonishing download and page-view figures and rapidly building solid fan bases.
Several initiatives serve to illustrate this turnaround – a good example being Rap Contenders, the battle rap league which quickly became hot news and helped bring to light some of today’s biggest names (Nekfeu, Deen Burbigo, Guizmo, Dinos Punchlinovic and Taipan have all been contenders). Following on from this, the Can I Kick It? concerts organised by former Triptik members turned the spotlight onto part of this scene, taking the opportunity to happily spar with their role models for the evening.
In 2014, a Boiler Room session was organised with Joke, Espiiem and Myth Syzer, all artists who have soaked up this scintillating scene. A documentary was made from this event – and to coincide with the first screening on the 7th February, we’ve put together a monumental showcase of new-generation French rap talent. Entourage member Eff Gee, for example, took part in Rap Contenders before releasing a solo project in 2012. Another Rap Contenders resident, Dinos got a number of projects off the ground before finally being signed by Def Jam France.
Georgio (pictured at top), often wrongly associated with Entourage, has had five releases since 2011 and built up a great reputation for himself on the scene. Lago is also carving out a nice niche for herself with her own brand of in-your-face, liberated female rap. In a similar vein, Sianna’s freestyling Tour du Monde made her an international online phenomenon in 2014. Although they have been rapping since the mid 2000s, the members of MZ only really started to capture the public’s attention in 2012; now working alongside old hands Zoxea and Melopheelo they are on the verge of achieving widespread public acclaim. Nor are 3010 and the Eddie Hyde Gang, Yann Ichon, (member of Bon Gamin along with Loveni and Prince Wally) and coruscating producer Myth Syzer afraid to experiment, creating their own unique and challenging brand of rap. Next up there’s S. Pri Noir, clearly one of the most impressive artists of his generation whose admittedly patchy first EP, 00S License to Kill, released in 2014, still showed massive potential.
“What’s so far missing from this generation is a definitive and authentic record”
A product of their times, these artists are all representative of different schools of rap. Vocal 18th arrondissement resident Georgio might be seen as continuing the Scred Connexion vibe, where MZ liberally embraces the latest sounds, incorporating elements of both cloud rap and the grittiest trap. This dizzying diversity of the artists doesn’t stop with those in our showcase, either. Take the example of rapper Gradur, who is a law unto himself. Emerging in late 2013 with a handful of high-energy tracks, over the last year he has exploded onto the scene to become the latest rap sensation, potentially making him France’s greatest straight-up trap ambassador. The godfather in this area is of course Mac Tyler. Well-known to rap audiences since his days with Tandem and Première Classe, the Aubervilliers-born rapper has always managed to keep up with the scene, recently getting a new lease of life with a signing to the Maître Gims label. And there are of course many more besides.
Here we have artists symbolising a new openness both in rap and its audience, and displaying far greater diversity than was the case even a few years ago. Less compartmentalised than it has been in the past, this is a critical moment for French rap. There is a wealth of talented rappers out there, an ever expanding audience, and young French beatmakers are now regularly hitting the headlines. Over the last few years, all these rappers have produced some good stuff, released some quality EPs and all flirted with success when it comes to live performances. However what’s so far missing from this generation is a definitive and authentic record that will leave its mark on audiences in the same way as their predecessors’ landmark works. With a bit of luck, we’ll be seeing those capable of carrying out this mission coming onto the scene on February 7th, live from EKO.
