How did French Rap evolve through the years?
French Rap
A publication by Clemence Braud
Table of Content 4.
16.
27.
38.
50.
Citations
Popular Albums
Interview
Mixtapes and Playlists
Certificate of Birth
6.
18.
28.
40.
51.
Côté urbain (urban side)
The 90s
The Evolution of Listening Means
Diam's
Note
8.
20.
30.
43.
52.
The Origins
The 00s
Graffiti
Lyrics
References
10.
22.
33.
44.
Dee Nasty
The 10s
Block parties
Quote
12.
24.
34.
46.
La Haine
The 20s
Themes
French Rap Now
26.
36.
48.
Rap on Social Media
Top 10 Best Selling Rappers
Quote
14. La Haine
References
Blondeau, T. (2016) ‚A Brief History of French Hip-Hop‘, Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Available at: https://daily.redbullmusicacademy. com/2016/09/french-hip-hop-feature (Accessed: 25 May 2021). Ghose, P. (2020) ‚A History of French Rap Music: Popular Success, Political Deafness‘. Interview with Paroma Ghose. Interviewed by Nathalie Tanner for Graduate Institute Geneva, 11 September. Available at: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/communications/ news/history-french-rap-music-popular-success-political-deafness (Accessed: 27 May 2021). Kiko. (2015) ‚1995, Une Année de Rap Français‘, ABCDRduson. Available at: https://www.abcdrduson.com/ mixtapes/1995-une-annee-de-rap-francais/ (Accessed: 27 May 2021). Maizi, M. (2016) Rap français - une exploration en 100 albums. France: Le Mot Et Le Reste. OXFORD., 2010. Oxford advanced learners dictionary (Dictionaries intermediate to advanced). 8th ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, p.1256. Mize, C. (2021) ColeMizeStudios. Available at: https://colemizestudios. com/how-did-rap-start/ (Accessed: 4 June 2021). Patri, A. (2021) ‚47TER : „Orelsan est le premier rappeur à avoir raconté des choses que l‘on comprenait“‘. Interview with Pierre-Paul and Blaise. Interviewed by Anne Roumanoff for Ça fait du bien, 4 June. Available at : https://www.msn.com/fr-fr/actualite/culture/47terorelsan-est-le-premier-rappeur-%C3%A0-avoir-racont%C3%A9-deschoses-que-lon-comprenait/ar-AAKFrtF (Accessed : 4 June 2021)
*La banlieue influence Paname, Paname influence le monde’ Médine. (2017) Grand Paris. Havre: Din Records. Team Mouv‘. (2021) ‚Rohff accuse Puma de l‘avoir copié pour sa nouvelle pub avec Neymar‘, Mouv‘. Available at: https://www.mouv. fr/musique/rap-fr/rohff-accuse-puma-de-l-avoir-copie-pour-sa-nouvellepub-avec-neymar-368192 (Accessed: 10 June 2021) (1) Emma. (2013) Griots and Education in African villages. Available at: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/460162902880419840 (Accessed: 18 June 2021). (2) Coke la Rock and DJ Kool Herc photographed by Cindy Campbell (1973) (3) Julia C. (2018) Fresque Dj Dee Nasty par Rast MT. Available at: https://www.christianjuliaphotos.fr/Fresque-DJ-Dee-Nasty-parRAST-MT.html (Accessed: 19 June 2021). (4) La Haine (1995) Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz [Feature film]. France: Canal +. (5) Saint-Denis: quel avenir pour le quartier Saussaie/Floréal/
Courtille? (2016) Available at: https://www.leparisien.fr/seine-saintdenis-93/saint-denis-quel-avenir-pour-le-quartier-saussaie-florealcourtille-29-11-2016-6391239.php (Accessed: 17 June 2021) (6) Spotify (2021) ‘Classiques du Rap Français’. Available at: Spotify
(Accessed: 19 June 2021). (7) Moment Rap (2021) 'Top Rap français 2021'. Available at: Spotify
(Accessed: 19 June 2021). Genius Media Group Inc. (2021) Genius. Available at: https://genius. com/ (Accessed: 7 June 2021). M, O. (2020) ‚Paris, France was the most successful City for HipHop in 2019‘, DJ Booth. Available at: https://djbooth.net/.amp/ features/2020-01-09-france-got-something-to-say-album-sales (Accessed: 1 May 2021). Damso (2020) QALF. Available at: Spotify (Accessed: 8 June 2021).
(8) DR. (Year unknown) Diam's. Available at: https://musique.rfi.
fr/emission/info/couleurs-tropicales/20180209-lhistoire-melaniegeorgiades-diams-1 (Accessed: 21 June 2021). (9) Samson, T. (2018) Orelsan aux Victoires de la Musique. Available at: https://musique.rfi.fr/chanson-francophone/20180210-victoiresmusique-orelsan-charlotte-gainsbourg (Accessed: 20 June 2021).
Citations
For research I surveyed rap album cover that people liked and why. My aim was to compare the styles and see what attracted people to find out about potential future trends of graphic design. «Today the sleeves are much more designed with proper photographs, type ect. It looks more ‘expensive’ like the rappers know that they are more ‘legitimate’ now.» Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Gore - Lous and the Yakuza, because it has very striking colours, shows the face of the artist (so we know who’s album it is easily) and it is unique in its design (while being clear on who the artist is, there is still an abstract vibe)
Avant la nuit - L'Or du Commun. Looks good visually, I like that only the bottom is drawn and the contrast between the blue and red, opposite colors is very striking
(1) Stamina - Dinos, I find the link between the title and the cover really cool
I like 'Paradise" by Hamza because it reminds me of Nirvana, with the baby in the water. I like the typography it look like Hebrew. The colors look great and you can tell there is an idea, a message behind such as being overwhelmed and drowning or on the opposite fighting to get back on top.
Architecte - Da Uzi, for the artistic trip in the middle of the block
Attaque 2 from Capitaine Roshi for the military and dominant aspect of the artist like a war chief.
I would say Adios Bahamas, Nepal’s latest album. I like it because it is simple and refined.
(2) The link between the title and the artist shown as a coach, pointing at his head like he’s saying that stamina is physical but also in the head in front of a boxing kid.
Raw-Z from Laylow: its originality, the colours and the science fiction vibes
I like the album from Damso with the eye (Lithopedion) it’s very striking almost unreal.
Panthéon from Booba, cause it was one of the first CD I had when I was a child and I never stopped listening to it
Laylow - Trinity : The colours are eye catching and the imahe is somewhat disturbing but you can’t take your eyes off of it
Nero Nemesis - Booba: I really like the design, i find it genuinely beautiful
Oboy - Mafana : its colorful, it fits the album, the vibe, it looks cool. It looks more sophisticated and professional, more high production even though it’s quite simple.
Frenetik - Jeux de couleurs : I really like the dark colors and the way he married the blue and orange in the reflection of the puddle that goes well with the name of the album. Besides having the artist’s reflection in the puddle looks very good.
The cover of ‘Masque Blanc’ by S.Pri Noir, I like it because the colors are soft, it looks good, it looks like he’s wearing a black-on-white inverted mask, it really shows off his eyes. There is a nice mix of warm and cool colors and the name is ‘white mask’ is kind of like an antonym. The cover reflects the title well.
Cote urbain urban side
«When rap started to emerge in France in the 90s, highly pushed by its American counterparts, it struggled to find the way to adjust musically as France didn’t have the same producing and sound engineering techniques as the already rap-dominant America. “The phonetics and inflections of the French language added weight on the mix.” Said Jeff Dominguez a sound engineer in the article ‘A Brief History of French Hip-Hop’ (Thomas Blondeau, 2016). However French rap quickly found its strength in lyrics finding themes in politics. As the article says : « At that time, rap was the music of leftists in France, with subjects including police violence, the economy…and the oppression of the masses. » the article explains further: « Passionate, energetic, hurtling unknowingly towards its early successes, French rap was therefore like this Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
“haut parleur d’une génération révoltée prêt à tout ébranler” (megaphone of a rebellious generation ready to shake everything up) ». Through rap, people express the views of the public in the words of the public for the public.» «Rap music is intricately linked to the French youth, French suburbs and originally underground genres of music. t wasn’t well seen by the public as it was deemed violent and rude. But it is also linked to politics as French rappers were seen like the voice of the suburbs, the politicians of the block.»
The Origins
Before asking ‘how did French rap evolve through the year?’, what is rap? The word itself means “a quick sharp hit or knock” or “a type of popular music with a fast strong rhythm and words which are spoken fast, not sung” (OXFORD, 2010). To understand the origins of rap we need to look back at America and Africa. Mize (2014) narrates it perfectly in his article on the history of rap. He explains that the use of the word was seen around Britain as early as the 15th century and made its way to (1) Griots and education in African villages
America in the 60s in the black community to describe someone speaking or talking. However, the roots of it come from Africa where storytellers played instruments while telling stories. Mize (ibid) writes “This style of talking while music is playing is rap music as we know it at its root form”. It was kept during slavery where the people would sing during labor: one leader would sing a part and the group would answer it (which is now called ‘emceeing’).
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Many centuries later, in 1973, a man called ‘DJ Kool Herc’ and his sister started throwing parties in their building which was the beginning of Hip-Hop culture. He soon realized he needed (2) Coke la Rock and DJ Kool Herc photographed by Cindy Campbell (1973)
someone to sing to animate the parties and had his friend ‘Coke la Rock’ be the first MC ever and so the first rapper in Hip-Hop and founder of Rap music.
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Certificate of Birth This certifies that :
Was born to : In ; Years of :
FRENCH RAP
Dee Nasty, Mc Solaar, Suprême NTM, IAM Deenastyle, Radio Nova 1987-1988
Dee Nasty
Radio Nova
Rapper and creator of Deenastyle
Radio that hosted the show
A couple of artists, knowns as the original French rappers and big classics today, started making their way to the scene, MC Solaar, Suprême NTM, Dee Nasty, IAM, Oxmo Puccino… A lot of them made their first appearances on the radio ‘Radio Nova’ (1987-1988) where Dee Nasty was given a 30-minute daily slot to host, which was changed to a 2-hour one on Sundays. Dee Nasty acted as the founder of French rap on what became known as the ‘Deenastyle’. As Maizi (2016, p.
12) explains in ‘Rap Français’’s intro: freestyles were becoming more popular and future big names such as Mc Solaar or NTM appeared on the show. He goes on to highlight that this show was the birth of French rap and for the listener: «the proof that this music can be used to tell his daily life, his fantasies, his desires for luxury as well as the reality of neighborhood life» (ibid, p.12). Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Dee Nasty Pioneer, father of French Rap : «A couple of artists, knowns as the original French rappers and big classics today, started making their way to the scene, MC Solaar, Suprême NTM, Dee Nasty, IAM, Oxmo Puccino… A lot of them made their first appearances on the radio ‘Radio Nova’ (1987-1988) where Dee Nasty was given a 30-minute daily slot to host, which was changed to a 2-hour one on Sundays. Dee Nasty acted as the founder of French rap on what became known as the ‘Deenastyle’. As Maizi (2016, p. 12) explains in ‘Rap Français’’s intro: freestyles were becoming more popular and future big names such as Mc Solaar or NTM appeared on the show. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
(3) Photograph by Christian Julia of Dee Nasty’s fresca on the street Paul Bert, in Saint Ouen (93), France. The fresca was made by Rast.
LA HAine Written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (1995) Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Taghmaoui Plotline : It is about three young friends and their struggle to live in the suburbs of Paris banlieues of Paris.
(4) Screengrab from infamous mirror scene in La Haine.
Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine’s (released in 1995) opening scene where a young man starts blasting music on a speaker : «An afternoon in an Ile-de-France city. Everything exudes calm (…) (A man) Then started playing on his vinyl. The instrument is Biggie’s ‘Machine Gun Funk’, the scratched phrases are borrowed from KRS-One, Joey Starr, Rockin ‘Squat and Edith Piaf». As described in Kiko’s article ‘1995, Une Année de Rap Français’ (2015). This infamous movie describes the life of three young men in the Parisian suburbs and police violence.
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Rap music is intricately linked to the French youth, French suburbs, and originally underground genres of music. It wasn’t well seen by the public as it was deemed violent and rude. French rappers were seen as the voice of the suburbs, the politicians of the block. «Political projects (…) were demanded of rappers who were either portrayed as savages lacking correct diction or treated as suburban politicians, thugs with solutions» (Thomas Blondeau, 2016).
LA HAine
Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Taghmaoui La Haine (1995) Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz [Feature film]. France: Canal+.
(4) Screengrab from the opening scene starring Cut-Killer, emblematic french hip-hop DJ.
(5) Seine Saint-Denis, french suburbs
As it has been discussed the whole of French rap and rap in general was born in the suburbs, the poorer areas. It was born from young people who didn’t have much money or many means
of creating and had things to say that would often be overlooked by the rest of the population. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
popular albums Orelsan - Le Chant des sirènes Orelsan - Perdu d’avance NTM - That’s my people NTM - Le Clash : B.O.S.S. vs IV my people NTM - Paris Sous Les Bombes Youssoupha - Eternel Recommencement Sexion d’Assaut - L’Apogée Sexion d’Assaut - l’École des points vitaux Booba - Temps Mort Booba - Ouest Side Rohff - La fierté des nôtres Rohff - Au Delà De Mes Limites Rohff - le Cauchemar Du Rap Français, Chapitre 1 Soprano - Victory Soprano - Puisqu’il faut vivre Youssoupha - Noir Désir
The 90s
A presentation of the album covers from the top prominent rap albums from the 1990s in France.
‘A couple artists, knowns as the original French rappers and big classics today, started making their way to the scene, MC Solaar, Suprême NTM, Dee Nasty, IAM, Oxmo Puccino… A lot of them made their first appearances on the radio ‘Radio Nova’ (1987-1988) where Dee Nasty was given a 30-minute daily slot to host, which was changed to a 2-hour one on Sundays. Dee Nasty acted the founder of French rap on what became known as the ‘Deenastyle’. As Mehdi Maizi explains in his book ‘Rap Français’’s intro : ‘Freestyles are becoming more systematic and will see some future headliners parade in the premises of Radio Nova: Mc Solaar, Assassin, NTM (...). For the listener behind his post, these sessions represent the birth certificate of French rap, the proof that this music can be used to tell his daily life, his fantasies, his desires for luxury as well as the reality of neighborhood life.’
MC Solaar - Prose Combat
NTM - Paris sous les bombes
(Mehdi Maizi, ‘Le Rap Français’)
IAM - L’école du micro d’argent
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Mafia Trece - Cosa nostra (1997)
Doc Gynéco Liaisons Dangereuses (Compilation) (1998)
Assassin - L’homicide volontaire (1995)
Ma 6-T va crack-er (Compilation) (1997)
Busta Flex - Busta Flex (1998)
IAM – Ombre est lumière (1993)
Hostile (Compilation) (1996)
MC Solaar - Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo (1996)
la Cliqua - Le vrai hip-hop (compilation) (1997)
Première Classe (Compilation) (1999)
113 – Ni barreaux ni barrières ni frontières (1998)
Ärsenik - Quelques gouttes suffisent (1998)
Akhenaton - Métèque & Mat (1995)
La Haine (Compilation) (1995)
Doc Gynéco La Cliqua - Conçu pour Première consultation durer (1995) (1996)
Shurik’n - Où je vis (1998)
ATK - Heptagone (1998)
Oxmo Puccino Opéra Puccino (1998)
Fabe - Détournement de son (1998)
La Cliqua - La Cliqua (1999)
Ideal J (Kery James) - Le combat continue (1998)
Fonky Family - Si Dieu veut (1998)
113 - Les princes de la ville (1999)
NTM - Suprême NTM (1998)
Les Sages Po’ Jusqu’à l’amour (1998)
Rohff - Le code de l’honneur (1999)
Zoxea - A mon tour de briller (1999)
Rocca - Entre deux mondes (1997)
La Brigade - Le testament (1999)
24. Expression Direkt – Le bout du monde (1998)
Mo’vez Lang Héritiers de la rue (1995)
Koma - Le réveil (1999)
2 Bal 2 Neg - 3x plus efficace (1996)
Saïan Supa Crew KLR (1999)
The 00s
A presentation of the album covers from the top prominent rap albums from the 2000s in France.
Over the years rap became more and more popular, older rappers inviting younger ones to the front of the scene. The style grew and attracted more aspiring rappers and soon a second generation started to show up. Still with angry voices, but more people. Some women too, such as Diam’s who started in the years 2000s and became the voice for many young women including myself. She was an innovator in her own kind, a woman rapping about themes such as love, deception, pain and many relatable subjects. Some rappers, now extremely famous, took their first steps. Booba, Rohff, Orelsan, Kery James…. News means, new styles. Over the last 20 years rap evolved tremendously. I remember it when I was six, it was still angry rap. But soon some youngsters started rapping in more ironic manners. Started singing about different themes with maybe not as much anger. Orelsan for example got his debut album out in 2009 and soon demarqued himself for not being from the suburbs. In his albums he talks about boredom, being a loser… which seemed much more relatable to the young people at the time.
Booba - Temps Mort (2002)
Lunatic - Mauvais Oeil (2000)
Booba - Temps Mort (2002)
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Oxmo Puccino L’amour est mort (2001)
La Rumeur - L’ombre sur la mesure (2002)
Flynt - J’éclaire ma ville (2007)
Salif - Tous ensemble chacun pour soi (2001)
Fonky Family - Art de rue (2001)
Tandem - Ceux qui le savent m’écoutent (2001)
Rohff - La fierté des nôtres (2004)
Nessbeal - La mélodie des briques (2006)
Le Rat Luciano Mode de vie... Béton style (2000)
Sniper - Gravé dans la Fabe - La rage de dire roche (2003) (2000)
Ali - Chaos et harmonie (2005)
Orelsan - Perdu d’avance (2009)
La Caution - Arc-enciel pour daltoniens / Peines de maures
Oxmo Puccino Cactus de Sibérie (2004)
Nessbeal - Roi sans couronne (2008)
Lino - Paradis Assassiné (2005)
Klub des Loosers Vive la vie (2004)
Chiens de Paille - Mille Hifi - Rien à perdre, et un fantômes (2001) rien à prouver (2003)
Haroun - Au front (2007)
Sniper - Du rire aux larmes (2001)
Busta Flex - Busta Flex (1998)
Kery James - Si c’était à refaire (2001)
Rocé - Top départ (2001)
MC Jean Gab’1 - Ma vie (2003)
La Caution - Asphalte hurlante (2001)
Unité de Feu - Haine, misère et crasse (2006)
Hugo TSR - Flaque de samples (2008)
Akhenaton - Sol Invictus (2001)
Alpha 5.20 - Vivre et La Rumeur - Du cœur mourir à Dakar (2006) à l’outrage (2007)
Casey - Tragédie d’une trajectoire (2006)
Booba - Panthéon (2004)
Despo Rutti - Les sirènes du charbon (2006)
The 10s
A presentation of the album covers from the top prominent rap albums from the 2010s in France.
Like it was said beforehand, it has been argued that rappers nowadays are going against the older ways by dropping the use of political messages for songs only about drugs, women and parties… Originally French rap was trying to send a message from the suburbs to the rest of the world and however strong and angry the messages were, the lyrics in which they were vehiculed remained calm and clear. Older rappers didn’t use vulgar words as much as today’s rappers. However, due to the strong political messages, those songs tend to be boycotted and aren’t appreciated by the upper echelons of society. Comes the creation of what we call ‘commercial rap’ which was the popularization of rap. Underground rap being boycotted meant not making money. And most younger generations of rappers still came from the suburbs, poorer parts of society. The interest in rap remained the same but commercial rap made more money than underground rap which attracted the younger rappers who wanted to get out of the suburbs, find hope, make easy money and ‘pop’ rap made money. On top of it, it felt that underground rap was trying to lecture the new generations of audience who might not come from the same backgrounds.
Nekfeu - Cyborg (2016)
Alpha Wann - Une Main Lave L’Autre (2018)
SCH - Jvlivs (2018)
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Soprano - La Colombe (2010)
Booba -Lunatic (2010)
Sexion D’Assaut l’école des points vitaux (2010)
Maitre Gims Subliminal (2013)
IAM - Arts martiens (2013)
La Fouine - Drôle de parcours (2013)
Black M - Les yeux plus gros que le monde (2014)
Maitre Gims - Mon cœur avait raison (2015)
Nekfeu - Feu (2015)
PNL - Dans la légende (2016)
JuL - My World (2016)
Soprano - L’Everest (2017)
Niska - Commando (2017)
Damso - Ipséité (2017)
OrelSan - La fête est finie (2018)
Angèle - Brol (2018)
Nekfeu - Les Étoiles Vagabondes : Expansion (2019)
PNL - Deux Frères (2019)
Diam’s - S.O.S. (2009)
JuL - Émotions (2016) Damso - Lithopédion (2018)
Soprano - Phoenix (2018)
Vald - Xeu (2018)
Booba - Trône (2017)
Ninho - Destin ( 2019)
Hamza - 1994 (2017)
Hamza - Paradise (2019)
Orelsan - Le Chant des Sirènes (2011)
Kaaris - Dozo (2017)
Maitre Gims - Ceinture Dadju - Gentleman 2.0 Noire (2018) (2018)
Rohff - P.D.R.G. (Pouvoir, Danger, Respect & Game)
Rohff - La Cuenta (2010)
Booba - Nero Nemesis (2015)
Vald - Agartha (2017)
The 20s
A presentation of the album covers from the top prominent rap albums from the 2020s in France.
It is hard to differentiate underground rap and commercial nowadays, some people would say that rap today is going against the views of the older generation with no more messages, political views but instead simple themes such as drugs, women and party. This difference in style can also be noted in the graphics of the sleeves. The older ones such as IAM, NTM, Rhoff usually would use a heavily edited image and strong, bold, very heavy type, almost agressive. It felt very ‘DIY’, low budget which did go with how rap was considered at the time and the little attention it was given by the ‘higher’ populations. Today the sleeves are much more designed with proper photographs, type ect. It looks more ‘expensive’ like the rappers know that they are more ‘legitimate’ now.» «French rap by its popularization became an industry and by doing so changed its goal from reaching people to deliver a message to reaching people solely to make money. If pop rap sell more, why should the rappers do meaningful rap? It also means more opportunities for rappers, more open doors. Rap concerts that used to be banned and frowned upon for their violent reputation are now flourishing and selling out everywhere. The festivals host rappers for headliners. Rappers are asked to do movie soundtracks, brand adverts…
Frenetik - Jeu de couleurs (2021)
Ninho - M.I.L.S 3 (2020)
Dinos – Stamina, (2020)
Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Maes - Les Derniers Salopards (2020)
Damso – QALF Infinity (2021) 22
13 Organisé - 13 Organisé (2020)
Frenetik – Jeu de couleurs (2021)
Mister V - MVP (2020)
Josman - SPLIT (2020)
Freeze Corleone LMF (2020)
Soolking - Vintage (2020)
Nepal – Adios Bahamas (2020)
Demi Portion – La bonne école (2020)
Laylow - Trinity (2020)
UZI Coeur Abîmé (2021)
Jok’air – Jok’Chirac (2020)
L.U.J.I. - Lujipeka (2020)
Da Uzi – Architecte (2020)
S.Pri Noir – État d’esprit (2020)
Dinos – Taciturne, Les inachevés (2020)
Hamza – 140 BPM (2020)
Kaaris – Château Noir Hatik – Chaise pliante (2021) deluxe (2020)
Booba - ULTRA (2021)
Kaaris - 2.7.0 (2020)
Le Motif – Première Partie (2020)
Kekra – Kekra (2021)
Youssoupha - NEPTUNE TERMINUS (2021)
Naps - Carré VIP (2020)
Bosh - Synkinisi (2020)
Kaaris – Château Noir 7 Jaws - RAGE (2020) (2021)
Rim’K – Midnight (2020)
Ashe 22 – Movie Tape (2020)
Alkpote – Vie Rapide (2020)
OBOY - Mafana (2020)
Captaine Roshi – Attaque II (2020)
13 Block – BLO II (2020)
Rap on social media
RaPlume : an example of the modern popularity of french rap.
The rise of social media has allowed french rap to grow bigger. More people can freely discuss it. The rappers promote their work on instagram, twitter... It allows listeners and rapper to connect and rap culture to grow. For example, drama between rappers would be talked about on twitter where one click can repost a story. It gives rappers more coverage and therefore means more people
hear about them... Among this was born the rap culture with pages such as Raplume or Rapland born: content-based pages that only relate to french rap and will post about lyrics, stories behind songs, rappers, releases, collaborations...pushing the rap culture one step further into the ‘acceptable’ side of society.
INTERVIEW
With Tom BENJAMIN The interviewee being french, all the answers have been retranscripted and translated as they were audio answers. 1. How do you think rap has evolved over the decades ? Good Bad?
I think rap has evolved, it has taken several directions. Rap that was in France at the very beginning no longer exists. It has evolved, it becomes a bit (?). The French style is a bit like the American style, the trap, the hyperpop, the drill. France has evolved in a way that is not outdated compared to other styles of music. And that’s very diversifying. 2.
What style do you prefer?
I’m more into the new styles of French rap. I listen to what comes out and underground artists. But in English I listen to old rappers like Tupac, Biggie... 3.
Who do you listen to the most ?
I find it hard to answer, it’s more musical genres but at the moment I would say «Dirtyiceboyz». This is the one I listen to a lot at the moment. 4.
What graphics attract you for the rap covers?
Really it’s special because every period is different. Today there are a lot of old-fashioned covers but it’s a bit pathetic I think now. The covers have always followed the taste of the current period and if we follow this reasoning I prefer the current covers except for a few that really stood out like Tupac (on rap in general). 5.
How do you think it is viewed by the majority today?
It is a fact that in France when rap is mentioned on TV or political channels, it is quite an old and bizarre vision ... It is divided between bad and good rap. It’s racialized: black and white rap. Example ‘Bigflo and Oli’ (note : a french duo mostly known for doing boring, nice rap). And those who come from the neighborhoods are frowned upon, they come from the so-called
scum neighborhoods and even if they are not (scum), because they come from there they are labeled as such. Internationally known example: ‘Booba’. A guy like ‘Maître Gims’: when he was with his group ‘Sexion d’Assaut’ he was frowned upon, a young man from the city but today he is the black man that everyone loves, he makes French music, even consumed by the people of the state. Because they are the first to distinguish between French and neighborhood people, when you listen to them speak neighborhood people are not French. All this to say that I find that mentalities are evolving but depending on the context it remains frowned upon. 6.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
One more example, I make music, I come from the neighborhoods and I have lived there since I was little but I am not a «little scum» so far. Obviously when you come from the neighborhoods it must mean that you are more apt to engage in crime (ironical). Just because I make music and come from the neighborhoods doesn’t make me a bad boy, I didn’t go badly, I work like everyone else, I do things the right way.
The Evolution of Listening me “It should be noted that with the evolution of listening means of some rappers and clients for sleeve artwork hence artists like over the last decades, the graphics of the sleeves have lost space Damso only providing black covers with white titles in his albums, going from vinyl 12inches canvases to Spotify’s 4.8cm squared such as ’QALF’ (Damso, 2015).“ image on a phone’s screen. This has impacted the loss of interest Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
1. The Phonograph :
2. LP Record palyer :
3. Cassette tapes :
The phonograph, was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison. It was the first object allowing to listen to recorded music but it only worked once.
The LP record was invented in 1948. You could listen to up to 30 minutes of recording on each side.
Overtime the cassette tapes (1963) , CDs (1982) and cassette tape player (1979, also known as Walkman) were invented and took over the records.
eans
4. The Walkman, CD Players (see 3) :
5. MP3 and iPods :
6. Streaming platforms :
In 2001, Apple introduced the first iPod with downloadable music. The MP3 took over. It was smaller, easier to carry and contained more music. You could buy music on the iTunes Store which made it even easier to access.
When music streaming services such as Spotify appeared, it made listening and accessing music easier. It was soon overtaken by the public for its easy access and great prices.
Graffiti «As you can understand the whole of French rap and rap in general was born in the suburbs, the poorer areas. It was born from young people who didn’t have much money or many means of creating and had things to say that would often be overlooked by the rest of the population.» Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
"Now a mythical place and inseparable from the early rap years, the wasteland of La Chapelle has been taken over by hip-hop lovers since 1986. Dee Nasty decides to import the concept of block parties into it. Originally born in Kingston, Jamaica as sound systems and then popularised in the Bronx in the 1970s, they are usually block parties in which DJs play in the open air while attendees enjoy the music." Translation from Mehdi Maizi’s ‘Rap Français : Une exploration en 100 albums’. Maizi, M. (2016) Rap français - une exploration en 100 albums. France: Le Mot Et Le Reste.
Themes As Mehdi Maizi explains in his book ‘Rap Français’’s intro: ‘Freestyles are becoming more systematic and will see some future headliners parade in the premises of Radio Nova: Mc Solaar, Assassin, NTM (...). For the listener behind his post, these sessions represent the birth certificate of French rap, the proof that this music can be used to tell his daily life, his fantasies, his desires for luxury as well as the reality of neighborhood life.’ Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
It is hard to differentiate underground rap and commercial nowadays, some people would say that rap today is going against the views of the older generation with no more messages, political views but instead simple themes such as drugs, women and party. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Top 10 Best selling rappers
MC Solaar (Claude M’Barali) born in 1969 in Dakar, Senegal. Grew up in Saint-Denis, Maisons-Alfort and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.
IAM (made of Akhenaton, Shurik’n, Khéops, Imhotep and Kephren), group from Marseille active since 1989. They are all in their 50s or 60s.
JuL (Julien Mari) born in 1990 in Marseille. Grew up in Marseille. Active since 2010.
Booba (Élie Yaffa) born in 1976 in Sèvres (outskirts of Paris). Senegalese, french and belgian origins. Active since 1994.
Maître Gims (Gandhi Bilel Djuna) born in 1986 in Kinshasa, DR Congo and grew up in Paris. Active since 2002.
Soprano (Saïd M’Roumbaba) born in 1979 in Marseille with origins in the Comoros. Active since 1995.
Rohff (Housni M’Kouboi) born in 1977 in Madagascar but grew up in Vitry-sur-Seine. Active since 1990.
Suprême NTM (made of JoeyStarr and Kool Shen or Didier Morville and Bruno Lopes). They formed in Seine-Saint-Denis where they grew up. Active since1989.
In France, where I am from, sitting at the top of the charts for quite a few years now, rap has taken such a big place that it is impossible to ignore anymore. Everyone listens to rap, it is constantly at the top of the charts and can be heard all the time on the radios, tvs, Spotify playlists… Extract from Unit 8 Research Report. PNL (Peace N’ Lovés meaning peace and money) made of Andrieu brothers Ademo (Tarik, born 1986) and N.O.S. (Nabil, born 1989). They are from Corbeil-Essonnes. Active since 2014.
Nekfeu (Ken Samaras) born in 1990 in la Trinité, near Nice but moved to Paris aged 11. Active since 2007.
Mixtapes and playlists
A guide of Spotify playlists for the one who would like to begin listening to french rap.
A collection of playlists organised by ambiance made by Raplume available on Raplume’s Spotify account
(6) A single playlist reuniting the 50 top classics of french rap including Booba, Rohff, Diam’s, IAM...
(7) A playlist on recent releases in french rap, updaded weekly
Diam' s Over the years rap became more and more popular, older rappers inviting younger ones to the front of the scene. The style grew and attracted more aspiring rappers and soon a second generation started to show up. Still with angry voices, but more people. Some women too, such as Diam’s who started in the 2000s and became the voice for many young women including myself. She was an innovator in her own kind, a woman rapping about themes such as love, deception, pain, and many relatable subjects. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Diam’s also known as Mélanie Georgiades is a french rapper. Appearing in the early 2000s she was one of first women to rap in france. She became know when she feature on one of Mafia Trece 4-song releases. Diam’s stood for women’s rights and acitvely fought against violence towards women having suffered of it younger. Diam’s was also publicly left-wing as most rappers are or at least were. She famously wrote a song called ‘Marine’ in which she addresses the french right-wing politician Marine Le Pen telling her she is in pain because of what Marine is doing to France through her right-wing politics and her anti-immigration ideologies. She was a great example of relatable rap for young girls growing up as she talked about all sorts of subjects such as looking for love, being cheated on, racism, women’s rights, inequality... She shows her vision of France and the world.
Diam's photographed by DR (Year unknown)
Lyrics from left to right and down : Samuraï - Shurik'n (1998) Garde la pêche - Booba (2005) les Princes de la ville - 113 (1999) La terre est ronde - OrelSan (2011) La Puissance - Rohff (2005) Le son qui tue - Rohff (2004) Petite fille - Booba (2017) Vamonos - Laylow (2020) Bambina - PNL (2016)
Over the last 20 years, rap evolved tremendously. I remember it when I was six, it was still angry rap. But soon some youngsters started rapping in more ironic manners. Started singing about different themes with maybe not as much anger. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
These are some examples of lyrics from popular french rap songs. As you may be able to grasp without necessarily speaking french, the way rappers speak isn't quite what you would call 'proper' french. They use a lot of injections, contractions, slang. On top of it french is a very fluid language that evolves constantly, driven by its youth. This can be observed in the way french rap lyrics evolve over the years.
"La banlieue in Paris influence *‘The suburbs influence Paris and Paris influences the world’
nfluence Paris, e le monde."
- Médine (2017)*
French Rap Now Today French rap is divided between the hardcore rap and commercial one. Everyone listens to rap. But not everyone agrees with the darker, stronger messages. Some like Orelsan with simpler messages make it easier to please a bigger crowd. However the stigma is starting to fall, doors are open to rappers, it is so much more popular, Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
(9) Orelsan who won 'male artist of the year' at the 'Victoire de la Musique' french music award ceremony in 2018. Photograph by Thomas Samson.
‘With Paris’ fertile scene already overtaking its US counterparts in sales, the city of light appears destined to be at the forefront of non-English language rap’s long overdue globalization in the 2020s.’ - Oliver, M. Extract from Unit 8 Research Report.
Note A big thanks to my friend Tom who was able to give me really good insights on french rap and the culture around it from a different point of view than mine and to my brother whose interest and knowledge of rap and music in general came in handy at many times.
Unit 8, Building a Practice, Editorial and Art Direction
A project written and designed by Clem Braud
Graphic Design Communication, UAL Chelsea, June 2021