The story of a rap group told to children aged 4 to 8 in a book. The concept, in itself, is astonishing! The exercise requires skill and sensitivity, but the recipe developed by Editions de la Bagnole is now proven. Muzion is the third release in their “mini-punk” children’s series. The work of Niti Marcelle Mueth, illustrator, and Olivier Boisvert-Magnen, author, is filled with colors, life, passion and possibilities, but it also reveals, in a way that is both childish and realistic, a journey strewn with pitfalls which led the rap trio Muzion from the schoolyard to the biggest stages.
The first two works of the “mini-punk” series, about the metal group Voïvod and the poet Claude Gauvreau, published simultaneously in April 2023, allowed the publishing house to establish a clear orientation aimed at familiarizing all -little ones to the history of the counterculture. Their slogan says it all: “Biographies with bite”!
For this third volume, La Bagnole editions have brought together the forces of two passionate craftsmen. Olivier Boisvert-Magnen is author of Jean Leloup. Great moments of lucidity (2022). He is also known for having published a rich series of articles on the history of local music for the newspaper See a few years ago already. He became a father in synchronicity with the release of the book, and it is a first foray into the world of children’s literature for him.
The colored pencils were held by visual artist Niti Marcelle Mueth to bring the story to life. His works have been exhibited from Montreal to Japan, via Germany. She is also known in particular for her role as artistic director of the giant fresco “Black Lives Matter” painted on Sainte-Catherine Street in 2020, at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Summit meeting
Summer 2023. There are five of them around a table in a microbrewery on Mont-Royal Avenue. The three members of Muzion, Jenny Salgado (J.Kyll), her brother Stanley Salgado (Imposs) as well as Jocelyn Bruno (Dramatik), are seated with Niti and Olivier. The latter presents his editorial plan to them. Ideas start to fly, but so do questions. How do you tell the story of a rap group and some of the complex social realities surrounding their rise to popularity… to children aged 4 to 8? Casually, the challenge is significant.
The solution ? Get back to basics. Drawing, dance, music, speech: four faculties instilled or developed intuitively from childhood. These are also the four basic elements of hip-hop culture: graffiti, breaking, DJing and MCing. There is something to interest children, but also parents.
Together with his four acolytes gathered around the table, Boisvert-Magnen launches into the enumeration of supporting sub-themes. “I found that there were lots of evocative things, particularly in the brother-sister story of Jenny and Stanley, who is very strong, who can speak to children with an idea of mutual aid, of having a common project , with family. There is also Jocelyn’s stuttering which can be something that affects young people, particularly with the idea of overcoming this stuttering through music, oral expression,” he recalls. Since childhood, Jocelyn Bruno has had to deal with a speech impediment which completely disappears when he raps or even when he plays a role for television or cinema.
“But,” Olivier continues, “there is also all the musical discovery. When we are children, there is the music of our parents. But little by little, we will discover our own musical tastes. And [la manière dont les membres de Muzion ont découvert] hip-hop culture, I found it very strong. I found that it was a theme that allowed me to talk about rap in a more universal way. » Indeed, Jenny and Stanley Salgado were introduced to the different facets of hip-hop culture by traveling to New York, to visit family, in their early adolescence. From this musical discovery, they forged a unique identity, adapted to their Quebec reality.
Story teller
This story resonated with Boisvert-Magnen, who began to think about his own musical background. Born in the Montreal district of Ahuntsic into a white, French-speaking family, the thirty-year-old was brought up on Quebec musical history of the 1970s. “With this book, it’s as if I wanted there to be a heritage, that there is knowledge of the heritage of Quebec rap among young people here. I want knowledge to be passed on. I want Muzion to be recognized as an important milestone in local music. In the same way that we were introduced to Charlebois, Beau Dommage and Harmonium,” he explains.
This reflection by the author lifts the veil on the main question underlying the entire story, that is to say the representation of diversity in the collective Quebec story. Reached by email in Colombia where she is currently in an artistic residency, Niti Marcelle Mueth hopes that this book will find a positive response among children, in particular by making them aware of “the cultural and artistic diversity of their environment. […] The book could inspire children and young people to pursue their own artistic dreams and explore their creativity, regardless of their origin or background, in addition to serving as a starting point for intergenerational discussions between children and adults, sharing memories and experiences related to hip-hop music and culture,” she writes.
For Jenny Salgado, this need for artistic expression, this affirmation of existence is inherent to the culture that is dear to her. “It’s the very definition of what the hip-hop movement is. It’s more than a musical style. It’s absolutely a social movement, and that’s the strength of this movement: it includes everyone, it’s very inclusive. Hip-hop culture itself expresses itself in all possible forms, it is a vehicle for expression. We must explain to children that this is the basis of hip-hop: it is the culture of resourcefulness, it is the culture of existential speaking out. It is the need to say: “I too, I am here and I too, I want to be part of the whole”. »
And since it’s about getting back to basics, Jenny also thinks about the precious moments that will come to life around this work. “When I received the work, it was the symbol of the book that struck me first. I tried to put myself in the shoes of a child who received it: the image, the colors, the object. That children have access to the literary object is already beautiful. It’s more valuable than a link you click on a screen. It’s beautiful to share between the children and their parents tucking them in, telling them our story, putting them to sleep, but waking them up at the same time. »