The 34are Francos de Montréal, which begins on June 9, will attract a fine delegation of actors from the new French and Belgian rap scene to Montreal: Soolking, Lujipeka, Prinzly, Prince Waly, Jok’Air, S’tano, BEN plg, let’s add to the list the veteran Disiz. After shunning Quebec territory during the previous decade, Franco-European rappers are signaling their strong comeback on Quebec stages, to the delight of fans and show promoters exploiting a long shunned market. Actors from the rap scene explain the phenomenon to us.
In the 1990s, the success at home of MC Solaar, I Am or Oxmo Puccino (to name but a few), then of the left-field electro troublemakers of TTC at the turn of the millennium, encouraged overseas visits by French artists. After ? The scarcity. Apart from the occasional appearance on stage of members of the old guard of French rap – a scene which began its phenomenal facelift in the mid-2010s – Quebec fans felt ignored.
Signs of a change in attitude in the French rap community towards Quebec already appeared before the pandemic. According to Camille Guitton, programmer at Groupe CH (Evenko, Osheaga, Francos) and of French origin, “the one who showed everyone else that it was possible, that there was a market for French rappers here, It’s Damso, even more than Orelsan, that we had done in concert before”, she believes. The (Belgian) star had been scheduled at MTelus in May 2019; the tickets had sold out in record time, forcing Evenko to move his concert to Place Bell. “It was the first time that a French-speaking rapper saw his concert moved from a club to an arena. »
Since the resumption of live performance after the pandemic, French rappers have been flocking to Quebec. In recent months alone, the young independent promoter Colombe Events has filled the Olympia (2,400 seats) with concerts by Naps, Maes (back on October 20 at the Capitole de Québec, on October 23 at the Olympia), Niska, La Fouine . Evenko organized the Tiakola and SDM concerts at Club Soda in February and March. At Osheaga 2022, Damso was replaced at the last minute by a Laylow who performed very well; Belgian star Hamza was on Friday at Piknic Electronics, while Vegedream will fill the Olympia on June 12 — in the midst of Francos, without being on the bill!
“There is undeniably a movement towards French rap, and even more I would say, rap in French”, notes Jay Seven, veteran of the Montreal scene, co-host of the Pod’Helmet and emcee at rap events, most notably at the People’s Club. “When I started working there, there was a Sunday party called La Parisienne, where only French rap was played, that was seven or eight years ago. From then on, I noticed that more and more DJs in clubs were playing rap in French, which you rarely heard before. »
There are several reasons for this trend, starting with the popularity of streaming platforms, which make the recordings of European rappers instantly accessible. The tremendous growth of Quebec rap in recent years has also contributed to renewing interest in Francophone hip-hop. The arrival of French expatriates on Quebec soil helps to fill the concert halls, but a majority of fans born in Quebec ensure the success at the ticket office of the concerts, affirm the promoters.
Renaissance
Above all, the French (and Belgian) rap scene has experienced a veritable aesthetic renaissance in recent years, abandoning the raw and nasty rap of Booba and his followers to draw inspiration from a multitude of varied musical influences, including pop, R&B and popular rhythms from Africa. Franco-European rap has forged a new identity, more accessible to the general public, which has allowed it to impose its dominance on the charts in France and Belgium.
French of origin established in Montreal for a few years, the promoter Nabil, co-founder of Colombe Events, presents the immensely popular Jul, originally from Marseille, as the spearhead of this new French wave: “By releasing dozens of dance successes , but on texts written by a guy from the neighborhood, it gave ideas to a lot of rappers. In the playlists, we no longer call it rap, but urban pop. It’s a mix of rap, R&B, electronic music and Afrobeats.
And it works, even in America, a market yet so small in comparison with Europe that the prospect of profits to be drawn from one or two concerts seems ridiculous.
“Indeed, it is rarely profitable for them to come and give concerts here, and that is what I explain to my various European partners, explains Camille Guitton. But for these rappers, making a date in North America is prestigious. Particularly in Montreal, a city that is increasingly popular, first because the reception from the public is incredible, then because we have a lot of composers-beatmakers here who collaborate with artists from the French scene”, think of Nicholas Craven, who designed an album with Akhenaton, or even Freakey! (opening for Disiz on June 13), which collects French customers.
“Lately, everyone talks to me about Mike Shabb or Shreez — when I tell them I’m from Montreal, people there ’tilt’! says rapper Rowjay, in concert on June 16 on an outdoor stage. The Montrealer, who plans to release a new album titled fast life at the end of 2023, knows what he is talking about: by multiplying his stays in Paris since 2016, he has become the unofficial ambassador of Quebec rap in France, he who has spent four of the last six months there giving concerts, interviews and expand their network of contacts.
“People see Montreal as the dream of French-speaking America,” he adds. Rappers like to come here — it’s like giving a concert in the United States, but in French. And it’s often complicated for them to come and play here, because of visas and permits. Customs here, it’s not as simple as in France! Do not forget that Montreal is a big city too. »
The young French rapper BEN plg will cross the Atlantic for the first time to give a concert on June 10: “It’s super exciting! To be able to travel thanks to music, I consider myself lucky. And for me, it’s incredible to tell myself that, so far from home, there are people who listen to my songs and want to see me in concert. I see Quebec as a new French-speaking territory [à investir], even if it is probably not the same audience as in France, and it is an audience that should not be neglected. »
The Francos de Montréal take place from June 9 to 17.