French hip hop

This article is about hip hop music from the country of France, and does not cover the hip hop scenes in other French speaking countries like Senegalese, Belgian and Canadian hip hop.

French hip hop is the hip hop music style which was developed in France. Most French hip hop artists come from poor urban areas outside of Paris known as the banlieues (including Lunatic, Mafia K1 Fry, La Brigade, Secteur Ä), Lyon, Lille, Le Havre (La Boussole), Strasbourg, Toulouse (KDD) or Marseille (IAM, Fonky Family, Psy 4 De La Rime, 3ème Oeil, Soprano, and others). In the early 1990s hip hop became the sound of Paris. Racism within French society plays a large role in the success of French hip hop. In order to fully understand French hip hop, however, it is imperative to consider and understand the political and social status of the minority groups living in France. Many French rappers are products of the HLM and use their tough upbringing as sources of inspiration in their lyrics.

The majority of French rappers are descended from Berber, Arabs and African immigrants. Even though some of the pioneers like Lionel D and DJ Dee Nasty are not of African descent, Africans have dominated the music scene. However, in contrast to the United States, France has always featured numerous racially-mixed groups. Many of the most important rappers in France are (including Kool Shen, of Portuguese and French descent; Akhenaton, of Italian descent; Diam's, of Cypriot and French descent; and Sinik, of Kabylian and French descent). Many are also immigrants from former French colonies who have moved to France for education or a better life. MC Solaar, who was born in Senegal, released his first CD in 1991. Within France, the two cities with the largest hip hop scene are Paris (the majority of French rappers come from the suburbs of Paris.) and Marseille.

Elie Yaffa who is better known as Booba, is a French rapper of Senegalese and French descent, from western suburbs of Paris. He began his career as a rapper in 1994. In 1996 he co-wrote, with Ali (the co-founder of Lunatic) "Le crime paie". He is currently in a well-publicized feud with another well-known rapper in France known as Sinik. . You could watch a video on one of his songs called "Pitbill" . The San Antonio point guard known as Tony Parker is also a rapper from France. The first single from the album "Top of the Game" featuring rapper Fabolous and Booba, was released in March 2007. The video features Spurs teammates Robert Horry, Tim Duncan and Brent Barry, as well as former teammate Nazr Mohammed.

The fervent protest at the heart of French hip-hop can be traced directly to the economic boom following World War II. France required manpower to sustain its newly booming industries and the governmental solution was the mass immigration of peoples from regions of past French colonial occupation to fulfill the gaps in personnel. As early as 1945, l'Office national d'immigration (ONI) was formed to supervise the immigration of new workers. Unfortunately, Africans were not given the same employment opportunities as their Caribbean homologues because they were not citizens, and more often than not ended up working as petty civil servants and menial employees living in dilapidated housing projects. Much of the resistance to social and economic imbalances in French hip-hop relates back to these unequal conditions, as is evidenced most explicitly in the lyrics of Aktivist's song, "Ils ont," which translates to "Aktivist denounces intolerance to all immigrant fathers/Exploited in France since the 50s-60s/...their bodies are falling apart/And their children are still being judged according to their origins."

In France the modern music scene is split in two; rap listeners, and rai listeners. Rai is full of melisma and Arabic sounding music and is marked as being the music of an older generation in France. More recently rap has begun to take the place of rai as the popular music of the new generation. “Such developments signal a shift from the inwards, ethnic associations of rai to the intercultural confrontational, coalition politics associated with rap.” Such shifts led to repression of rap music by French governmental institutions. Most recently though, in some French hip hop, rap and rai have been noted to have fused together.

Hip hop first appeared in France in 1979, just as the genre was achieving some success in the United States. In the beginning, it was the American rap artists who dominated the hip hop scene in France. Even today, French hip hop is still heavily influenced by the rap scene in the United States, particularly the gangsta rap scene. Its popularity was due to the presence of a large African community in France. Beyond a simple glance at songs and music, a full understanding of French rap requires a consideration of the political an social status of minorites in France. Indeed the development of rap in this country is directly linked to the postcolonial relationships established with former colonies of Africa and the Caribbean. By 1982, a number of hip hop radio stations had appeared, including Rapper Dapper Snapper and BA Crew, and the future star DJ Dee Nasty made his first appearance. That same year saw the first major hip hop concert, the New York City Rap Tour, sponsored by Europe 1 and featuring Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmixer DST, Fab 5 Freddy, Mr Freeze and the Rock Steady Crew.

The first major star of French hip hop was MC Solaar, born Claude M'Barali in Dakar, Senegal. He moved to France in 1970 and lived in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. His 1991 Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, was a major hit. The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that the French language was well-suited for rapping, and that MC Solaar's popularity came about "probably because of his very open and positive attitude, his strong literary talents and humour". He set many records, including being the first French hip hop recording to go platinum. Most artists claim that the French language hip hop style was influenced by Renaud Séchan songs.

Following MC Solaar's breakthrough, two broad styles emerged within the French hip hop scene; artists such as Solaar, Dee Nasty, and Alliance Ethnik championed a more mellow, sanguine style, while more hardcore performers such as Assassin and Suprême NTM assumed a more aggressive aesthetic. Many such artists found themselves at the heart of controversies over lyrics that were seen as glorifying the murder of police officers and other crimes, similar to outcries over violent thuggish lyrics in American gangsta rap. The cases include the notorious Ministère AMER's "Sacrifice de poulet", NTM's "Police" and Lunatic's "Le crime paie".

Columnist David Brooks writes that "ghetto life, at least as portrayed in rap videos, now defines for the young, poor and disaffected what it means to be oppressed. Gangsta resistance is the most compelling model for how to rebel against that oppression." He argues that the gangster image of American hip hop appeals to poor Muslim youth in France, as a means to oppose the racism and oppression they experience. Jody Rosen counters Brooks' argument, criticizing Brooks use of a few, old samples of potential French gansta rap that contain violent or misogynistic lyrics. Brooks fails to accurately assess French hip hop's larger scope, and discounts it's potential for "rappers of amazing skill, style, and wit."

France is the world's second-largest hip-hop market and the fifth largest global music market, with 7 percent of the world's music sales but an unusually high proportions of local product (Negus: 159-60), although the domestic share of the French music market dropped from 48 percent to 44 percent in 1998 (Boehm 1999). Francophone rap was given a sur in the early 1990s by a decision of the French ministry of culture, which passes insisting that French-language stations play a minimum of 40 percent of French-language music.

French hip-hop, like hip-hop in other countries, is highly influenced by American hip-hop. French rap is moving away from its origins, which was about Africa, culture, and sending out important messages to rapping about what American artists are rapping about. They are now rapping about gangbanging, raping, and other illegal activities and now have the same image that American artists are known for. Columnist David Brooks writes that “French rap lyrics today are like the American gangsta lyrics of about five or 10 years ago, when it was more common to fantasize about cop killings and gang rape.”

Through the nineties, the music grew to become one of the most popular genres in France; in 1997, IAM's release "L'école du Micro d'Argent" sold more than 1 million discs, with NTM moving more than 700,000 copies of their final album "Supreme NTM". The group went their separate ways in 2000.

In the 2000s, similar to developments in the USA, a gap has begun to emerge in French hip hop between artists seen as having sold out, belonging to the mainstream, and more innovative independent artists. La Rumeur, and Sheryo, some hardcore rappers are known for their rejection of mainstream French rap, while Casey, Rocé, Médine and Youssoupha represent a mix of hardcore or purist rap and mainstream designs.

Music was one way that rappers were able to bring their African heritage into their country. French tracks are often enhanced by recordings of African musical instruments, such as the kora, the balafon, and the ngoni. French rappers incorporate many different drums from African cultures into their hip hop, again installing their African heritage.

Themes

Themes in French hip hop include opposition to the social order, humor and puns, as well as racial and cultural identity. Whereas, early French hip hop has been written about as mimicking American hip hop in terms of aesthetic appeal, we also see a French rappers adding their own cultural and racial identities to the mix. WIth the rise of IAM's pharaoism, or allusions to ancient Egyptian pharaoh's, we see them attempting to negotiate and create a space for themselves in a social scene rife with discrimination and racist ideologies. Whereas American hip hop is often focused on black youth culture and therefore connecting to a black diaspora community, specifically Africa, French hip hop deals with anti-Islamic and Arab tensions. It is important to note that because most French rappers were of Arabic origin, and because their parents had fled from Algeria because of hardships, pro-black themes were not common in French hip hop. The first openly pro-black African song was "Lucy" by B-love, in which the singer references the oldest human remains found on Earth of an African Woman who was named Lucy. The performer suggests that Lucy was "the mother of us all."

Relationship with Africa

"Hip Hop and rap music were born in the Black American urban ghetto's at the end of the 1970's and first exported to England, as it was the first natural market for American musical products." When it reached the coasts of other European countries in the 1980s Afrika Bambaata was the man behind it, and when he came to France he was overwhelmed by the great importance of black culture coming from Africa and the Caribbean.

Many French hip hop artists express strong ties to Africa, though not overtly. Rappers from the 1980s and 90s needed to keep their references to Africa subtle for a few reasons. First, explicitly praising Africa would have been offensive to the many immigrants who fled Algeria and other North African countries because of the economic adversity they faced there, and many rappers probably had parents who had done so. Also, obvious Afrocentrism would have provided the French anti-Arab extreme right with an opportunity to tell Arab immigrants to return to North Africa. And finally, rising Arab fundamentalism in North Africa would have prevented rappers from being able to imitate their behavior in their native land.

The progress of rap in France is associated with the postcolonial relationships founded with former colonies of Africa and the Caribbean. Therefore, the definition of Africa according to French ideas, and the nature of racism in French society is crucial to understanding the reason for the hip hop and rap sensation in France. Rappers are overwhlemingly of African descent, and in tackling the issue of their invisibility in French society and declaring their origins, they redefine their identity and defy French notions of race and citizenship.

Some black French hip hop artists have used their music to address challenges and issues that cause poverty in African nations. The French hip hop group Bisso Na Bisso's song "Dans la peau d'un chef" refers to the corruption of African heads of state. Though their music and the issues they cover focus more on their home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all member of Bisso Na Bisso live in France and rap in French. Although many artists that have dominated the hip hop scene in France are of African descent, themes dealing with the intimate connection between France and various African countries tend not to get much promotion on mainstream radio and even less consideration in scholarly research on the subject. While the popularity of nationally grown rap in France grew with the presence of MC Solaar, his involvement in the overall French hip hop subculture is non-existent as many consider his work to be in the traditional vein of French pop and not of the politically-minded, mostly African-influenced hip hop aesthetic of France.

Specifically, IAM incorporates many African-related themes into its music. Their 1991 song “Les tam-tam de l’Afrique” was one of the first French rap hits to deal explicitly with slavery. This particular track "focused on the plunder of Africa, the abduction of its inhabitants, the Middle Passage, and the plantation system in the Americas." It uses a sample from a Stevie Wonder song called "Past Time Paradise", which, appropriately, touches on race relations and slavery as well. Many other French hip hop artists made similar statements through their music, by collaborating to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in France in 1998. In order to mark the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Martinique (which is an overseas department of France in the Caribbean), on May 22, Paris's Olympia theater hosted a concert that opened with "drummers chained together" and featured performances from "rappers of African decent such as Doc Gyneco, Stomy Bugsy, Arsenik, and Hamed Daye."

IAM also incorporates images associated with ancient Egypt. Several group members assumed names reflective of this influence. For example, IAM member Eric Mazel goes by the name Kheops, the name of the builder of the Egyptian pyramids .

The African music influences in French hip hop also extend to the use of African instruments such as the Kora, balafon, and ngoni. Many of the drums played in Africa and the Caribbean music such as “derbuka from North Africa, djembe from Senegal, bete drms from Martinique, gwoka drums from Guadeloupe, etc…). The mixture of the diverse traditional African, Caribbean, and other instrumentals is what produced the French hip-hop and made it distinct. It does not necessarily represent the French inside France, but rather the minority within France that has its own origins and African connection. The majority of the most influential rappers are from African and Caribbean origins like MC Solaar, Passi, Lady Lasistee, Hamed Daye and many more. Also the immigrants in the French community are not separated like some of the black communities in the United States. “Blacks, Arabs and Whites living together in a social systems where they were all going to school and also to university with more equal chances — and therefore more integrated into society”.

Islam in French Hip Hop

A large number of the hip hop artists in France are children of North African Muslim immigrants. This multilayered identity presents itself in the content of their music and Islamic ideals are ever present in their music. In the current atmosphere of Islamophobia and racism in France, Islamic hip hop has become an art of protest especially in the post 9-11 world. . Muslim hip hop artist and groups such as IAM have utilized their art to address these social issues.

In France today Arab community has a enormous participation in the hip hop scene and it keep growing everyday. For many people in France, Arab music or hip hop is nothing else, but a noise. The noise that do not let then sleep at night and somehow the colonization of France by the Arabs. A colonization that is noticeable is the hip hop scene and that many people believe is going to be a problem “colonize by those barbarian”(Gross, Joan ,swedenburg, Mcmurray) . In any case the Arab community has made a big contribution to French hip hop since the have chose to express the difficulties that they go through everyday in France as a minority group through music.

The youth of the Arab community, like the children of British immigrants, struggle to find their identity in these colonial countries where most of the older, French generation thinks of the music listen to by youngsters (like Reggae,and Hip-hop) to be "noise," not art. . As a result, most artists incorporate their roots with the present by fusing hip-hop with the music listened to by their parents (African, or Mid-eastern music). Instead of this fusion being celebrated, it is looked down upon, and is often unacknowledged. Hip-hop, being known as a powerful instrument of protest and rebellion, draws in French minorities that are frequently disrespected in French society. This is one of the reasons that Hip-Hip in France is readily dismissed as "other" and associated with immigrants.

One of the most prominent Islamic Hip Hop artists is the rapper Akhenaton from the group IAM. Akhenaton was born Philippe Fragione, to Italian immigrants and converted to Islam despite his family ties to Catholicism. His stage name "Akhenaton" was chosen after the first monotheistic pharaoh in Egypt. The goal of Akhenaton's music is to represent the spiritual Islam which is tolerant and mystical in order to loosen the high tension in France due to the prejudice against Muslim immigrants. The group IAM is an apolitical group as they want "nothing to do with the state", thus actively rejecting the way the French Government is handling the tensions in the country. While spreading positive messages about Islam however, the group IAM itself is very multiethnic including members that are "Madagascaran, Senegalese, Algerian, Spanish, and Italian plus one white French Native" . Muslim hip hop artist and groups such as IAM have utilized their art to address these social issues. . Many scholars and Muslim Clerics have studied whether Hip Hop and music in general is permissible (Halal) in Islam. There have been many different opinions and controversy regarding this subject: "But for some conservative Muslims this verges on blasphemy; they say music is "haram" - or not allowed - in their strict interpretation of Islam". There will always be two opposing sides to Islam in Hip Hop not only in France but around the world, however regardless of whether Islam permits Hip Hop or not, the reality is that Islam in Hip Hop is playing a significant role in shaping the future of Hip Hop globally. .

Language

Hip Hop in France has been greatly influenced by American hip hop culture, the lyrics typically in French or Arabic are one of the few aspects of French hip hop that remain authentic . Other than English, other language influences are based on oral traditions such as African griots, "talk over" of Jamaica and the blues .French music lyrics typically feature puns, play on words and suggestive phonetic combinations. Such artists as Bob Lapointe often use alliterations, onomatopoeia and puns or double entendre lyrics. The dialect of choice for many hip hop artists in France is verlan which is based on the inverse of original French words. In some cases artists rap in several different languages on a track including Arabic, French and English . The purpose of the lyrics, no matter the language, is "to popularize and vent the anger and frustrations of many disadvantaged and sometimes mistreated individuals, and to defend the cause of the poorest and least socially integrated segment of French society" .

French hip hop stands out for its "flowing, expressive tones of the language [that] give it a clear identity within the rap world." However, on the other side the United States rappers currently raps about “bling-bling” and the French rappers do follow that but at the same time they are still in the movement of making a difference in French with their lyrics. Like authors of the “Arab Noiose and Ramadan Nights: Rai, Rap, and Franco- Maghrebi Identity” state that The French rappers rap about “the history of slavery, humanity’s origins in Africa, Europe’s destruction of African civilizations and the independence struggle led by the Front De Liberation Nationale.” The components of their music are mostly influenced by the American rappers, but they also have their own style such as having their culture's tune in the beat. And they rap in their language and their phonetic sounds differ in time to time.

Influence on Pop Culture

The image of the banlieue, comparable to what, in the states would be called one's "hood", has propagated itself into French pop culture in the form of clothing, accessories, attitude and of course the hip-hop music it yields. This fascination with the banlieue image has also found its way into the big screen with the movie B-13 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_B13). This action/martial arts film depicts a somewhat exaggerated view of what one of the worst boroughs (which is what banlieue means, roughly translated) would be like 6 years in the future. Ironically, one finds within this move almost every iconic paradigm inherent to the gangster image in the U.S. We have a plethora of drugs and guns. We have a Don Corleone/Scarface figure who, under the influence of enough of his own product, considers himself invincible. There is, of course, a general disdain for corrupt police and politicians, and last but not least, there is the unfair imprisonment of the protagonist. The aforementioned traits contained the sub-plots of Juice, Boyz in the Hood, Belly and New Jack City among other movies considered pivotal to gangsta rap culture. The obvious parallels seen in the glorification of the banlieue and that of one's "hood" is not one to overlook. The commonalities in the two cultures are indicative of the fact that a.) almost every hip hop movement was bred from necessity and from rebellion. The guns, drugs and money of the hood are typically not the aftermath of an easy life but the result of a struggle whether it is as a hustler or as a gangbanger. Hip-hop provides an outlet for people in the struggle to lash out at the powers that be, and to rebel in some little way against the life they're stuck in. b.) the glorification of the banlieue also reminds us that there will always be a consumerist market of people, not in the struggle, who will take advantage of the allure of the image without totally understanding it.

Such as much of the rap and hip hop in the United States talks about money, women, guns, etc., rap in France is also somewhat following this path. Yet, many artists still rap about their ties to Africa, culture, and sending out important messages. However, hip hop in France is taking on the same image as hip hop in the United States. Its changing to talking about gangbaning, raping, and other illegal activities. The scene is moving away from its origins to send a message. Not only in France, but in many African countries, French hip hop is played and heard. "The images, modes and attitudes of hip-hop and gangsta rap are so powerful they are having a hegemonic effect across the globe."

Breakdancing

The break-dancing scene in France is widespread, and some French B-Boys are considered to be amongst the best in the World.

See also

• List of French hip hop artists

External links

English language links:

• frenchrap.de Underground & Street Rap from France.
• Feature article exploring the French rap scene of 2006.
• Yo La La! An English language podcast on French hip-hop.

French Language links:

• ecoutelaruemarianne.fr French Hip Hop Site.
• RapFrancais.Org A Web-Radio with French rap.
• RAP2K.COM A French Rap and Hip Hop resource.
• ABCDRduson A French magazine about of Hip-hop.
• 90BPM A French magazine about of Hip-hop.
• [1] A French magazine about of Hip-hop.
• BBoyKonsian Webzine Hip-Hop & Reggae Undacover - Purists Only - News
• Booska-p A French rap site
• Underground French Hip-hop page on MySpace
• 13OR-du-HipHop Webzine French Hip Hop News
• Rapjeu French blog

References

• Krümm, Philippe and Jean-Pierre Rasle. "Music of the Regions". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 103-113. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
• "Hip Hop and Rap in Europe". Soundscapes. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• "La Danse sensuelle du Hip Hop Français". Lumpen. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)