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The rap French is current musical which comes from the assimilation of the American Rap by French youth . While remaining continuously inspired by the rappeurs of on the other side of the Atlantic, the French rap works out its own personality gradually, oscillating between violent or sociopolitic claims, positive or festive messages and commercial temptation.

History

The American influence

The rap becomes visible in France starting from 1984 while being diffused by the new free radios, then by television, in particular with the emission H.I.P.H.O.P. presented by Sidney on TF1.
The hip hop quickly becomes very popular in France, however young French goes then more towards the dance, called at the time the “smurf”. Richy (Nec-plus-ultra) and Lionel D, which one often presents like the very first rappeurs French, are completely unknown. The first album of Dee Nasty, Panam' city painter , own-produced, passes unperceived. Some bonds discographics are discreetly established between Paris and New York: The Wild Style and World Destruction , of the group Time Zone, produced by Bernard Zekri, at the time Current journalist of , Odéon , which will remain a certain time with the Top 50, sung in French by B-Side and Bernard Fowler. Some “tubes” very general public lorgnent towards the rap: Each one done which it likes (Unhappy love affair, 1981), I am of good mood this morning (Tristan), Paris Latino (Bandolero, intersected by a rap with Gary “happy Gangster”, who will also appear on the Under Arrest of Serge Gainsbourg), or towards the Hip-hop culture: Wally swell black (François Feldmann), Street Dance (Break machine), produced by Jacques Morali. The Barclay recording company launches Johnny Go and Destroy Man in a vein which gentillement wants to be “malicious” with the maximum One balances it (1986), whose visual one is drawn by Tanino Liberatore.

It is at the end of the Années 1980 that the French rap appears with the first Freestyle S of NTM, Assassin, MC Solaar on line in the emission Deenastyle , presented by Dee Nasty on Radio Nova. The French rap is thus born with a claiming tone and texts evoking racism, precariousness, unemployment or violence; sets of themes more inspired of Public Enemy than of the festive rap. One remembers MC Maureen, of his sentences assassinate, his featuring of legend, it knew to launch the rap to France, follow-up of his young brother with his andy group re-press which knew to represent the guettos Gouesnaché by rejoining with him all this population formerly too forgotten. The first success general public occurs with the Belgian group Benny B. in 1990. If the tube But you are insane has rap only the form (no contents protestor or claiming), it does not represent of it less the first significant incursion of this music into the French-speaking musical landscape. However, it is especially with compilations that the French rap will hatch. Thus Virgin leaves Rapattitude which contains all the first generation of French rappeurs and which will be sold with 100  000 specimens. Successes of People of the world of Uncle David and Bouge from there of MC Solaar mark a new stage in the vulgarizing of the rap, which will be devoted with Mia of IAM and the Fever of NTM, committed rappeurs which these festive pieces will make it possible to gain a national notoriety.

In the middle of the years 1990, success resounding provocative and claiming rappeurs resulting from the suburbs, in which they officiate since years, is the occasion of a debate on the living conditions in this environment. The media blow of projector does not bring any solution unfortunately and the exchange between the suburbs represented by the rappeurs and the political community turns to the dialog of the deaf, as during a television program during which the deputy RPR Eric Raoult request with group NTM how much thunes they reinvested in their district. The movement hip-hop is deeply anchored in this social environment and the rap is the first musical expression which of it is resulting. Its success causes a true social phenomenon: the youth of the suburbs redécouvre pleasure of playing with the language to handle the words, the sounds and the directions. The rap becomes a door towards the success and the celebrity.

The mediatization continues with for example the emission Rapline on M6 and the appearance of specialized magazines. The rap starts to sell and becomes more dancing with groups like Alliance Ethnik, or Ménélik. The texts have social contents less marked and thus more acceptable by the “general public”. Thus, with the first album of MC Solaar, which offers a softer and more poetic image to the rap, the current obtains a recognition critical and popular and certain do not hesitate to evoke the influence of artists respected such as Serge Gainsbourg.

The rap hardcore survives with a more violent music and texts describing lived of the young people of suburbs with groups like the Quite simply black Ministère A.M.E.R. and . This one appears with the general public at the time of “business NTM” (cf rap and justice below).

The rap then knows a new passion near the general public and of new groups seem Arsenik, the Fonky family or Ménage to 3.

Business success and mediatization

At the end of the Years 1990, the rap becomes current musical major in France in particular thanks to the mediatization ensured by the radio Skyrock which will make its speciality of it. Since 1992, MC Solaar gains the victory of the music better group of the year; in 1998, IAM gains that of the best album of the year with the School of the money microphone, and, as of the following year, a category “album rap or groove” is created. Much money is concerned and one attends just like the appearance of a rap business with the the United States. However a properly French style develops which is detached from the American model. France becomes the second world scene of rep. Certains media become the required passage to launch an album, accentuating of this fact according to some a certain formatting in the rates/rhythms and sonorities as much as in the words.

In margin of this mediatization, rappeurs with the conscious texts and sometimes revolutionists leave the albums, in particular through the collective Time Bomb created in 1995 by DJ Mars and DJ Sek, around Ali and Booba (LUNATIC), Oxmo Puccino, Hi-Fi, or X Men (Ill and Cassidy).

Sets of themes of the French rap

Even if it is frequent that the artists evolve/move from one “kind” to another (in general in the direction of an appeasing of the matter), even mix the “styles” within the same album, revealing a certain richness and heterogenite there, as of the beginning of the year 1990 one can distinguish some " currents généraux" in the French rap.

The conscious rap

Chronicle of the social life, this aspect of the movement tends to denounce what its interpreters perceive like injustices while responsabilisant its public. Regarding itself as speaking pipes of the social-cultural groups from which they result, they are addressed to all. These artists approach topics being able to be very vast (oppression, ecology, injustice, racism, immigration, emergence of the extreme right-hand side, problems of identity…) approaching by there to the currency to the sources Hip-Hop: Peace, Coils, Unity … and Having Fun . The rappeurs headlights of this style are IAM, MC Solaar, Fonky Family, Psy 4 of the Rhyme, Sniper, Kery James, Rockin' Squat, Skyzo Starr, Kiddam, the Compass, the Rumor, NAP, Rocé, Fabe, Kwal, Empathik, HV, Stern, the Guarantee, Less of the Last nine, Ali (Lunatic), Rocca, Medine, Twice the work , Princess Aniès, Esprit6nik, Disiz, Oxmo Puccino, Amara, Pit Baccardi, Rost, Manu Key, Youssoupha, Axiom…

Other new groups emergent in this musical mobility (Algérino, Keny Arkana, the Remedy, Pullers of Bitumen, Connected It).

One should not underestimate the importance of certain rappeurs in the evolution of the French company about certain sensitive topics, even almost taboos before the years 1990, like the slave and/or colonizing past of France.

Let us note besides that certain groups, because of this catch of distance from with France, assert name " wire rap of immigrés" , preferring it with that of " rap français" , lived by them as a recovery of their artistic talent by a country of which they do not have of cease to denounce hypocrisy. Are in particular in this case the Rumor, Casey, Anfalsh…

The rap hardcore

More believed in the level of the texts which evoke lived of the " young people of banlieue" , or the rejection of the established values, the rap hardcore is rather not very present in the large recording companies and develops rather in the form of “mixtapes” recorded in independent studios.

Very critical and claiming, it sometimes extremely rejects the social system and economic with remarks violent one. Particularly aggressive with respect to the police force and certain political personalities, one finds among his rows of the rappeurs like Quite simply black, Alibi Montana, Explicit Samurai, LIM, Poison, Supreme NTM, Ministry A.M.E.R., R4, Sheryo, Alpha 5.20, Latroce, Sefyu, Tandem, Keny Arkana, Ol' Kainry, Mr R, Maffia K' 1 Fry, Escobar Macson, Casey, Seth Gueko, Connected It…

The rap egotrip

This type of rap aims, a more or less explicit and more or less serious way, with autoproclamer number 1, in top of the hierarchy or to give certain rappeurs to their place. It represents with dimensions the " clash" French rap (the fact of clashing has blow of percussion words behind a micro". The followers of this style are numerous because the egotrip constitutes much in the rap, because it makes it possible to write free rhymes without being concerned with a topic has to have. The texts of the egotrip consist of puchlines (in French phases shocks), of the sentences which mark the spirit. The rappeurs handling best the punchline are: Booba, Lino, Stan Smith, Sadik Asken, 16ar (Skadrille), Escobar Macson, Seth Gueko, Dontcha, Al K-Pal (Unit 2 Fire), Mac Tyer, Rohff, Dany daN, Brasco, Ol' Kainry, Sinik, Farage, Fis.L, Ill, Nakk, Monseigneur Mike and much of others.

The rap " bling bling"

Name " bling-bling" (onomatopoeia of the noise made by the long gold chains that these rappeurs carry on their chest), as for it, indicates a making type of rap, in a more or less voluntary way and clarifies, the apology for values such as individualism, the money, the machism (obviously inseparable from the sexism and the homophobie). Its sonority returns to Gangsta Rap of the west coast of the United States. Generally, its protagonists defend themselves by saying that the values that they preach are those which the young people of the popular quarters do not have of another choice to adopt, being given the living conditions which are made to them. A rappor as Booba can be regarded as the prototype of such a rep.

The rap variety

Like almost the whole of the musical currents in vogue, the pop music and the variety were adapted certain of its rhythmic characteristics and sets of themes.

Many artists originating in musical universes and varied styles, thus interpret a music which preserves certain aspects of the rap, to enrich their music and to create something again.

Contrary, certain artists of rap them also drew in their colleagues of the variety to renew the style and also to adapt to a larger audience with sonorities “aggressive” because anchored in a common musical history. This makes it possible to more easily meet a success of great width, for this reason, Doc Gynéco is the typical example, it met an enormous success with its album First consultation and asserted this statute of Chanteur of variety in particular in its song “Classify me in the variet'”.

However, almost no artist asserts EC tendency, the commercial term “rap” corresponding mainly to a will on behalf of the independent artists and of their public to denounce what they consider being a diverting of the initial spirit of the rap to meet mercantile aims. They stigmatize in particular a step marketing based on the use of a caricatural vocabulary, topics “Cliché” on the Banlieue, of a more accessible music often presenting a melody aspect more marked and one duration optimized for the radio operator passages (approaching as much as possible 3m30s).

The alternate rap

At the end of the Nineties, parallel to the appearance of the radio Skyrock and the decline of largest such as Supreme NTM, Assassin and IAM, several rappeurs show originality, with new sonorities, mixing the styles of music, inventing new concepts and new ways of grating.

The precursors are Lone and Busta Flex. Sly the Mic Buddah, OFX, Explicit Samurai and Sir Samuel form at the same time the collective Saïan Supa Crew, of which some will refuse to stick the label of Rap, in spite of the performances of MCs which they will remain until today, because of their opening on all the styles of music: Drunk, Funk, Worked, Zouk, Reggae, Ragga, Jazz, Rock. The rappeurs of the Guarantee mix as for them them flow particular with music with rather electronic tendency, while keeping a true spirit rep.

Thus one can present the alternate rap as a rap open on the remainder of the music, concerning thus many people in a way different from the radiophonic groups, preferring the spirit underground of the French music scene.

Today, the alternate rap is represented as well by of MCs to the texts obscure: the Workshop, worked like Psykick Lyrikah, the new tendency being the return to the use of instruments during the concerts: Groups as Sniper adopted these ways of playing into live.

The groups representing this movement are Saïan Supa Crew, the Guarantee, Lone, Psykick Lyrikah, Klub of Loosers, the Workshop, Hocus Pocus, Svinkels, Ministère of the Popular Businesses, James Delleck, Triptik, Grems Aka Supermicro, Jouage, including all taxes, Charly Greane, Stan Smith, ATK, Gravité Zero, Rocé, Red October, Soklak, Dabaaz, Vizzle, Cautionneurs, Cyanide, Puzzle, New R, Freddy K, etc…

The female rap

The female interpreters under-are largely represented in the rap, in general perceived like a medium very machist. They are most generally confined with the borders of the pop variety or are limited to a role of development of the rappor while taking part to give a melody aspect to certain pieces through a sung refrain.

The first women to have had success in rap in France are undoubtedly B-Side ( Odéon ) in the middle of the Années 1980 and Melaaz, five years later ( Non, not, not , I walk as a recluse ). But one like the other are in extreme cases of the rap and the song and do not enjoy a total recognition in the movement hip-hop.

A big step is certainly the emergence of Diam' S which for the first time devotes the commercial success of a committed artist rap who knew to adapt to the commercial constraints to touch many people with an album sold with more than 650.000 specimens.

However if one often underlines the deficit of women in the field, those which were essential there are recognized for a work without concession: co. Strausz, Casey, Lady Laistee, Roll-K, Diam' S, Keny Arkana, Princess Aniès and Bams.

Thématiquement, they are not generally different from the male groups however their emergence allows the appearance of new subjects such as the rape, the place of the women in the suburbs or marital violence.

The rap and justice

See also: Censure in France#Censure against groups of rap.

justice screws his/her mother, the last judge whom I saw had more defect than the dealer of my rue' (Assassin, 1991)

I am not sure that there do not have two weights two measurements, and not, and not of justice, especially if you do not weigh (NTM, One is still there, in connection with their inculpation for " insult with people holders of the authority publique")

Lawsuits were brought against of the groups like NTM or Ministère A.M.E.R. in the years 1990. Group NTM was accused for insult with people holders of the public authority in May 1996 and condemned in November to six months of prison including three firm months and a prohibition to exert their trade in France for six months. After call, the sorrow was reduced to two months of suspended sentence and a strong fine.

The Minister of Interior Department Nicolas Sarkozy decided into 2002 to launch continuations against the Rumor , shown insult with the police force because they evoke the " bur s" police made and ever condemned (Malik Oussekine, Makomé, Abdelkader Bouziane, etc). The group profits, in the name of the Freedom of expression, of a Non-lieu at the end of 2004, whereas Dominique de Villepin replaced Sarkozy and that the prosecutor seems to disunite complaint emitted against the group. Nevertheless, in the name of the new minister, the prosecutor finally decides to appeal. The group is again judged in June 2006, to be still released, but, Mr Sarkozy become president then brings a lawsuit in cassation (ever seen for a complaint emanating of a ministry) which it gains in 2007.

In 2005, the deputy UMP François Grosdidier, like 153 members of Parliament, posed a request for continuation for incentive with the racial hate and republican against the rappeurs Mr R, Fabe, Salif and groups 113, Ministry A.M.E.R., Wog Tribe, Maffia K' 1 Fry, Sniper, Lunatic and Alibi Montana.

Many, with left (that it is with the Canard connected or with Humanity ), denounces these lawsuits as attempts at censures aiming at choking freedom of expression and the word coming from the districts. The rappeurs replace their attitude in the French musical tradition, that it is the song of Georges Brassens ( the Hecatomb ), the alternative rock'n'roll of the Béruriers blacks ( Vive fire ), or Renaud. The complaint of the deputy UMP Grosdidier, in particular, was analyzed like complaint of the economic situation with exclusively politicking aiming, in order to divert the attention of the Public opinion towards the rappeurs, who opportunely become the Scapegoat S of the riots of the autumn 2005. The " rap conscient" , which denounces the police social insecurity and burs at the origin of the high voltage present in some Banlieue S Frenchwomen, is thus attacked, the charge being turned over against its author. However, Hamé (the Rumor), can be defended, at the time of its lawsuit, while declaring: “It is not the art which makes the history. (…) What is generating of violence, it is not my article: violence exists”. It evokes as these “three or four generations” as each one at the time of côtoyer in the popular quarters, and who all carry their “batch of individual and collective stories on relationship with the police force”: “grandfathers, fathers, big brothers, little brothers”, since the Attack on immigrants S of the years 1960 (with for paroxysm the October 17th, 1961), until October 27th, 2005, while passing by the “fatal summers” of the beginning of the year 1980. “We are agents, heirs involuntary to this relationship with the police force, which ensanglante the imaginary one of the districts”.

The French rap of the years 2000

Fracture between the “rap of the money”, mediatized by specialized radios and the clips, and the “independent” rap was still accentuated causing a stressing of contrast between different public the hip hop. The research of the mediatization pushes the artists with a more homogeneous style in order to pass out of radio, some not hesitating to be made pass for gangsters to return in the stereotype “rap” mediatized and known general public.

In addition, of the slightly experimental groups bring a real revival to the movement with original productions and topics, such as for example including all taxes, Saian Supa Crew, or the Klub of the loosers coming out from the topics which treat daily newspaper of young people more favoured than their so-called counterparts of the ghettos, and from this fact excluded by part of the movement.

The window of mediatization also excludes from the independent groups like the Guarantee, Kwal, Rocé, Svinkels, Philoophaz, Skyzo Starr, Dabaaz, Charly Greane, Sheryo, Kyma, Psykick Lyrikah, the Seven, Ministère of the popular businesses and well of others which reflect together the current richness of the movement Hip-Hop in France.

See too

French Rap on the Google directory.

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