Think of French music and you’ll likely imagine accordions and jazz-inflected tunes sung with powerful emotion. But these stereotypes don’t reflect the reality of modern France, which has become the world’s second-largest market for rap behind the United States.
In recognition of his cultural phenomenon, streaming giant Spotify earlier this month sponsored France’s first ceremony, “Les Flammes,” to recognize the best Rap, R&B, and Afrobeats music.
The popularity of these musical genres reflects the rapidly changing demographics of the nation, a shifting mix of races and immigrants that has caused growing political tension.
But for fans of this music, the event was widely celebrated in the rap community, which had grumbled for years that it was underrepresented in France’s larger mainstream music awards, according to The Guardian.
Indeed, according to Spotify, these three genres of music are far and away the most popular streaming choices in France. In 2022, more than half of the 20 bestselling albums were produced by French rappers. And in 2021, rapper Aya Nakamura attracted the most streams of any Francophone artist in the world.
And yet, Rap is still only 12% of the music played by French radio stations. The result is that the music and the people who make it often appear to be marginalized or far outside the mainstream.
To remedy that, music companies Booska-P and Yard decided to create Les Flammes and managed to attract Spotify as the main sponsor. On the awards’ website, the organizations declared that the event was as much about shining the spotlight on the Rap genre as it was about recognizing any artist or group:
“Because it celebrates the cultures from working-class neighborhoods and the creativity of those who make them grow. Because these cultures are today among the most popular in the French-speaking world: once minimized, they are now reflected in the language, codes and references of generations who claim them and integrate the general public. Because in such a diverse country, the notion of ‘popular culture’ can no longer be unique: it must be plural.”
The ceremony was held on May 11n at the Châtelet theatre in Paris and many of the biggest names strolled the orange carpet before the event began.
The Flame of the rap album of the year nominee, French rapper Ibrahima Diakité, AKA. Gazo, poses … [+]
The awards’ categories were designed to reflect the wide range of styles that have developed in France’s black community.
Writer and jury member Mekolo Biligui told The Guardian that he hoped the event would allow the nation to better understand the central role that Rap is playing in France’s cultural life.
“Rap is an Afro-American music at is base. It’s fed by those afro sounds and it feeds into afro sounds. This is a festival of black culture in France,” Biligui told The Guardian. “At the UK’s Brit awards in 2020, the rapper Dave won album of the year with Psychodrama. In France, it would be impossible for a rapper to win that prize of album of the year in any genre.”
Les Flammes included public voting, which accounted for about 50% in many categories and was streamed live on YouTube and Twitch.
The winners included rapper Gazo, who was recognized as Best Male Artist and Album of the Year for KMT. “I will not speak for a long time, otherwise I will embarrass myself,” Gazo said when receiving one of his awards, according to Le Monde.
Rapper Tiakola, won three awards, including New Pop Album of the Year, for Mélo. And Nakamura won La Flamme for female artist of the year.
The Flame of the rap album of the year nominee, French rapper Julien Schwarzer AKA. SCH poses during … [+]
French comedian Fary summed up the evening when he suggested Rap needed to stop being labeled as “urban music” and instead be re-dubbed “popular cultures.”
“Aya Nakamura is the French artist who sells the most in the rest of the world,” Fary said. “Jul has sold as many platinum records as Johnny Hallyday.”
