Les Flammes: fans of Gazo, committed jokes of Fary... What does the new musical ceremony look like?

The Place du Châtelet cordoned off by the CRS, limousines and vans with smoked windows that advance towards the red carpet, or rather yellow, fans shouting the names of their idols, Gazo, Hamza, Tayc, and influencers unknown to the over 50s, like Crazy Sally, impatience in the line of guests on their 31, annoyance among photographers at the photo call, VIP traffic jam at the entrance, half an hour late even before the start... No doubt. The Flames, which are held this Thursday evening at the Théâtre du Chatelet, are a first ceremony worthy of the name.

This musical awards ceremony called "francophone popular cultures" was invented by two media specialized in hip-hop, Yard and Booska-P, not to compete with the Victoires de la Musique, but to add to it. For several years, and especially since the removal of the "rap" and "world music" categories, the selection of artists of the year broadcast on France 2 has provoked much criticism on its lack of diversity and representativeness. Les Flammes is the second ceremony created after the Prix Joséphine, the first edition of which took place last year and rewarded the singer November Ultra.

More than 135,000 voters on their social networks

There are twenty-one categories in the Flames, thirteen of which are open to public voting, with three artists per category. First victory for the organizers, no less than 135,000 people voted on their social networks. And the organizers have been bombarded with requests for invitations, which proves that the event is taken seriously. The Théâtre du Châtelet is sold out, with more than 2,000 spectators. But at 22:30 p.m., the broadcast of the ceremony almost simultaneously on Booska-P's Youtube channel attracted only 43,000 spectators...

The organizers of the Flames refuse to be labeled rap. At the Châtelet, it is still the elite of French-speaking hip-hop that parades, Orelsan and his accomplice Skread, Tayc, SCH, Dosseh, Hamza, SDM, the former Passi and Stomy Bugsy, Gazo and Damso, who will launch the festivities with a new duo. Apart from Christine & The Queens, who comes to present an award, we can not say that French pop and song are very represented.

Fary's committed opening speech

"More than a competition, it's a celebration of cultures from working-class neighborhoods," announces a short film before comedian Fary opens the ceremony, at 21:30 p.m., with a speech on the rocks. "Come on, we're delirious, I propose that we give a golden Vianney every year," he announced at the outset. Tonight, I would have said "hi blacks", but there are also Arabs, Asians, and producers, representatives of record companies. Behind every great rapper, there is a white man who takes cash. There is only one criterion to be nominated tonight, it is to have lost at the NRJ Music Awards in front of Matt Pokora. But this clever speech does not forget to scratch the ceremony and its artists, Gazo, "who even orally must make erases", or Aya Nakamura, "the best-selling French-speaking singer and yet does not write in French. "

The idea of Les Flammes is to highlight those that the traditional media leave in the shadows with new presenters – the comedian and actress Fadily Camara, and the "historian of French hip-hop" Driver – and new categories, starting with that of composer of the year, which rewards a beatmaker unknown to the general French public, Tarik Azzouz, who has nevertheless worked with most of the great French artists and in the United States with stars like Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and DJ Khalid, and even received a Grammy Award. Good idea also to award "the eternal flame" to Rat Luciano, who from the top of his 47 years has had a considerable influence on Marseille rap.

At 22:30 pm, two revelations were rewarded, Ronisia and Werenoi, and the duo Disiz and Damso won "the featuring of the year". But as at the Victoires, we can't help but wait for the queen categories: the rap album of the year, to which Dinos ("Winter in Paris"), Gazo ("KMT") and SDM ("Liens du 100"), the female artist with Aya Nakamura, Lala &ce and Ronisia, or the male artist, who pits Dinos, Gazo and Tiakola against each other. The latter is the big favorite of the evening with no less than eight nominations, far ahead of Gazo and Dinos, four nominations each, and on the women's side, the young Ronisia, nominated three times, ahead of Aya Nakamura, present in two categories.