Rap and R'n'B have never received so many major nominations at the Victoires de la Musique, but for what verdict?
The ceremony takes a test on Friday for these genres that have often been snubbed until now.
Gazo in the category of male artist of the year, Aya Nakamura for female artist, Josman for the album, Meryl for female revelation and stage revelation, Yamê for male revelation, Damso and Bigflo & Oli for the concert, Shay for audiovisual creation (clip): a real turning point.
The ceremony has been accused for years of contempt for the favorite music of young audiences and of a lack of representativeness.
A mainstream artist, Orelsan - 12 times winner in history - is only the tree that hides the forest.
This time, from the dancehall and Caribbean influences of Meryl - whose streams have more than doubled since her appointment - to the drill, this dark style, of Gazo - almost 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify -, the different trends of rap are put in the spotlight.
Also read: Werenoi, Hamza, Ninho... Rappers dominate album sales in France in 2023
If the genre dominates streaming platforms - with 43.6% of listening to the French top 500 on the Swedish platform number 1 in the world market - and album sales in France, it is struggling to establish itself in this high mass musical trophies.
A situation which fueled the anger and the lyrics of artists, like Damso who sang:
“I don’t love you like the Victoires de la Musique”.
“Boycott”
Initially nominated in the
“original song”
category , rapper SDM, who previously denounced the lack of respect for the ceremony, was disqualified for his refusal to sing his title
German Bolide live on Friday.
Last year, the artist from Hauts-de-Seine, in the Paris region, sharply criticized the coronation of singer Pierre de Maere, who himself felt he deserved the title of
“male revelation”
less than Tiakola.
Read alsoVictoires de la musique: no more “small arrangements between friends” according to its president
How can we explain the surge in nominations in 2024?
Vincent Frèrebeau, new president of Victoires, explains to AFP that he became aware of
“things that were wrong”.
Last year's creation of Les Flammes, a ceremony dedicated to rap and its trends, also
"moved the industry a little and, this year, the Victoires nominees are much more representative of what works in France"
, analyzes for AFP Nicolas du Roy, editorial director of Spotify France.
A step towards the end of a
“boycott”
denounced by the rap community?
Franglish, interviewed by AFP, hopes so.
“After a while, we can no longer deny it, rap is really present everywhere.
So we have to play the game
,” asserts the rapper with billions of streams.
“Even if we should not sweep away the entire past
,” Vincent Frèrebeau recognizes that the ceremony suffered
“from a track record that was exclusionary for certain styles.”
Manau
This year, the nomination process has changed and is
“less biased”
by record companies and producers, adds Nicolas du Roy.
Rap and R'n'B were too often drowned in the catch-all "urban music", until the disappearance of this label.
Some editions remained famous for big misunderstandings: in 1999, the Manau group, with Celtic influences, won over the NTM monument.
Shyly open to young audiences, the prize for the most streamed album was created in recent years.
This minor trophy, linked to statistical data and not a strong choice of a jury, was a meager consolation prize for Aya Nakamura, SCH or Ninho.
Also read: Ninho at the Stade de France: 80,000 seats sold in less than 6 hours
Now defunct, this award presented the rap public as a
“mass”
,
“there to consume only in a bestial way”
, tackled rap journalist Sandra Gomes in 2023 in the Apple Music show “Le Code Review”.
“It’s denying the nuances, the fact that a rapper is an artist, a musician like any other
. ”
What will happen on Friday?