France 2 inaugurates this Friday evening a new musical program, "Artiste & Co". For this first, the public service channel is putting French rap in the spotlight by giving Ninho "carte blanche" for an hour. The co-producer of the show explains the reasons.

Accustomed to Taratata , the audience of France 2 will be entitled this Friday evening, at 23:40, to a musical style which he is not used to: French rap. Called "Artist & Co", this new musical program on public service is based on a simple concept: giving "carte blanche" to an artist. And for this first, the channel has decided to hit hard by highlighting the rapper Ninho, one of the 200 most listened to singers in the world on online music platforms like Spotify or Deezer.

Issam Krimi, pianist, arranger, composer, but also co-producer of this new program. Friday guest of Philippe Vandel's show, explains the reasons for this choice

"We give carte blanche to an artist"

For an hour, the rapper will indulge in his origins, his influences, his musical choices and of course ... sing. It will be a real concert, filmed at Bataclan in public. "What is different with 'Artiste & Co' is that we are completely in an act of creation", explains Issam Krimi. "We give carte blanche to an artist and we build with him music different from what we might hear on an album or even in concert." 

Wanting to be far from the traditional promo show, this new program does, however, include an editorial component, with guests, but here too the artist is free. They will therefore be "different on each broadcast" specifies Issam Krimi.

>> Find all of Philippe Vandel's programs in replay and podcast here

Rap very rare in PAF

Rare in mainstream media , urban music, "the most listened to in France", therefore arrives in force in PAF, where we did not really expect it. As for the gap that separates the audience of France 2, whose average age is 56, from the rap culture, Issam Krimi argues that it poses no problem: "This audience also has children and small- children, and then people have a curiosity. Especially since a media that has no renewal has almost a death date. It is therefore to France 2's honor to open up to the youngest . " A theory that will have to be checked with the results of the hearings next Monday at 9 am, in "Media culture" on Europe 1.