In front of the Théâtre du Châtelet a large security perimeter blocks the crossroads, under police surveillance. In the center, a gathering of several hundred people where black tuxedos rub shoulders with the most eccentric outfits.

"For a rap event people are hyper dressed!" says a fan who came to attend the show.

On Thursday, May 11, the French rap industry gathered in the heart of the capital for the first edition of the Flammes, a ceremony dedicated to this musical genre, which has become, over the years, the most popular in the country.

On the program: 21 award ceremonies, 14 live performances by some of the most prominent artists on the current scene, such as French rappers Gazo and Dinos, Belgian star Damso or Congolese artist Fally Ipupa, with the added bonus of many guests including humorist Fary and singer Christine and the Queens.

Thank you for following this first edition of the Flames. #LesFlammes2023 pic.twitter.com/OLlYd90zpB

— The Flames (@LesFlammes2023) May 11, 2023

This ambitious project, which the rap industry has dreamed of for many years, was made possible by the association of two pillars of the sector: the Booska-p media and the Yard agency. For its organizers, the Flammes respond to a double challenge: to celebrate the success of the rap industry, now powerful enough to organize such an event, but also to fill a gap, in the face of the Victoires de la Musique, where this musical genre is struggling to find its place.

Allternative Ceremony

Four days of intensive preparation were necessary to break in this great American show. Tuesday, at the theater of Chatelet, an army of technicians are already working to conduct the test phases, before the rehearsals of the artists.

A multitude of details remain to be settled before the fateful date. But not enough to worry Amadou Ba said Hamad, co-producer of the event. Slim figure, hoodie and cap screwed on his head, the 40-year-old man shakes hands and slips a little word of encouragement to each member of the team.

"All the lights are green," he says. "This ceremony is a great celebration for our culture, for the people who follow it and those who do it. I can't wait to measure the impact," he says, smiling.

The idea of this event dedicated to rap germinated three years ago, during a discussion between this entrepreneur at the head of the Booska-p site, a reference media in his field, and the leaders of the communication agency Yard, another heavyweight in the sector, specializing in partnerships with brands. Very quickly many sponsors joined the project and in particular the streaming giant Spotify, which became main partner.

"For years the Victoires de la musique have been criticized on social networks by the rap public, who find that our music is too little represented or put in the wrong boxes. So we decided to create a ceremony that resembles us and represents our culture," Hamad explains.

Amadou Ba, director of the media Booska-p and co-producer of Les Flammes, at the Théâtre du Chatelet, on May 9. © David Rich

For a long time, the Victoires de la musique confined rap to catch-all categories under the title "urban music" or "rap / groove", finally deleted, three years ago.

Since 2021, the ceremony rewards the most streamed artists on music platforms. These awards, won three times by rappers, arouse strong criticism in the community; perceived as a way of recording the commercial success of projects by denying them any artistic quality.

"We cannot continue to ignore so many artists, acclaimed by so many people, it is not possible," says Antoine Laurent, editorial director of the Flames. This new ceremony "is a political issue. It is a question of saying to all these artists: you are standard bearers of francophone culture. In 2023, this is an undeniable reality."

The streaming "revolution"

For industry professionals and listeners alike, this first edition of Les Flammes embodies a form of consecration for rap, which has been experiencing a real commercial golden age in recent years.

"Before 2015, we were still in the record crisis; only a few headliners made a living from their music," Hamad recalls. "It was particularly difficult for our industry because the rap audience is a young audience, very active on the Internet, and therefore downloading a lot illegally. The arrival of streaming in 2015 and the generalization of paid subscriptions was a real revolution for us."

The numbers speak for themselves: in 2022, the top 5 most listened to artists in France is composed solely of rappers (Jul, Ninho, OrelSan, PNL and Lomepal). Seven rap albums are also among the 10 best-selling albums of the year.

This enthusiasm is also confirmed in concert with an extremely fast fill rate for many artists, including in large venues such as the Accord Arena, in Paris Bercy, where last year Laylow, Orelsan, PNL, Vald, Rohff, Niska, Romeo Elvis or Kalash followed one another.

Artistically too, the sector is booming. The democratization of autotune, note corrector software, allows artists to mix rap and singing, pushing the boundaries of the genre.

For the organizers of the Flames, one of the challenges was to represent this growing diversity, adding broader categories such as new pop, R&B, Afro or Caribbean inspiration, while bringing together these different currents behind a common banner.

"From the beginning, we decided to free ourselves from the notion of urban music," says Antoine Laurent. "This term is too often used in a pejorative and reductive way to describe what is done by blacks and Arabs in the cities of France. We opted for the 'popular music ceremony', which seemed more rewarding to us and allowed us to represent the different sensitivities of this culture."

Install "a brand"

Thursday evening, at the Théâtre du Chatelet, the party is in full swing and the awards ceremonies follow one another. Perfect ambassador of the musical openness claimed by the Flames ceremony, the young rapper and singer Tiakola is in the lead with three victories, in the new pop, R&B and Afro categories.

The awards for best female and male artists go to singer Aya Nakamura and rapper Gazo, who also wins the Spotify award for his album KMT. The best rap album is awarded to Dinos for his concept album "Hiver à Paris".

The end of the ceremony is marked by a long medley of the two big winners of the Tiakola and Gazo evening, to the applause of the audience. For their first edition, the organizers of the Flames seem to have won their bet.

But for Hamad what looks like a victory is only a step. "This event is a culmination but we also imagine it as a brand that will last. We're already on season two. Then there will be the three, four, five... ».

Gazo and Tiakola perform "Fleurs" live. #LesFlammes2023 pic.twitter.com/FVxvTBKO1P

— The Flames (@LesFlammes2023) May 11, 2023

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