"It's a big step, I see it as the César of French rap," said Fifou, a key photographer for rap/r'n'b/new pop album covers in France.

"The recognition generated by the Flames could change a lot of things in rap in France," rapper Dinos told AFP.

The general public is waiting for the verdict for the queen categories. Like the rap album of the year -- Dinos ("Winter in Paris"), Gazo ("KMT"), SDM ("Liens du 100") --, the female artist -- Aya Nakamura, Lala &ce (pronounced Ace as in tennis), Ronisia -- or the male artist -- Dinos, Gazo, Tiakola.

Whatever the final result, Tiakola and Ronisia, both 23, have already won, cited alongside the heavyweights.

Rapper from the Paris region, Tiakola has eight nominations in the wake of his first album, "Mélo", 9th best seller in France in 2022. R'n'b sensation, born in Cape Verde and arrived as a baby in the Paris region, Ronisia has three nominations.

Rapper Tiakola during the 38th Victoires de la musique ceremony on February 10, 2023, in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine © Bertrand GUAY / AFP

The winners will be crowned after a decision by a jury and the public, which could decide for 13 categories out of 21. Nearly 135,000 people voted on the Flames' social networks.

"Like rock"

"That's what was missing: rap, r'n'b and new pop dominate the charts, festival programming, inspire pop culture as rock has done before, but are not rewarded at their fair value," Tom Brunet, co-founder of YARD, told AFP.

This media/communication and event agency is at the initiative of the Flames with Booska-P, media stamped "popular cultures". Not to mention Smile, a consulting agency, nor the support of Spotify, the first music platform in the world.

The rap/r'n'b/new pop ticket dominates the Top 10 best-selling albums in France, since in 2022 Clara Luciani (10th) was the only artist from the variety.

And for the first time, rap/r'n'b'/new pop produced in France is ahead of electro at the top of French sales abroad (38% against 27%), according to 2022 figures presented this week by the National Music Center (CNM).

Aya Nakamura, Gazo and Ninho are among the driving forces behind music produced in France booming for export (+38% of albums and singles exceeded the threshold of 2022,50 sales outside France in 000 compared to 2021).

Rapper Dinos in Paris, November 18, 2019 © JOEL SAGET / AFP/Archives

Enough to validate the creation of the Flames, an event that will be broadcast from 20:30 on Booska-P's YouTube channel, simultaneously on the 6play platform, on Twitch (on the address of streamer Maxime Biaggi) and delayed from 23:00 on W9.

"In the long term"

Comedian and actress Fadily Camara will be the mistress of a ceremony that wants to break the codes of the traditional awards ceremony, with guests from showbiz, sport or fashion to deliver the trophies.

"Upstream, even before knowing the nominees, we had decided on the shows we would have on stage, an opening performance, unreleased, songs that we do not necessarily expect, with a rhythm and energy in the image of this culture that we want to celebrate," Hamad (without other surname used), co-founder of Booska-P, told AFP.

The Flames want to make up for the time lost by the Victoires, who have never known how to deal with rap, yet present in France for 40 years. As in 1999, when the group Manau, claiming a Celtic variety, receives, embarrassed, the rap trophy -- which no longer even exists -- in front of the NTM monument. Aya Nakamura, the most heard French-speaking singer in the world, won only a minor trophy for the most streamed female artist...

"We can co-exist with the Victories, because we are there to be part of the long term," concludes Hamad.

© 2023 AFP