Hip Hop culture is about the streets, tags, rap, and urban areas. A bit too amateur, not clean enough, a little too raw. And, above all, a bit too violent… In Nice, even more than elsewhere, Hip Hop lacks resources, spaces, and audience to reveal its true cultural identity. Some artists from the Azur region have come together to sing, a right of reply, an open letter, a plea in favor of their music: Petition. A piece lasting 11 minutes, featuring 26 artists. Each has 8 bars to sign the track with their rap. 8 bars remain blank and available for anyone who wants to add their name. So, rappers, get ready to sign!
Kaisha, in Petition: “show our art/speak with an open heart/that’s what we wanted to do/they banned our rap”
The idea comes from the Zone Rouge label. A music label that provides its studio to young independent artists, organizes some local Hip Hop concerts, and hosts a radio show broadcast throughout the department. “We help many young people who have no resources and don’t know where or how to fulfill their passion,” explains A.M., one of the members of Zone Rouge.
It all began on February 17th of last year. An exceptional concert featuring nationally known rappers was planned at Nikaïa. The Identitarian group, Nissa Rebella, denounced this event as a hateful concert, citing lyrics taken out of context. They then threatened to be present. Fearing a clash, organizers chose to cancel the concert. The Zone Rouge label decided to respond. They launched the creation of the track Petition, to give Hip Hop artists a voice. A.M. states: “We wanted to do something mature, respectful, without gratuitous violence. We gathered artists from the department and worked on the lyrics to ensure the piece was thoughtful.”
C4: “what makes you think/that my rap’s not sincere/even if we didn’t go to Saint Cyr/each of our lyrics is genuine”
To make more noise and gain credibility, the association plans to use a radio show recorded in February, following the concert cancellation. It gathered around the microphones of Zone Rouge the professor of international law, Robert Charvin, an expert in freedom of expression, and the Prosecutor of the Republic, Eric De Montgolfier. Both men agreed that some images from the show could be used in the Petition clip. “They are neither for nor against Hip Hop. They are for freedom of expression. We find it normal that, in such circumstances, a Prosecutor of the Republic takes a democratic stance to defend equality,” explains A.M. Contacted by Nice-Premium, Eric De Montgolfier did not want to elaborate on the matter: “I’m not interested. I just allowed the use of an audio medium. I was informed of the video release at the same time as you.” Conveying a message without creating controversy is also Zone Rouge’s motto: “We want rap to be respected like any other music, and to be allowed to express ourselves too.”
Freedom of expression. No more, no less.
Kaisha, Jessica, and Hdi, ambassadors of Nice rap
Three artists from the track Petition invited Nice-Premium to the Zone Rouge studios. Interview.
<doc22503|right> Independent artists, they work during the day and rap at night. Jessica, Kaisha, and Hdi receive us in the Zone Rouge studio, where they are accustomed to recording their tracks. Since November 2006, the label has been headquartered in the heart of Victorine. The mythical location of the old film studios of the French Riviera. It only has a few square meters. Just enough to set up a recording studio whose partitions the members of Zone Rouge built themselves. The artists are proud to record here, gaining credibility: “That’s the main message,” says Jessica, “just because we’re young doesn’t mean we do just anything!”
The lack of recognition weighs on them, but they have no intention of giving up. They continue to try to make themselves heard everywhere: “In Marseille, Hip Hop culture is much more recognized. Here, it’s more complicated. Performing in venues where people are seated and where our audience doesn’t have access feels cold and doesn’t match our vibe. And when we perform outdoors, in neighborhoods, we never have the right quality…,” explains Kaisha.
Hdi: “the fear of the outsider/has haunted us since prehistory […] there’s no black and white/it’s more complicated than that”
Kaisha and Hdi exchange a number, a contact: “that’s how it works: we meet people, create connections, and if we need others, we call. When we record together, it sometimes lasts late into the night. Those are good memories!” Nice’s Hip Hop scene is a real little world. A bit separate but open. Open to others, to all kinds of music. Jessica, 24, doesn’t rap much; her soul is inspired by oriental rhythms “from home.” She first took singing lessons in jazz and gospel. “And you, what do you listen to?” The one interested, curious about others, is Hdi, the rapper from Grasse. He is 23, has a warm voice, and the rhythm in his veins. His message: “Our ideas are always positive, it’s the way we say them that shocks.” Jessica adds: “Our words are sometimes violent because we cannot deny violence; it exists in our neighborhoods. We just want to say: look at what’s happening, help us change it.”
Jessica, alias Calamity Jess: “by going to vote/we’ll have to restore our identities/we shouldn’t endure/pressure, oppression anymore”
Kaisha and Jessica are the only two girls on Petition. Comfortable, welcoming, and funny, they are at home in this world: “Hip Hop is our culture, that of the housing projects, we grew up with it. We try to break stereotypes: girls who do Hip Hop aren’t prostitutes. I also don’t understand racism: the world we live in is mixed, it’s a reality, we can’t change it, on the contrary, it adds more color.” The lovely 24-year-old Kaisha raps with all her heart: “I sing of hope. Why shouldn’t we have the right to say what we think, while others get cultural events canceled with violent threats. Aren’t they the real thugs?” Her last concert at Place Rossetti was a great success. Jessica, on her part, has an album in preparation. She recently helped Zone Rouge invite Deputy Mayor Dominique Estrosi. A meeting and exchange that went well. Jessica is also a volunteer radio host for Zone Rouge’s show. A young woman from Nice, elegant and smiling. And you know what? Her grandmother always made socca, back there in Algeria!
Download Petition for free at https://www.zone-rouge.net/
