On Monday, April 24th, on Boulevard de la Madeleine, there was a sensational exhibition as part of the “Hip Hop Attitude” fortnight, from April 15th to 28th. Everyone was involved, especially the youth. The atmosphere was electric yet friendly. The schedule included performances by local rap groups interspersed with “battles” between various breakdance troops. The battles were particularly well-received by the audience, who crowded in front of and on the stage to get a closer look at these physical feats. Freezes, headspins, and waves followed one another in a frenetic rhythm with an engaging soundtrack.
Some parents were present. They were there to admire the hard work of their children who had been training for a week in various workshops set up for the Hip Hop fortnight. Such was the case for the children of Rahli and Thoraya. It was their first time participating in the Hip Hop festival in Nice. They performed in front of everyone on stage, and their mothers were delighted. Thus, some brand-new breakers were participating in the demonstration. But there were also seasoned “b-boys” and “b-girls.” For example, Diana, who is only 12 years old, has been practicing Hip Hop dance for 3 years. Her performance on stage was effortless. “I’ve already done 13 performances so…” She is part of the La Madeleine II dance troupe, but she still came to train in the Hip Hop fortnight workshops.
The dance groups continued to parade on stage: Virus, Unité de Style, Fantasy Crew, Psyko Style… And the audience was still present. Space was also given to rap groups from Nice. The following would perform on stage: Section Moinama, Larmes de Sang, Sofiane, Koktel, Amétiste and SAO, Asphalte, Section Fidjo and Reda. The flow was good and the lyrics impactful. Larmes de Sang consists of three boys and a young girl with a quite captivating voice. They sang a song “for those who left too soon and for those suffering from diseases.” The group formed just three months ago. They are soon expecting a radio play of one of their songs on Agora FM. Audrey, the singer, admits: “I was a bit afraid of the public’s reaction, but in the end, it was good!” The same reaction came from Nemania, somewhat the leader of the group. “The stage was awesome!” After leaving Serbia during the war, Nemania lived for 10 years in L’Ariane. He recognizes that it is very difficult to break into rap in Nice. “Here, people are not very receptive to this style of music. For them, rap is synonymous with violence and we want to show people that it’s not.”
This is also what some parents who were calmly attending the concert thought. Yolande and Michel were disappointed not to see many parents at the event. “They are not numerous enough, and it’s important to come and support the children! Besides, this initiative is nice. It’s rare to do something free for the youth. Too many adults have prejudices about rap and it’s a pity.”
And if this demonstration was able to come to life, it is mostly thanks to the determination of a few. Mr. Brunetti was specifically thanked as he always supported the youth to carry out this project successfully. However, some are particularly bitter regarding the participation of the city council. A young organizer, specially recruited for the fortnight under a temporary contract, asserts that “if the event goes well and is a success, it’s thanks to the willingness of people, thanks to those who wanted to do the right thing. Because frankly, the subsidies leave much to be desired. The City Hall tried to scrape every last euro in the organization of the fortnight.”
So, a big thank you can be said to all these young people who made such an event possible. And see you on Friday night at the Lino Ventura Theater to beautifully wrap up this Hip Hop festival with a concert by the talented Saïan Supa Crew.
