Blackara
48 Hours of Hip-Hop at Goom Radio
Recently, Goom Radio— a 100% digital radio station that is taking storm in France and coming soon to New York— ran a continuous 48 hour episode of it’s hip-hop radio show “Explicit Content,” featuring the biggest artists in French hip-hop, rap and R’n’B. While I wasn’t able to compete with the various radio hosts who stayed up for nearly two full days (breaking for a few hours here and there to sleep and shower), in just the 11 hours that I spent at the station, I got to hang out with some of the top names in the industry, including: Oxmo Puccino, Disiz, Leslie, Seth Gueko, Orelsan, LIM, Youssoupha, Dragon Davy, Mr. Toma, Black Barbie and Kamnouze among others. On top of that, many of the Goom radio hosts are also important figures on the French hip-hop scene, including rappers Freeman (formerly of IAM), Sonikem and Driver, and female hip-hop journalist Valou.
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Video Interview with AP from 113
While at a taping for Glory Time TV, the hip-hop talk show hosted by our friends in the group Blackara, I met French rap artist AP who kindly agreed to do an interview for my project. Currently promoting his first solo Album, Discret, AP originally started his career in the nineties as a member of the successful French rap group 113, and he is also a part of the rap collective Mafia K’1 Fry (K’1fry or “Cainfri” is verlan slang for “African”). Above, you can watch an excerpt from our interview.
Although 113’s talent has been celebrated with two Victoire de la Musique awards (similar to the American Grammys) and a gold album, the group also gained notoriety in 2005 when they, along with several other groups, were accused by over 200 members of the French government for fueling young rioters with incendiary lyrics. (To date, however, French government officials haven’t won any of the numerous lawsuits filed against rap artists.) While I won’t go into depth about why these accusations were misdirected, there are two really interesting points about this case, which have been reinforced by my conversations with AP and with others throughout my research.
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Rap Workshop at Espace Riquet
“They are crazy characters. They have grills… But don’t let that fool you.”
When my friend Magee McIlvaine first told me about the group Blackara, this is how he presented them… and I think it’s pretty much a perfect description. Yes, on the outside they have grills, chains, and all sorts of “typical” rapper paraphernalia, but anyone can tell you that these fun, intelligent, and community-oriented artists are anything but typical. Following the election in November, I wrote about X.V. and M.P. Blackara’s radio show and their involvement in France’s 2007 presidential election, and since then, these renaissance men have been constantly on the move. (Even our interview was filmed from the backseat of their car in between appointments!) From transitioning their weekly radio show into a live talk show on cable TV, to having a role in Luc Besson’s French action film B13 Ultimatum, and performing on a regular basis, it is no doubt that they are busy— but that never stops them from giving back.
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Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.