Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
French Rap Musicians Blamed for Violence
French artist Mino raps about hard economic times: "Knocked out by the welfare check, sitting on a bench, paid to do nothing, that is the fruit of my times..."
Listen
0:00
Listen
Prodige Namor has been running French rap workshops since 1998. He says rap is all about identity.
(
Sylvia Poggioli, NPR /
)
Two hundred members of the French parliament are calling for legal action against several rap musicians for allegedly inciting violence and racism in last month's suburban riots. Rap artists and their mentors say the music reflects economic and social reality, and shouldn't be blamed for the unrest.
For more than a decade, French rappers have been venting the anger of an alienated underclass, but rappers say politicians haven't been listening. Matteo Ferran, part owner of the record label Street Skillz, says suggesting rap is to blame for the riots is a case of shooting the messenger.
"This makes me laugh," Ferran says. "Rappers have been saying the same thing for 10 years, warning about what goes on in the suburbs, where kids are miserable. There are teenagers who think about committing suicide -- they have no future."
In the southern city of Marseille, the situation is much less bleak than elsewhere in France. While it has high unemployment -- especially among the young -- Marseille was spared November's wave of violence.
Municipal authorities have gone so far as to encourage minority youth to explore their creativity. A city-funded urban renewal project turned a former tobacco factory into a vast center for artists, actors and musicians.
There's even a school for rappers. Rapper Prodige Namor has been running workshops since 1998. He says rap is all about identity. "You have lots of people from... Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the Comoro Islands, and everybody wants to show who he is and where he comes from. It is a way... to show who they are, what they want to prove."
Sponsored message
One of Namor's best students is Amir Kegeri, a 17-year-old of Algerian origin. Kegeri, who goes by the stage name of Ace, hopes to record an album after he finishes school. He says that his rap singing is "more than just a message, it is a state of mind, it is a culture, it is a life."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
