French rap women, discreet and effective

While the track “Ahoo” by Chilla, Bianca Costa, Davinhor, Le Juiice and Vicky R is a hit, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at the place of women in the French rap industry. A little retrospective from Diam's to today, where the star rapper of season 2 of “Validé” was played by Laeti.

“The French cultural exception” In current French rap, there are many areas where our artists have nothing to envy to their American counterparts: beats, flows, videos, and even sales for some heavyweights of the FR game, we are almost on the same level. Except in one area: the number of female rappers who have really succeeded. In the USA, they had Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Da Brat, Nicki Minaj or Cardi B. In France, the only one who really succeeded and left a mark is Diam's, and that dates back. However, she was not the first to start rapping: Sté Strausz, or Princess Aniès had in some way opened the door.

But nothing comparable to the tidal wave triggered by Diam's, with “Brut de Femme”, then with “Dans ma bulle”, containing many hits that marked a whole generation of listeners. In addition to her albums and hits, Mélanie (her first name) even shone a light on Sinik, a young rapper from Les Ulis, giving French rap one of the most striking rappers of the 2000s. Diam's influence was huge, and almost 20 years later, everyone still knows the lyrics of “DJ”, “La Boulette”, or the eternal “Jeune Demoiselle”. Such a monstrous success that it almost forced the rapper to quit music and take a step back, because fame to that extent in rap had never been reached before.

Hunted by paparazzi, but especially surrounded by an aura making her almost untouchable, Diam's set the bar very high (in terms of talent, impact and sales) for those who would want to take over to carry a female voice in French rap. She also posed a problem for future female rappers: Mélanie had an extremely reserved, discreet and humble personality. And in terms of clothing style, she was not the most feminine possible. For a long time, this image of “caillera girl” was a mandatory passage for women in rap. Either they adopted the tough and rebellious attitude of Diam's, Keny Arkana or Casey, or they leaned towards a more feminine style and music closer to RnB, like Vitaa for example. It must be said that even today, French mentalities are still a bit outdated, with very “old school” codes and references. But it’s slowly changing.

A status that also allowed her to become a model for some luxury brands, and a judge on the show “Nouvelle École” soon on Netflix. Once Shay broke down the barriers, many talented female rappers rushed into the breach. Leading the way was Chilla, who became known with her single “Si j'étais un homme” and her first album “Karma” in 2017. Then others followed, like Davinhor, Meryl, Lala &ce, Doria and others. Obviously, the path for these women in rap remains a struggle, as deeply rooted prejudices easily associate rap with something virile, masculine, wrongly since we mentioned above great female artists who carried this culture in the USA. So why is it so difficult in France?

Canal+ asked this question and created, to answer it, the documentary “Reines, pour l'amour du rap” (available in full on their site), which follows 5 French female rappers: Chilla, Vicky R, Davinhor, Le Juiice and Bianca Costa. The rappers are invited to look back on their different journeys, their connection with rap and participate in a seminar to create a track together. The track is called “Ahoo”, it’s full of egotrip, insolence, but also solid kickings, proof that our female rappers have nothing to envy to their male counterparts. And with more than 2 million views just on Youtube, it’s already a success. The clip is also very successful with a beautiful aesthetic. We’ll end this little overview by saluting the genius of Franck Gastambide, director of season 2 of “Validé”, who chose to entrust the main role of his series to Laeti, a rapper who has lived through many struggles and fights for her life and passion. Again, a success at the end. Proof that mentalities may be changing!