“Nouvelle École” season 2 ends in style!
Summary
The last episode of season 2 of "Nouvelle École" was just released this week on Netflix. So we know the winner's name, but the show is about much more than that. This grand finale is the perfect opportunity to look back on this new season of the must-watch French Rap show and try to make a little assessment.
A Season 2 in "Upgrade" Mode
The French Rap world, sometimes a bit resistant, had some concerns during the filming of the first season of "Nouvelle École". Those fears were quickly dispelled by the quality of the first season of the talent show, although some criticisms could be made. For example, the jury was sometimes a bit absent, especially Shay and Niska, when it came to deeper analysis of performances to help contestants improve and give real artist tips. But clearly, all these small criticisms were taken into account to offer us an even better season 2. And it worked, we can say now that it's over. Shay was much more serious, and Niska much more focused; they clearly stepped up their game, and the editing allowed more moments of deliberation and reflection from the jury so viewers could better understand the choices. An essential aspect, especially knowing how many upcoming artists watch the show for inspiration.
In season 2, everything seemed more controlled, more polished, and even more rhythmic than the previous season, even though the number of episodes remained the same. You can tell a lot of attention was paid to pacing, as we see less detailed footage of contestants working on their projects throughout the challenges, sequences that were more present in season 1. And in terms of entertainment, we were more than served, with very memorable moments throughout the season. During the castings, notably, with some contestants performing on stage in front of thousands of people, and they did quite well. During the features too, with very surprising moments, especially Lpee with Soso Maness for an incredible remix of the hit "Petrouchka". Finally, this crazy finale, with three very high-level performances, each in a very different universe, from Coelho, Yuz Boy, and Dau. Beautiful choreography on stage, a real sense of style and showmanship, and quality tracks—the season 2 ends on a very high note.
It's also the opportunity to talk about the quality of the contributors, which increased again compared to season 1, with a real added value. Rim'K came to bring his expertise to the jury at the start of the season, Médine accompanied the contestants during the cyphers, a highly challenging exercise for this new generation that is no longer necessarily used to big multi-person freestyles. With kindness but also accuracy in his remarks and advice. Kalash took Shay to the Antilles, a region too often overlooked by major labels when it comes to scouting rap talents. And Soso Maness was perfect in supporting Lpee during the feature challenge, and it showed on stage. We also appreciate the presence of the two veterans from Arsenik, who came to advise the new generation for the battle challenge. In short, each contributor was a real asset, another sign that this season 2 was a success.
Nouvelle École Season 2 - The Finalists
A Deserving Winner, Worthy Contestants
But you can't have a great singing contest season without a great winner. Yuz Boy is that great winner. Unexpected, perhaps, for those who saw his small slip on stage with Kalash in the previous episode. But his final performance won over our jury and convinced them. He had clearly worked on his act: a griot to introduce the track (the African poet-musicians who orally pass down traditions and stories), paying tribute to his Malian roots, then the top of his outfit falling off, much to Shay's delight who had a hard time recovering. Finally, a track, "Yafama," that confirmed all the good things we thought about the artist and justified all the hopes placed in him. Because the young man from Saint-Ouen has a universe all his own, made of references not necessarily mainstream, changing flows, with an ease to vary speeds and intonations in his rap, a good dose of street, and many diverse musical influences, ranging from rap to opera to dancehall. A unique artist far from the genre's standards.
By doing this, "Nouvelle École" asserts its desire to highlight artistic approaches rather than "streaming machines," whose art is already too close to what's currently popular. Another big plus for this season 2, but the other two artists also offered something very high quality. Coelho, with his single "AMF," a fully mastered egotrip for a track that would have every chance to be a hit. We hope to hear this track again in the future; the chorus is very effective. And Dau, with his track "Finale," and his incredible energy that we also hope to see again in future projects, especially this somewhat "Travis Scott" vibe but more street. Although Yuz Boy ultimately takes home the famous 100K, the two finalists could very well have won too; it was very close, as shown by the jury's last deliberation.
That will be the last remark to close this assessment of season 2, and it concerns the overall level of the contestants. A generally very good level, especially technically, but also in terms of personalities since we didn't have the big moments of tension or disrespect towards the DJ that we saw in season 1. The jury did a very good job of pre-selection. Taking some artists who already had a small career and some released projects probably helped raise the overall level a bit more. Again, very good choices because whether it's Lpee, Coelho, Yuz Boy, or SLKrack, all took the challenge very seriously despite having started their careers a few years ago. In short, congratulations to Netflix, the participants, and the contributors for this very successful second season of "Nouvelle École." Hopefully, the third will be even better!