Rappers Round Up Voters
Alex:
April 28th, 2007
As my iblog colleague Anna noted, the first round of the French presidential election witnessed an incredible 85% turn-out. In part this might be the result of the leading lights of French hip-hop getting behind the push to vote, but particularly behind the vote to keep crypto-Fascist Le Pen (for definite) and neo-Thatcherite Sarkozy (very often) out of the running. The message is clear “You have got to vote and you have got to learn about politics. The most dangerous thing in the world is ignorance”.
Recommendations? The diversity in French hip-hop is huge - almost every sub-genre is represented, but I’ll make two selections. The first is TTC. They come over at times like an equally electro, equally floor filling, equally Casio-rave French version of Spank Rock - hence, occasionally big dumb fun. At others they hit like the glitched delights of Prefuse 73, Machinedrum, Push Button Objects et al. Their Modeselektor collaboration entitled “Dancing Box” is too good for mortal ears. Incidentally, Thom Yorke of popular beat combo The Radioheads is a Modeselekor fan and included them on his rather hip-hop-centric iTunes mixtape. Watch this video and tell me they don’t tear it up with their filthy Gameboy twitchiness (the lyrics are about as stupid as they come, or so I am told). Secondly, Saïan Supa Crew, whose beats are more straight cut, but whose flows and beatboxing are staggering - a more serious group generally, whose lyrics reflect the problems of those living on the margins of French society, those who live in the Parisian banlieues for example. And MC Feniski is quoting the linked article, stating “Though his vision of France is worrying, economically there are some things in the programme of Sarkozy that look logical to us” - a fairly balanced view.