Hip-hop festival reportage

Recorded for Euradio Nantes. Looking at the HIP OPsession festival in Nantes.

February 2012. ENGLISH TRANSCRIPT: Voiceover: The artists gathered here in Nantes come from about 15 different countries: from Russia to Chile via Israel. No-one better represents this diversity than Backpack Jax, the duo tasked with giving the opening concert at this year's festival, made up of Mauikai, an American woman of Cuban origin, and Boogie, a Nantais of Iraqi origin. They explain why the festival holds such an attraction for them: MAUIKAI: Obviously, we come from a hip-hop culture, and that's totally what our music's about, and what better way to showcase our music and share some good times with dancers, graffiti artists, all the figures in this city who are part of this culture here in France. BOOGIE: Yeah, it combines the spontaneity of the hip-hop movement, its very creative, very diverse, very original side, with the clout of an event on this scale, a large international festival, and it's organised by people who are passionate about it, which is important because they can be up all night working on it. There you go, every year it gets better and better, and we really love performing here, it's a beautiful thing. V/O: It's the eighth year of this flourishing festival, which is increasingly becoming a true Nantes institution. For three weeks, the city is transformed into a capital of hip-hop culture, as demonstrated for example by the eleven walls of the city, where graffiti artists are legally allowed to spray-paint. Nantes, a hip-hop city? Well yes, says Boogie: B: Hip-hop culture is very established in Nantes and western France, it has been for decades. There are groups that have made a name for themselves which come from here and which continue to make a name for themselves, Hocus Pocus to name just one for example. There are loads of different movements: there is a musical hip-hop movement, there's a much more conscious hip-hop movement, there are dancers, like the 'Quel Pays' company here who are making a big name for themselves. As for the actual city itself, the city is simply a theatre for that culture. As is often the case, there's a connection between the two. V/O: For Mauikai, it's not just a Nantais phenomenon, but a rather a European trend. She says that, on the continent, hip-hop is glorified as an actual culture – a far cry from commercial rap music in America: M: In the USA, it's much more about the commercial market. That restricts us from showcasing the culture, the real culture which was born three decades ago, whereas here in France and in Europe, there are groups which put all their focus and their energy into developing and promoting the true image of this culture. V/O: But in what sense can we talk about a hip-hop 'culture'? Of course, that's down to its social dimension. For festival-goer Pascal, it's that power to unite a group of different people which is more important than its playful aspect: PASCAL: It allows people to unite behind a common theme, and to share and exchange different vibes, different ways of feeling the music and the culture. Above all it's a social connection between different ages, different social classes – more so than just entertainment. V/O: Vincent is a teacher in Nantes. He came with a group of pupils on a school outing about hip-hop. As he explains, he was particularly attracted by the festival's first show, an interpretive spectacle combining break-dance and light calligraphy: VINCENT: I'm here on a trip with a college here in Nantes. We came to check out the opening evening of HIP OPsession. We came to see something that might be educational this evening, a show all about calligraphy, and we really wanted to see what it was about, and what the pupils might be able to get out of it, in the way it was done. V/O: One thing's for sure: HIP OPsession is an event with great community value. But that doesn't stop it from having a more personal significance in certain cases. The final word goes to Mauikai, who explains what she takes from the festival: M: We really just want to share what feel in ourselves, and to share those experiences, those emotions, that energy with the HIP OPsession crowd; to share great experiences and make great memories, so that afterwards we can say, we really enjoyed sharing that with the crowd this evening. Whether it's an acoustic set or a full band, that really gives us a warm glow inside – that's it! V/O: And even in this chilly February, it's a festival that will continue to warm the hearts of the 25,000 people who are expected to attend.