Rap and sclerosis: a voice to raise awareness

Rap becomes the weapon of the patients of multiple sclerosis to raise awareness. Three powerful songs tell their struggle. What do they say?

Imagine for a moment: a microphone, a hoarse voice, words that slam like punches, and at the heart of this flow, a raw truth, that of an invisible disease which affects 120,000 people in France. There plates sclerosisthis neurological pathology which attacks the brain and spinal cord, is not only a medical challenge. It is a daily reality, made of silent fights, insidious symptoms and stubborn hopes. But today, an unexpected initiative gives a new voice to this struggle: rap. Through three poignant songs, an association and patients transform their experiences into a musical cry to raise awareness. How can music become a resistance tool in the face of a disease? Let’s dive into this story where notes and words intertwine to change the eyes.

When rap becomes a megaphone

Each year, the month of May takes on a particular shade for people with multiple sclerosis. This is the moment when the blue ribbon, a symbol of solidarity, is proudly displayed. But this year, an association, called SEProgressifdecided to strike stronger. Exit the classic campaigns: here, awareness is through music, and more precisely through rap. Why this choice? Because rap, with its raw power and its ability to tell stories, tells everyone. He transcends generations, social circles, and above all, he does not mince his words.

The initiative is based on three titles, a musical triptych that explores the facets of the disease. These songs, titled Visibly invisible, Countdown et Fuckingare not simple songs. They are a reflection of an experience, that of patients who, like David, a resident of Eure-et-Loir, saw their lives switch. Diagnosed eight years ago, David swapped his bass for a pen, unable to play because of his failing left arm. But her creativity is intact. Through his texts, he gives body to symptoms, rabies, resilience.

Visibly invisible: symptoms in the shadows

The first title, Visibly invisibleis a dive into the intimacy of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. A discreet swarming, a shiver in the back, an overwhelming fatigue: these signals, often imperceptible for those around them, are the daily life of the patients. David, in his words, describes this insidious progression:

“It starts in silence, just a discreet swarming, just a thrill in the spine, you feel like it’s light. »»

These words resonate as an echo for the 120,000 people affected in France, 75 % of whom are women. Multiple sclerosis is a disease auto-immune : The immune system attacks the protective sheath of the nerves, myelin, causing various disorders – motor skills, pain, visual disturbances. But what makes the disease so complex is its invisibility. For many, she goes unnoticed, which isolates the sick even more.

Rap, with its jerky rhythm and impactful rhymes, then becomes a way to make the invisible visible. By placing words on these symptoms, David and the septogressive association break the silence. They invite the listener to understand that behind a smile, a fight is played out.

Countdown: race against time

The second title, Countdowncarry an emergency message. The patients are not content to live with multiple sclerosis: they expect advances, treatments, a glimmer of hope. But research, although promising, advances at a pace that sometimes seems cruelly slow. David, in his texts, points to a major obstacle:

“Cell therapies are the future, but their profitability slows down the labs. »»

Cellular therapies, which consist in repairing damaged cells, represent tangible hope. But their development is expensive and unattractive for pharmaceutical laboratories, which favor more profitable treatments. This reality, David translates it into a raging rap, where each rhyme is a cry to accelerate research.

However, progress exists. A recent study has shown that the vitamin Dtaken in high doses, could slow down the progression of the disease. If it does not repair neurons, it offers a concrete track. This advance, combined with rap energy, restores the patients who refuse to give up.

Damn of MS: daily fight

The third piece, Fuckingis a hymn to resilience. “SEP” is the diminutive of multiple sclerosis, a familiar term for patients who live with it day after day. This title, the raw of the three, says the falls, the moments of extreme fatigue, but also the dreams of revenge. David expresses all the duality of the disease there:

“Between falls and resilience, between hs and dreams of revenge. »»

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Multiple sclerosis is not linear. One day, a patient can walk, laugh, work; The next day, he can be bed wore by disabling fatigue. This emotional and physical yo-yo is at the heart of the song, which celebrates the strength of those who get up, again and again.

This title, like the other two, is available on the association’s social networks. By listening to it, one cannot help but feel the raw energy that emerges from it, an energy which transforms the pain into creative power.

Why rap? A universal weapon

The choice of rap to carry this message is not trivial. This musical genre, born in the margins, has always been an expression tool for invisible, forgotten. For the patients of multiple sclerosis, it becomes a weapon to say the inexpressible. But beyond the expression, rap has another strength: it touches. He vibrates, he marks the spirits, he stays in the lead.

In France, where 700 children are also affected by the disease, this initiative has an even stronger dimension. Awareness is also to educate the youngest, teach them to see beyond appearances. Rap, with its direct language, is a bridge towards this new generation.

Scientific advances: a breath of hope

If rap gives the patients a voice, science works to offer them solutions. In March 2025, a team of researchers demonstrated that the vitamin D could slow down the progress of multiple sclerosis. This discovery, although modest, is a glimmer of hope for patients who expect more effective treatments.

In April 2025, two doctors, rewarded with a prestigious prize, also marked a turning point. One paved the way for new treatments, while the other has confirmed the role of a virus in the appearance of the disease. These advances, although complex, recall that research never stops.

For patients, these progress is a source of motivation. They know that each step, even small, brings them closer to a less heavy life. And rap, in parallel, allows them to keep their head high, to transform their frustration into creation.

An initiative that changes looks

The initiative of Seprogressive goes far beyond music. Using rap, the association is not content to raise awareness: it humanizes sclerosis in plates. She shows that behind the figures, there are lives, passions, fights. David, with his texts, embodies this humanity. Former musician, he lost part of his daily life, but he found in rap a way to continue to exist, to create, to inspire.

And this message resonates. On social networks, the three titles meet an increasing echo. The listeners, affected by the sincerity of the words, share, comment, wonder. Some discover the disease for the first time, others achieve the magnitude of its impacts. This is all the strength of this initiative: she does not only speak to the sick, but to all.

And after? Towards sustainable awareness

The septogressive musical triptych is only the beginning. The association aims to multiply initiatives, to explore other forms of art, to reach even more people. Because multiple sclerosis, despite its 120,000 victims in France, remains unknown. Many ignore his symptoms, his impacts, his psychological weight.

To change this, it takes voices like that of David, projects like that of Seprogressive, tools like rap. In the meantime, the three titles continue to turn, raise awareness, to recall that the disease, as heavy as it is, does not define those who carry it.

In conclusion, rap, much more than a musical genre, becomes here a vector of change. He gives a voice to the invisibles, a strength to the fighters, a hope to the dreamers. The multiple sclerosis, with its challenges and shadows, finds in these three titles a new light. What if, tomorrow, other patients took the microphone? History is just beginning.