“A true love of the French language”

Big winner of season 3 of New School (Netflix) the rapper Youssef Swatt’s from Belgium stops in Le Havre on Saturday January 18, 2025 for the Le Goût des Autres festival.

The one who has never been to the Océane city according to his words, will offer a concert to close the evening. The writing of 76actu had the opportunity to discuss literature (but not only) with the artist.

Actu : What is your relationship to literature?

Youssef Swatt’s : Literature, as well as rap, have been my two great passions since childhood. My big sister gave me a taste for reading and my big brother made me listen to my first rap records. It has always been spouses. And despite the clichés that some may have about rap, there is a real love of the French language and literature. It has always been a dream to be able to reconcile the two.

Exactly, what are you reading at the moment?

YS : I read two books at the same time: “The Society of the Spectacle” (Guy Debord) and “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” (Milan Kundera). Well, for this last work, I’m only a third of the way through but I’m not impressed! I’m having a little trouble getting into it.
I have always liked novels like those by Romain Gary which tell stories of everyday life. When I was younger, I liked detective novels. As I get older, I’m more attracted to essays that tackle various themes like politics, philosophy, feminism, racism, etc… Anything that can nourish me.

• The title clip End credits de Youssef Swatt’s

How does literature inspire your rap lyrics?

YS : Writing text is inspired by many things and above all, by what we experience on a daily basis. Of all these moments that we can capture. Literature does not particularly inspire my work, however, there are literary reflexes which are very interesting. For example, the question of angle: how to treat a story, how to make it interesting. This is also what we seek to do in Music. There is also the strength of punchlines, these strong sentences that we also find a lot in literature.
When you are an artist, you draw a lot of inspiration from biographies to write texts. It’s also an opportunity to learn a little more about our role as artists, to regain courage.

“I have to deliver really strong music”

Have you ever had blank page syndrome?

YS : Oh yes almost every day (laughs)! Three times out of four when I try to write it is not very conclusive. But I think that’s part of the process: you have to keep pushing until it becomes concrete. The problem too is the demands we have. Me, today, I have a lot of trouble being content with what I do. I really try to make it qualitative. The more I advance, the more I feel that I must deliver really strong music.

Some rap fans say that conscious rap (in other words rap with text) has lost its splendor in favor of more commercial rap, less inclined to writing. What do you think?

YS : Music has evolved and that’s a very good thing! Rap has become richer, more diverse. So of course, commercial music is more highlighted, but it is specific to an era. Conscious rap, to use these terms, still exists. Lots of artists continue to defend it, and that translates into concerts. It changes shape, but it doesn’t disappear.

The city of Le Havre has rappers like Médine or Bra: what do these artists inspire you?

YS : I listened to them when I was younger and if there is one thing that I find very interesting, it is their spirit of independence and the way in which they structured themselves. All coming from the province. They really managed to create a name for themselves on the rap scene, to create a name for themselves on their own. There is a form of activism in music that goes beyond the artistic.

Practical information: Saturday January 18 at 7:30 p.m. Full price: 10 euros. Reservation here.

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