Her Pretty Go at the 2023 Flames ceremony – the Victoires de la musique for rap and R’n’B – made an impression, like her mission as a juror, for two seasons, of the rap competition “Nouvelle École” on Netflix, in alongside Marseillais SCH and Francilien Niska. Before this summer, however, we had hardly seen Shay on stage. Let it be said, the 33-year-old Belgian, one of the rare women to match the success of her male counterparts in the discipline, is as comfortable there as on the screens. Headliner of the 2nd day of the Marsatac festival, the “pretty bitch” of French-speaking rap – the name she gave to her label, and to her first album – turned on her Marseille audience, delivering a lively show at the start. in an ultra sexy scene.
It’s 10:25 p.m. when Booba’s protégé climbs onto the main course, Le Château, preceded by four hooded dancers armed with flags. And it’s through the tube Pretty that she launches her concert before offering the most danceable tracks from her three albums, like Commando, Notification, Heartless.
Youth, looks and “good vibes”
Tight black lace dress, high heels and more than suggestive choreography, the artist has built over the years a character of a strong woman, turning to her advantage the sexist codes that are current in rap. For class, we’ll come back. In any case, that’s not what the crowd asks of him, who scream with happiness when a dancer comes to twerk as close as possible to the star. “She’s so beautiful” being, without doubt, the most heard phrase in the audience during the 50 minutes of the concert.
It was precisely Shay that Améli and Fleur, 24 years old and originally from Martigues, had come to applaud, curious to see a female rapper on stage.who stays herself and doesn’t worry“. The two friends, in bikini tops and rhinestones in the corners of their eyes, crossed while the sun is still firmly above the lawns of Borély Park, look like the typical Marsatac festival-goer: young, stylish and in search of “good vibes“.
In 25 years and despite changes in locations and formats, the Marseille event has built a solid reputation among teenagers and young adults. Affirming over the years the place of French-speaking hip-hop in its programming, alongside an exciting electro scene.
A little earlier on the Prairie scene, another French rap phenomenon blew up the twenty-somethings from Parc Borély. His face camouflaged under a hood, Menace Santana played a series of rough titles. The one who broke through on TikTok during confinement wears the colors of drill high, delivering violent texts with a horror film aesthetic. And confirming Marsatac’s ability to bring together, over three days, the most prominent artists of the moment.
This Sunday, the festival closes its 26th edition with two other rap heavyweights, who are not in lace: the essential Kaaris, whose clashes with Booba have caused a lot of ink to flow, and SDM, who quite simply signed the most streamed piece of 2023 in France, the very flowery German racing car.
Marsatac, this Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight at Parc Borély (8th). 51€. marsatac.com
