At 31, the rapper performed on Saturday as a star, and as a local child, at the Printemps de Bourges, in an overheated marquee.
Josman on stage at the W, Saturday April 27, 2024 at Printemps de Bourges. Photo Jean-Adrien Morandeau
By Sophie Jeanneteau
Published on April 29, 2024 at 10:02 a.m.
Updated April 29, 2024 at 11:29 a.m.
SSaturday was a second rap evening at Printemps de Bourges, hosted by the most popular figures Of the moment: SDM, Niska and Josman, almost a native of the country, headlining. Because it was in Vierzon, a small town in Cher located around forty kilometers from Bourges, that the rapper grew up, before moving to Aubervilliers, in the Paris suburbs. He will also recall it several times, as if to reconnect with his roots.
But a concert in the form of “ return to the fold, home » does not prevent you from being late. It will take twenty minutes of additional patience to appreciate this last show, in a marquee which is starting to take on water after two days of intense showers in the city. Inside, a sea of phones turns towards the star. The evening is the favorite meeting place for teenagers from Cher. As many girls as boys are present, many came as couples.
The atmosphere is joyful after Niska’s visit. The Parisian, an experienced showman, overheated the audience with his superhuman vocal delivery, his impeccable gestures and a spectacular scenography. Difficult, therefore, to succeed the king of trap, his heavy bass, his rapid diction and his boundless energy. Josman plays in a much more melodious, calm and fluid register. And if the concert is good, it inevitably brings down the mood. Perhaps it would have been wise to reverse their schedules. But Josman is now the star of the moment. At Les Flammes, two days earlier, he received the award for R&B song of the year.
A giant screen broadcasts the apocalyptic landscape from the music video AhGars!, a piece imbued with pessimism which testifies to the artist’s “cerebral fed up” with the harshness of life and daily violence, recurring themes in his work. On stage, he moves between a pile of rubble and a rusty car wreck, in front of a decrepit building facade. Dressed all in black, pants adorned with chains that go down to the knee and a fluffy hat pulled down to his glasses, “JO$” exudes a certain mystery. Over the course of the projects, an atypical universe has been created which oscillates between rap, pop and sometimes borrows from other, more electronic styles. An assumed wandering. Focusing on the quality of his music rather than extravagance, he talks about his journey, explores his emotions and delivers his somewhat misanthropic reflections on life. He seems to have fed on a certain hatred of society. But he readily declares his love for the fairer sex and psychoactive substances.
A normal guy who makes good music
A niche rapper, Josman found success in 2016 with an introspective track, In the void. He recounted his desires, his mistakes and his anxieties. He has also become a master in the art of placements, a gifted adept at multisyllabic rhymes (this technique popular in rap, which consists of rhyming several vowels within the same sentence). His phrasing, his unique intonation – he strongly accentuates the words – have distinguished him as much as the productions signed by the faithful Eazy Dew.
This evening, he alternates his first hits (I like it!, Un Zder Un Thé, XS) and last born (Elsewhere, €50k, Les Flammes), which recount the trajectory of his ascent. At 31, Josman has slowly but surely ascended into the ultra-competitive world of French rap. In his early days, in the 2010s, he toured rap battles and open mics as Jeezy Baby. In 2013, he became the youngest artist to win the End Of The Weak, a prestigious improvisation competition. But distinctions don’t make you live, so it’s a time seller at Footlocker. With his success, he is today the first French artist to collaborate with the Jordan basketball brand, from Nike.
This new daily life, disrupted by success and money, is at the heart of his latest album, J000$. “ Tonight, I’m the headliner, it’s impossible for me to show off / Send the kich’, put more zeros on my file / Replace my poor people’s problems with rich people’s problems » (Rich’s problems, 2023). Often described as a “normal guy” who makes good music, Josman sometimes gives the impression of being wary of his success. In 2024, he declared, he is taking a real recording break, a necessary breather which will not prevent him, however, from traveling across France this summer, with a tour of major festivals.
Josman on tour: May 9 at the Insane Festival (Apt), May 1er June at We Love Green (Paris), June 15 at Nuits de Fourvière (Lyon), June 30 at Garorock (Marmande), July 4 at Beauregard (Hérouville Saint-Clair), July 5 at Mainsquare (Arras)…
