Saturday June 1st. While the rest of France is plunged into depressing weather, one city seems to be resisting. Obviously, this is Marseille, capital of culture (and good weather) which has hosted the Marsatac festival since its beginnings, 25 years ago. This year, the edition will be held on June 14, 15 and 16 and, two weeks before the kick-off, we take you, in the sun, to spend a day at the heart of the preparations for one of the most anticipated scenes on the festival, that of La Frappe and its local gems that we had already presented to you previously.
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A true symbol of the city, its unique atmosphere and its values, La Frappe, an initiative born in 2019, aims to create a new class of artists each year with the aim of bringing the Marseille rap pool to life and progress. , as festival director Béatrice Desgranges enthusiastically tells us:
“Our pride is to realize that, from La Frappe, artists have already emerged who are well established in the street today. Stony Stone, Asinine, Achim… It really reveals the talents of tomorrow, it’s the relevance of the system which is validated year after year.”
The 2023-2024 edition welcomes the fourth promotion since the creation of La Frappe. ADM, Messir, Carlala, Flex, Sikki7 and Anan will therefore take to the Marsatac stage in what should be a grueling artistic marathon: “The festival takes place over three days and from 2019, we immediately wanted them to play every day so that they could be seen by all the festival audiences. The artists never play the same show (lasting 20 to 30 minutes), there is a siren which announces each time that a La Frappe concert is starting and it gives crazy moments”, explains the director of Marsatac. To also experience these crazy moments, the artists of the new promotion must train. Saturday June 1 marked the second day of stage residency in order to prepare for this intense moment which could become one of the turning points in their young careers.
Building a set on stage
The iconic Friche la Belle de Mai will be our host throughout this day in Marseille. It is a nerve center of the city’s culture, where Marsatac has even been established in previous editions, Béatrice Desgranges and Margot Maccario, head of Marsatac Agency, tell us over a good meal in the restaurant installed. in La Friche.
Make way for the stars: head to the lower floors of the venue to meet the artists already in full rehearsal. They are in a circle on stage, it is time for reflection. They must all agree to choose the pieces they will play on stage, in what order, and can count on the support of Faf Larage, sponsor of the initiative, present to advise them. It’s an important moment because they must find the rhythm of the sets together, make choices and anticipate the energy to give to the audience.
In contrast to what applies to a more classic springboard, ADM, Messir, Carlala, Flex, Sikki7 and Anan have never been put into competition. As with previous editions, partners and organizations in the city such as Only Pro or Marseille Capitale du Rap bring forward around thirty names which are then selected by a jury of professionals. The artists Flex and Messir were therefore part of the discussions and scouting before arriving there:
“It’s a crazy climb for us. Usually, we just enjoy the moment on the little stages we do. There, we really spend a step with professional status. We are local people, I was born in the 5th, I was offered a festival in the 8th, near my house, we represent the new blaz of the city during Marsatac and the tour afterwards. It’s crazy.” – Flex and Messir
It’s a way for them to explore the world of professional music up close, and to discover its first results: “As soon as we had our blaz in Marsatac, we knew that there were people who saw us in 3D” laughs Messir before Flex adds: “There’s to people you haven’t been around for two, three years, they send you messages and you know why”.
In good company
With La Frappe and the new arrival Marsatac Agency, the festival positions itself as a real booster in contact with its city and its artists, for an obvious reason according to Margot Maccario, the head of the agency created by the festival: “We put ourselves at the service of Marseille artists because it is thanks to these city artists that Marsatac is where it is 25 years later”.
After June 16, the fourth promotion of the system will continue with a small tour and, for the first time in four years, a mixtape of four tracks is unveiled on the platforms. This is a significant additional step according to Margot for whom the goal is “to support artists and support them in what they do. The Marseille identity is there, it’s local artists, there is this idea of being in the continuity of the Marseille vibe, it’s the DNA of the collective”.
How to be completely in “DNA” and the “vibe” from the city ? Well, counting on the support of a pillar, also from Marseille, Faf Larage.
Providing advice, experience and validation, Faf Larage explains that “It’s a pleasure to be here”. The Strike allows him to “stay in touch with younger generations” but also “to see the new trends. I take a lot too”. He has been the sponsor of the initiative since its creation in 2019 and the face of the city’s unity around the festival and its initiatives:
“It’s also a message to show that all these entities, Marsatac, La Frappe, me who somewhat represents the older generation, we are really all together. At the same time, it’s a bit like Marseille, we’re really like that here.”
