Using music to understand the French riots?
November 17, 2005 12:49 PM Subscribe
Using music to understand the French riots?
I'm looking for music relating to the recent riots in France. I ask because I remember that before the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, there was music out at the time which had violent racial overtones, albums like NWA's Straight Outta Compton, Ice-T's Original Gangsta or Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. I know that rap has an audience in France, so the likelyhood for similarities seems high, but with that being said, don't limit it just to rap. All genres are in play.
I'm looking for music relating to the recent riots in France. I ask because I remember that before the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, there was music out at the time which had violent racial overtones, albums like NWA's Straight Outta Compton, Ice-T's Original Gangsta or Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. I know that rap has an audience in France, so the likelyhood for similarities seems high, but with that being said, don't limit it just to rap. All genres are in play.
Troisième Oeil might be ine place to start, although i don't know if they're still around.
posted by andrew cooke at 1:23 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by andrew cooke at 1:23 PM on November 17, 2005
Thanks, loquax. If this question is motivated by David Brooks' editorial in the NY Times, I would first point to the responses to his writing. Brooks cited a lot of decade-old music that was not only atypical to the time, but also not popular anymore.
If anyone has any recent (last 3 or 4 years) musical references that are apt, I would also be interested.
On preview, I'd say fire&wings has posted an article that might be a little closer to the mark.
posted by mikeh at 1:30 PM on November 17, 2005
If anyone has any recent (last 3 or 4 years) musical references that are apt, I would also be interested.
On preview, I'd say fire&wings has posted an article that might be a little closer to the mark.
posted by mikeh at 1:30 PM on November 17, 2005
If this question is motivated by David Brooks' editorial in the NY Times, I would first point to the responses to his writing.
Sadly, that article isn't available for free - or at least I don't know how to go about getting it.
posted by loquax at 1:34 PM on November 17, 2005
Sadly, that article isn't available for free - or at least I don't know how to go about getting it.
posted by loquax at 1:34 PM on November 17, 2005
In my opinion is article is kind of crap, but someone has copied the text to this thread on ILM.
posted by mikeh at 1:59 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by mikeh at 1:59 PM on November 17, 2005
My best bet would be the soundtrack to the movie La Haine.
I remember seeing this movie in theaters 10 years ago and when the riots in France started to break out, it felt like deja-vu. The movie follows 3 friends from the "téci" at a time when there is rioting because of a kid that is beaten into a coma while being arrested by the police.
It seems Matt Feeney from Slate had the same thoughts as I in this article: La Haine, The film that predicted the French riots.
On the soundtrack you find 11 tracks that were inspired by the movie and one track (L'Etat assassine by Assassin) that predates the movie and was part the inspiration for the film. It's basically a who's-who of French rap and hip-hop at the time, from the melodic MC Solaar to the harder Ministere A.M.E.R. It's pretty much the only "real" rap/hip-hop album I own and it's very good, very lyrical.
One note though: even as a native french speaker from Canada, I had some trouble understanding the urban slang in the album and movie. Before the showing of the movie, they handed out little postcards with a French/slang lexicon printed on the back. But don't let that stop you from either seeing the movie or getting the album.
posted by TinTitan at 2:02 PM on November 17, 2005
I remember seeing this movie in theaters 10 years ago and when the riots in France started to break out, it felt like deja-vu. The movie follows 3 friends from the "téci" at a time when there is rioting because of a kid that is beaten into a coma while being arrested by the police.
It seems Matt Feeney from Slate had the same thoughts as I in this article: La Haine, The film that predicted the French riots.
On the soundtrack you find 11 tracks that were inspired by the movie and one track (L'Etat assassine by Assassin) that predates the movie and was part the inspiration for the film. It's basically a who's-who of French rap and hip-hop at the time, from the melodic MC Solaar to the harder Ministere A.M.E.R. It's pretty much the only "real" rap/hip-hop album I own and it's very good, very lyrical.
One note though: even as a native french speaker from Canada, I had some trouble understanding the urban slang in the album and movie. Before the showing of the movie, they handed out little postcards with a French/slang lexicon printed on the back. But don't let that stop you from either seeing the movie or getting the album.
posted by TinTitan at 2:02 PM on November 17, 2005
In my opinion is article is kind of crap
Ah, you're right. I thought it would have more detail. Or be longer or something. Never mind then.
posted by loquax at 2:05 PM on November 17, 2005
Ah, you're right. I thought it would have more detail. Or be longer or something. Never mind then.
posted by loquax at 2:05 PM on November 17, 2005
Sunny Brooklyn has some of the La Haine tracks up still. Look at the Nov. 5 & Nov. 7 entries. ... No, that's not my blog.
posted by Tuwa at 2:41 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by Tuwa at 2:41 PM on November 17, 2005
I second watching La Haine. The song I mentioned is from the soundtrack.
posted by fire&wings at 2:44 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by fire&wings at 2:44 PM on November 17, 2005
Sniper's "La France" sounds related, and was criticized by Sarkozy in 2003.
posted by PY at 2:57 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by PY at 2:57 PM on November 17, 2005
Response by poster: For the record, I had no knowledge of the David Brooks editorial mentioned in previous posts. Thanks for the responses.
posted by northernsoul at 3:29 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by northernsoul at 3:29 PM on November 17, 2005
I second "La Haine."
The thing about Paris is, the parallel paradigm to American "inner city" neighborhoods is this: Paris is composed of the cité ancien, where the cathedrals are, which is right in the middle and includes the left bank; the cité moderne, including the Louvre and the broad avenues and boulevardes designed in the 19th century (as described by Paul LaFarge in his novel, Haussmann, or the Distinction, a book about how the Paris of today was conceived and built); and then a ring of "suburbs" around all of this, which is where all the public-housing projects are.
The projects are mixed in with very remote-feeling industrial corridors and there are no services or pretty groceries or newsstands or flower shops or parks or community centers -- it is not Paris at all, semiotically -- it's pretty much a ring of sprawl around the city where the city's poor are pushed away and kept out from the pretty, organized town that is compact and full of public transit and world famous for its beauty and convenience.
Kids in the suburbs are living in remote circumstances, far from downtown, with few stores or public services, far from their schools, with nothing to do but hang about and listen to rap music on the street, or maybe skateboard.
"La Haine" pictures all of this chillingly, taking us through a typical afternoon in the lives of three kids, one Christian, one Jewish, one Moslem, living in the suburban ring and going about their daily lives, buying milk and listening to rap and soforth. The ending is something you should be prepared to recover from.
I hope that helps.
posted by tarintowers at 4:39 PM on November 17, 2005 [1 favorite]
The thing about Paris is, the parallel paradigm to American "inner city" neighborhoods is this: Paris is composed of the cité ancien, where the cathedrals are, which is right in the middle and includes the left bank; the cité moderne, including the Louvre and the broad avenues and boulevardes designed in the 19th century (as described by Paul LaFarge in his novel, Haussmann, or the Distinction, a book about how the Paris of today was conceived and built); and then a ring of "suburbs" around all of this, which is where all the public-housing projects are.
The projects are mixed in with very remote-feeling industrial corridors and there are no services or pretty groceries or newsstands or flower shops or parks or community centers -- it is not Paris at all, semiotically -- it's pretty much a ring of sprawl around the city where the city's poor are pushed away and kept out from the pretty, organized town that is compact and full of public transit and world famous for its beauty and convenience.
Kids in the suburbs are living in remote circumstances, far from downtown, with few stores or public services, far from their schools, with nothing to do but hang about and listen to rap music on the street, or maybe skateboard.
"La Haine" pictures all of this chillingly, taking us through a typical afternoon in the lives of three kids, one Christian, one Jewish, one Moslem, living in the suburban ring and going about their daily lives, buying milk and listening to rap and soforth. The ending is something you should be prepared to recover from.
I hope that helps.
posted by tarintowers at 4:39 PM on November 17, 2005 [1 favorite]
Any clue where to pick up "La Haine" in the US? A quick search didn't come up with it being released on dvd.
posted by mike_bling at 5:44 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by mike_bling at 5:44 PM on November 17, 2005
I've seen it on VHS in both Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, mike_bling. I'm guessing it's fairly common, though I don't know what sort of video stores you have nearby.
posted by Tuwa at 8:30 PM on November 17, 2005
posted by Tuwa at 8:30 PM on November 17, 2005
La Haine: Amazon has it. It's $30 but you surely would be able to sell it. I haven't tried eBay....
I couldn't find it in Netflix or Green Cine, which is surprising; I saw it in a local art film house here in San Francisco. If your town has a video store that trucks in foreign, they will likely have it or be able to order it, particularly if you explain to them its timeliness.
If your town has Craig's List, you might post and ask if anyone has a copy they can burn for you or loan you for the weekend.
Trust the wisdom on this page, it will be worth tracking down. And the music is very interesting.
posted by tarintowers at 2:33 AM on November 18, 2005
I couldn't find it in Netflix or Green Cine, which is surprising; I saw it in a local art film house here in San Francisco. If your town has a video store that trucks in foreign, they will likely have it or be able to order it, particularly if you explain to them its timeliness.
If your town has Craig's List, you might post and ask if anyone has a copy they can burn for you or loan you for the weekend.
Trust the wisdom on this page, it will be worth tracking down. And the music is very interesting.
posted by tarintowers at 2:33 AM on November 18, 2005
Ack! Must read more closely. tarintowers is right; there is a DVD but it seems to be only available as PAL/Region 2, so you quite likely can't play it--depends on what kind of DVD player you have. There is the VHS option, but that's not what you asked for.
posted by Tuwa at 9:24 AM on November 18, 2005
posted by Tuwa at 9:24 AM on November 18, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by loquax at 1:09 PM on November 17, 2005