Popular Culture Review 30.1
tionary rap , known in French as le rap hardcore , features songs with themes that center on discrimination , invisibility , and alienation with stated goals to encourage and teach listeners to resist and fight against the divisive system by any means necessary . Although we have shown that female rappers have not shied away from addressing subjects that discuss racism and despair among youth of color , they have typically avoided having a true “ pure et dure ” revolutionary pedagogical approach in their music . Aside from Bams , women in French hip-hop have preferred to employ a more delicate approach to their message ; one to which all sectors of French society can relate . However , the arrival of a Marseille-based radical artist named Keny Arkana broke this pre-established schema . In fact , her entire musical repertoire tackles more controversial subjects in a revolutionary and political type of way , whereas previous artists resisted political labels and rapped about issues from a more humanistic perspective .
Keny Arkana ’ s first forays into hip-hop music came via her participation in an underground group from Marseille named État-Major . This assemblage released several mix-tapes and vinyl tracks and went on to gain a small underground following that caught the attention of small record companies . However , none of these productions received much airplay . In the poor and working-class areas of Marseille , a small radical collective known as “ La rage du peuple ” (“ People ’ s Rage ”) was formed to protest a variety of global issues that affected youth negatively , with Keny Arkana being one of the founding members . In fact , it was her participation with this anarchist group that would eventually serve to motivate her music and career . Following her participation with “ la Rage ” and État-Major , Keny Arkana launched a solo career and the thematic narrative of her lyrics has been far more forceful than what has traditionally been the case amongst female rappers
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