From October 2019 to June 2020, Madame Rap offered initiatives focused on female rappers and issues of gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights in venues across Seine-Saint-Denis.
This itinerant residency was organized around several key initiatives:
WOMEN-ONLY RAP OPEN MICS
These free open mic nights were dedicated to rappers who identify as women, non-binary, or trans.
FEMALE RAPPER CONCERTS
The objectives of these concerts were to:
- facilitate the identification of female rappers by venues;
- promote non-sexist and non-LGBTQ+phobic communication;
- encourage networking and exchanges among female rappers;
- promote the integration of female rappers into so-called “male” rap programming, rather than exclusively on all-female lineups.
AWARENESS WORKSHOPS ON SEXISM AND LGBTQ+PHOBIA
Rap writing workshops for young audiences/schools
Led by female rappers, these workshops aimed to:
- raise awareness among young audiences/students about non-sexist and non-LGBTQ+phobic rap lyrics;
- offer rewriting and songwriting exercises;
- write a song that is neither sexist nor LGBTQ+phobic.
DJing and beatmaking workshops for children
Led by female beatmakers and DJs, these workshops aimed to introduce children to DJing/beatmaking and to:
- present the origins of these practices;
- provide technical foundations and empower participants;
- create a mix/track;
- demonstrate that DJing and beatmaking are not practices reserved for men!
Training for venue professionals
These training sessions conducted with professionals from the venues hosting the residency aimed to:
- learn how to welcome female rappers;
- establish protocols to address potential internal sexist/LGBTQ+phobic violence;
- implement non-sexist and non-LGBTQ+phobic communication (develop non-stigmatizing communication materials, ensure inclusivity and respect gender parity in programming, etc.);
- provide tools to combat hip-hop stereotypes and promote “another” kind of rap that is non-sexist and diverse.
CONFERENCES AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS DECONSTRUCTING STEREOTYPES
Each of these initiatives aimed to establish long-term reflection and change:
- demonstrate that rap is not the most sexist and LGBTQ+phobic music genre that exists;
- stop considering that rap practice and reception are reserved for men/heterosexuals;
- make professional and emerging female rappers visible;
- fight against discrimination and sexist and LGBTQ+phobic stereotypes;
- defend gender equality, parity, and inclusivity.
VENUES
The residency activities took place in various venues of MAAD 93 (network of amplified contemporary music in development in Seine-Saint-Denis):
- Le 2 Pièces Cuisine in Blanc-Mesnil;
- Mains d’Œuvres in Saint-Ouen;
- Le Chapiteau de La Fontaine Aux Images in Clichy-sous-Bois;
- La Maison Populaire in Montreuil;
- La Pêche in Montreuil;
- Le 6b in Saint-Denis.
This residency was supported by the Seine-Saint-Denis Departmental Council and the General Commission for Territorial Equality of Seine-Saint-Denis.
