The clouds weren’t hanging in the sky at Parc de la Francophonie tonight, but a few meters above the ground where fans practically sat on top of each other to enjoy the summer festival’s rap night.
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Even if the evening was dedicated to a very specific style of music, the cross-generational mix of these different rapper schools was a highlight of the evening.
The veterans finish in style
The mythical group Cypress Hill showed why we continue to invite them to play on big stages. From the first notes of the DJ, thousands of hands were raised to the sky. B-Real and Sen Dog took to the stage, green cigarette in hand, before performing “When the shit goes down,” which set the tone for the show.
The MCs may be older, but they’re still as fun as they were when they took the stage at the Woodstock Festival in 1994. B-Real, his wig bobbing to the rhythm of the percussion, almost smashed the sound boxes as the DJ was spinning Kill a Man.
The immortal rock superstar and Insane in the Brain were saved for last, resulting in arguably the best song sequence since the celebrations began at Parc de la Francophonie. B-Real assured viewers that the group would eventually be back in Quebec.
The floor shook at the last song from Cypress Hill, who borrowed the classic “Jump around” to end the evening in style.
The prince of Limoilou became king
It wasn’t clear who was headlining between Souldia and Cypress Hill when the Quebecois appeared on stage. Thousands of people shouted his name and the volume skyrocketed as the main prospect rejoiced at being on the outdoor stage of his first career with FEQ.
Souldia promised to give everything for his beloved city and he kept. Drenched in sweat after a song, the Limoilou MC wrecked everything on stage with his band, which included Ryan Stevenson on drums.
Souldia delivered an intense and emotional performance tonight. Alexander Caputo
From Le vide, the first song Souldia performed, the viewers were in his pocket. He then brought the Canicule family on stage so Tizzo and Shreez could join him on the track Drip, which appears on his latest album Unconventional.
The spectators elicited a veritable wave of people from Souldia, who scaled the fence before throwing himself shirtless into the arms of his admirers.
The Limoilou rapper took several walks during his performance. Alexander Caputo
The rapper behind “Devil en l’air” gave the audience a bit of respite as he introduced the most melodic “Eternal Youth,” which he dedicated to his wife Anne, as well as “Midnight too late,” a track that hit the airwaves of a commercial radio was very successful.
Mélomane and Barillet, two songs found on Backstage and released in 2020, got the audience on fire. The electric guitar and the emotion with which Souldia interpreted these titles undoubtedly gave some viewers goosebumps.
Anyone who’s never had the chance to see the 38-year-old rapper perform could understand how his rock and heavy metal influences are reflected in his songs. He lined up the screams of his heart and the roar like his life depended on it.
Heat wave ignites the scene
As is often the case at rap concerts, the featured artist’s brothers-in-arms are invited to share the stage with him. Shreez respected tradition by inviting Tizzo, his lifelong pal at Canicule Records, as well as Soft.
The Montreal North Shore native provided a complete rap lesson to crowds already packed at the Parc de la Francophonie.
With songs like Diamonds, Vicious Circle and tracks from his first solo project, La vie gratuit has proven that his skills don’t just end with hip-hop drills, but that they can also be melodic.
Shreez took on the task of warming up the audience before Souldia arrived. Alexander Caputo
A message to pass on
Dedicated rapper Q-052 delivered a performance that lived up to his personality; intense and accepted. He played rhythms with a rock/metal edge, always accompanied by his scathing lyrics, which refer to themes close to his heart.
The one who proudly represents the Mi’kmaq nation took the stage wearing a jacket bearing the image of the Nord.
“Fuck Gary Bettman, bring back the Nordiques,” he shouted in front of hundreds of people who supported him.
His style, comparable to Hollywood Undead or Linkin Park, provides an even more powerful vehicle for his lyrics, which often deal with the environment, politics, and conditions of indigenous people in communities.
Micmac rapper Q-052 gave an inspired performance tonight at Parc de la Francophonie. Alexander Caputo
Killy chilled the crowd
Festival-goers didn’t seem to take to Toronto rapper Killy’s suggestion; Aside from a few hands in the air, you could tell the crowd was eagerly awaiting Souldia and Cypress Hill.
It has to be said that Killy doesn’t have a style of rap that is still very popular in Quebec. With great help from Auto-Tune, the artist, whose tendencies are comparable to those of Travis Scott, only sang a small portion of his lyrics, leaving the rest to the studio version running on his DJ’s computer.
He repeatedly tried to win back his audience by encouraging them to form mushpits, but these only lasted a few seconds.
Despite his approximately 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, the Ontarian had no place in the rap line-up tonight.
Viewers weren’t convinced by Killy. Alexander Caputo