This festive urban trance was dreamt up between Oran and Marseille by the Watcha Clan, American MC Raashan Ahmad and the Algerian rappers from T.O.X.

In 2006, Marseille’s globetrotting Watcha Clan spent time in Wahran, where they worked with local rappers Fada Vex and Machine Gun from T.o.X. In 2012, they continued in the same vein by bringing in MC Raashan Ahmad, a founding member of the Crown City Rockers, from San Francisco Bay Area. This led to texts in French, English, Arabic and Hebrew – acoustic rap to the sound of Eastern string instruments. This is Hip Hop for sure but also Afro Step and Desert Blues, 1h of pure energy and fresh vibes.
The project MARSEILLE 2013: In 2012, Marseille-Provence 2013 launched five nomadic artist residencies bringing together musicians from cities with symbolic ties to rap and newly independent venues in the Arab world. This blend of hip-hop, electro chaabi, brass band, human beatboxes and flow by Marseille, Arab and North American rappers has led to five original creations. In March 2013, project participants will travel to Marseille and Aix-en-Provence to continue work begun in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. The creations produced at these residencies will be presented to the public at the Théâtre du Bois de l’Aune and the Babel Med Music festival at the Dock des Suds, where a stage will be set aside for new sounds from the Mediterranean and beyond. Alongside artistic residencies and concerts there will be filmed jam sessions in unexpected venues, mix-tapes, meetings, featured performances and a film on the making of the project by journalist Hind Meddeb.

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