The famous festival “Le Weekend des Curiosités du Bikini” celebrated its 10th edition last June. After taking stock of these 10 years, the Curiosities association decided to transform this emblematic event and present it under a new format of ‘evening’. Renamed “Les Sessions Curio”, the very first edition was held on Thursday, February 16, 2023 in the Bikini hall in Toulouse in partnership with Bleu Citron. On the program, 4 talented emerging French rappers : PRINCE WALY, JOYSAD, NeS and SPECY MEN. Between the artists’ performances, GRIZZY’s dj sets kept the atmosphere upbeat.
Although the format has changed, the objective of the Curiosités remains the same : to give a preview of the most promising artists of the new local, national and international scene, during evenings with low prices.
The entrance fee for the “Session Curio #1” was 6€, so that the largest number of hip-hop and novelty lovers could enjoy the event.
The evening was well thought out, built for the public to enjoy and benefit from the beginning to the end : big half hours of rappers’ shows, linked by GRIZZY‘s DJ sets. The enthusiastic and smiling DJ from Mulhouse, who has already performed at Coachella, threw down some ultra hot tracks. He mixed sounds of artists more or less known but who have in common a crazy energy, as for example the American super stars MIGOS (Rip Take Off), Lil Uzi Vert, the neo-popular La Fève and the new big name from Toulouse, WarEnd.
To ensure the atmosphere, the Bikini also welcomed Yanis aka SUPERBOUMJ on social networks. On 2 occasions, “the guy who walks in the street with a big speaker” led animations between the rappers’ performances.
Arrived with a little delay, we could not attend the concert of the artist from Toulouse SPECY MEN who took the microphone in 1st. But according to the energy which was released from the room, he assured. Amateur of music since his youngest age, Hugo aka SPECY MEN, is already at his 3rd album (“Tout moi”) at the top of his 22 years.
The public, numerous and cheerful, could then enjoy the show of JOYSAD. The rapper from Périgueux, who advocates tolerance and self-criticism, was able to captivate the attention of the people present in the room with his key songs. He also came to Toulouse to defend his new album, “Transparent”, released last October. This project follows his 1st album “Espace Temps” from 2021 and the EPs “Palindrome” (2021) and “Fernandez” (2020) which launched his career after being spotted thanks to his freestyles on Instagram via ‘1minute2rap’.
NeS then arrived on the stage of the Bikini to clearly put the fire. The atmosphere was crazy, the crowd hyper receptive. With his track Killcam (which he played twice so much it was kiffant), the rapper from Strasbourg put everyone in agreement : the audience sang and jumped until it started to pogo. Active since 2018, this talented artist who “raps like a year-old when he’s not even 20” (he’s really just 18) offers a style of rap between traditional boom-bap and futuristic experiments. Detaching himself from the trends, he expresses his originality and creativity through tracks that arouse curiosity, like Topaz or CQSS.
To end the evening in beauty, PRINCE WALY offered us a high quality performance. His fans were waiting for him impatiently. The artist from Montreuil, who is one of the most brilliant rappers of his generation, was there to present his very first album, Moussa, released last September. Dressed in a beautiful leather jacket AVIREX (as he owns quite a few !), PRINCE WALY kept the fire on stage installed by NeS, but in his own way. He entered on “Bleu”, the intro of the album, for the biggest pleasure of the public. With his melancholic prods and sometimes with funky samples, as well as his multiple flows, he knew how to put his unique atmosphere in the room of Bikini. For his return on stage after a long period of absence, due to his fight against the disease, the talented rapper gave everything. The public felt it and gave it back to him. On several occasions, the artist from Montreuil thanked the audience for its enthusiasm and expressed his joy to be on stage.
This 1st Curio Session at the Bikini in Toulouse was a real success. The public was numerous, cheerful, receptive and delighted to live this inaugural evening. The artists all seemed to be delighted to be there and delivered great performances, as much the rappers as the DJ or the SUPERBOUMJ. The ‘Curio Session #2’ is scheduled for March 24, 2023 and will be 100% female. The return of the ‘Weekend of Curiosities’ will take place on June 2, 3 and 4, 2023 with WarEnd (who gave his first concert recently), Yoa, H JeuneCrack and Train Fantôme. Tickets are available HERE, let’s go !
Thanks to @gawmess for his pics !
