This is the event series of the moment. Streamed on myCanal since March 20, Validé is breaking audience and download records. On the borders of reality with French rapgaming, the series stages the spectacular but brutal rise of a promising young rapper, Apash. For this realistic dive into the current rap scene, Franck Gastambide has surrounded himself with the crème de la crème. He is the revelation of the series. Clément Penhoat, better known as Hatik, plays the leading role. Real rapper turned actor, the one who embodies Apash ignites the web since the release of the series. The scenario is simple: it tells his rise, thwarted by his past as a dealer and the well-known rivalries of rapgame. Between signing in record company, improvised clip, wild concert and show-case in a shisha bar, the dazzling debut of the young rapper arouses lust. While Apash will have to get out of the ambushes set by the envious or the big dealer of his neighborhood, the red thread of the plot is woven around his rivalry with Mastar, idol turned enemy, played by the talented Moussa Mansaly (Sam's, also a rapper in real life).
A phenomenal cast
Around them gravitates beautiful people. Among the main characters, we first find some well-known faces of French cinema. Sabrina Ouazani as an artistic director with a strong character, Adel Bencherif as a city kingpin, or Gastambide himself. The cast also includes young discoveries, such as Saïdou Camara in the role of William, Apash's best friend, wise and thoughtful, Brahim Bouhlel, the blundering cousin and funny in spite of himself, or the rapper Bosh, Karnage in the series, protected by Mastar. Then there are personalities of all kinds who play their own role. The actors Camille Lellouche and Just Riadh for example, but also pundits of the French rap scene. Over the ten episodes, the appearances multiply: Lacrim, Kool Shen, Rim'K, Mac Tyer, Soprano, Busta Flex or Ninho, to name a few. And then there are the must-haves, such as Laurent Bouneau, Fred Musa, Juliette Fievet, Fif Tobossi or Pascal Cefran. A fairly complete portrait of the rap universe in France, finally. If the lockdown period seems propitious, the formula is winning and the numbers are exploding. In 24 hours, Validé broke the record for downloads on the Canal+ platform. After a week, the series had already accumulated 10 million views, and views have been increasing ever since.
Rap pedagogy: a first
The craze is explained: a series on rap, for rap lovers, made by rap lovers. This is a first in France. If the Americans have Empire, The Get Down or Atlanta, nada here. However, the rankings of the most listened to and streamed artists are without appeal: French rap is the most popular musical current in France. So there was a place to take. And Franck Gastambide sniffed the right vein. With Validé, the viewer sets foot in a fantasy but little-known music industry. From the first clip without equipment to doctored streams, from studio recordings to promo interviews on TV sets, through showcases to platinum records, the backstage of the environment is revealed. And not just any behind-the-scenes … From Universal offices and premises to Skyrock or Mouv' studios, everything is real ! Like the other figures in the field and in the manner of 10 percent, the cadors Fred Musa and Pascal Cefran, at the helm of their reference rap shows, come to give credibility to everything. The time of a crucial sequence, Apash is even on the set of Touche pas à mon poste !, where Cyril Hanouna and his team play us a remake of the clash between Booba and Kaaris. The ambition is clear: to demystify rap, by making its workings accessible. Rap pedagogy, in short. Therefore, if certain clichés are present (the challenger who came to take the throne of the old in decline, drugs, weapons, and cars) they contribute to portray the excesses of current rap, where social success, sulphurous past and street credibility intertwine.
Not so cliché
It's even part of the recipe! For a whole section of rapgame, doing too much is the trend that pays off views and streams. The rappers present at the casting will be able to confirm it. From the imagery of organized crime to the sensational, déjà vu becomes security. The clip featuring Mastar and Apash illustrates it well. If Mastar refuses to shoot his part of the clip at the Scampia so as not to do like the others, he nevertheless invites the main actor of Gomorrah. Apash borrows the idea of Sofiane, who had blocked a portion of the A3 motorway for the video of "Toka". Finally, we note that the format of Validé, about thirty minutes, energizes the subject with freshness. If we gladly revel in the profusion of references, we wonder about certain themes, flown over without being exploited. This small flaw is accentuated by a sometimes blurred timeline. It's a shame, but minimal: the production has already announced a second season that will surely have its share of adjustments. While waiting to have the light on the rest of the plot, we gladly listen to the album of the original soundtrack, available on all streaming platforms. On it, hits and sizes, as was to be expected. At the borders of genres and reality, Validated mixes comedy and drama, raw moments of authenticity and thriller cliffhangers. Franck Gastambide offers French rapgamer and his audience a first series of quality. It thus paves the way for French cinema, which will, we hope, seize the opportunity.
