Introduction
After the rise of Zouglou and the reign of Coupé-décalé, a new musical style was born in Ivory Coast. Indeed, since 2022, with the advent of a new wave of young rappers on the Ivorian music scene, we are witnessing a new way of making rap. A 2.0 rap which has conquered the hearts of music lovers and has established itself today as a new musical style in Ivory Coast. Called the “Children’s Movement”, let’s discover the history of this new Ivorian musical style, as well as its evolution on the musical scene.
History of the “Children’s Movement”
The “Children’s Movement” is a musical style derived from ivory rap and coupé-décalé drill. It expresses the enjaillement (fun, festivity) of Ivorian youth on a hip-hop rhythm, with a recurring use of the word “ paiya ” which means “enjailment”. This musical genre was born following a movement between young friends who call themselves the “ paiyasseurs ” (the entertainers), in this case Doupi Papillon, Zagba the Shark, Ste Milano, Noukou Loba and Samo Samo. At the beginning, this movement was considered as simple background music between young people, hence the name “the children’s movement”. However, with the title “It’s God, Above” created by JR Low and his friends ” the paiyasseurs ”, the trends on TikTok are one after the other and the movement is gaining momentum. The “Children’s Movement” attracts not only music lovers, but also renowned artists.
The evolution of the “Children’s Movement”
Artist Didi B is the first renowned artist to embrace the “children’s movement”. Featuring JR Low and Tam Sir, they cover the title in “En Haut” which immediately becomes a hit. Today the title has more than 29 million views on YouTube and has enjoyed astonishing success since its release. From then on, several national artists including Black K, Suspect 95, Serge Beynaud and gospel artist Ks Bloom adopted the children’s movement. In addition, international artists like Dadju are also interested in it. “I really like the title “up” by Didi B. They say it’s the children’s movement, right? We’re all going to do it too. », declared Dadju during his concerts on January 1 and 2, 2023 in Abidjan.
Conclusion
More than an appropriation of hip-hop codes, “the children’s movement” is a musical genre that combines ivory rap and cut-and-shift drill. Born from an enchantment between friends, he was able to conquer the hearts of music lovers and certain renowned artists such as the Ivorian rapper Didi B, the coupé-décalé artist Serge Beynaud and the Franco-Congolese Dadju, R&B singer. Thus, we dare to believe that this new Ivorian musical style succeeds in exporting Ivorian music to international stages .
