Get Them Fists Up for France's MC Fisto

Once upon a time, there were people who dismissed hip-hop as just another fad. Obviously, those people didn't know what they were talking about: Hip-hop has permeated virtually every facet of popular culture in almost all corners of the world. As hip-hop evolves, the French are proving forerunners of the new era, and one of the trailblazers is MC Fisto (who comes to Beijing this month as part of the Francophonie Festival). Here's what he has to say about hip-hop, French stereotypes, and coming to China.

the Beijinger: How many Francophonie Festivals have you participated in? In what other cities have you celebrated? Will this be your first time in Beijing?
MC Fisto: It's the first time I celebrate Francophonie, as well as my first time in Beijing! I've been in Mongolia last summer for a festival called Les Champs de l'Homme, that's where I was contacted by the Alliance Française. So it’s a beautiful task to hold the Francophonie and spread my music across China for that event!

tbj: What are your plans while you’re here?
MF: It's hard to think forward, but I hope to enjoy the most I can the things I'll see and the people I'll meet. It's going to be a crazy trip, and I hope it will go further than what I can imagine.

tbj: Is there anywhere or thing you really want to go or see?
MF: I can't really schedule things to see or do, because we will visit a lot of cities that will be different from one to another I guess... I don't want to plan anything, so that I could be more amazed actually! I don't want to be in a tourist state of mind, I think it won't match with the whole project...

tbj: MC Felix, Accrophone, Deklin, James Deano, NEMO – have you worked with any of these artists before?
MF: I just knew NEMO a little before asking him to work with me on this tour. He's a great MC and DJ too, which is quite rare! I know the music of James Deano and Accrophone, and I've discovered Deklin, and I'm glad to share this adventure with all of them!

tbj: You guys all speak French but are from different countries. Would you say there are distinct differences – personal, cultural or linguistic – for French speakers from other countries, and if so, in what way?
MF: Of course, for example, as far as accent is concerned, you can find differences between a Belgian guy and a Canadian one... And it's the same with cultural aspects, even if the French language is the backbone and the link between those countries, they're connected but independent ..; And there are linguistic differences also, which is a very interesting point, for example, Canadians use a lot of English words and at the same time very old French words that are not used in France anymore! I think beyond of all cultural differences, our link is the music we make...

tbj: Name the biggest misconception about French people.
MF: We are supposed to be arrogant or intellectual... Guess what? We are both!

tbj: Which language would you say is more difficult to learn, Chinese or French, and why?
MF: I think it depends on if you're Chinese or French. Chinese sounds difficult to me because it's a tonal language, but it's very interesting in a musical point of view, cause it seems you can express a lot of emotions.

tbj: Can you talk about what will be going on at the Slam Workshop with MC Felix? What kind of exchange or interaction do you hope will take place?
MF: I did a lot of spoken words-slam workshops, in schools, in jails etc... I've learned one thing: it's based on sharing.

tbj: When – and to whom – did you fall in love with hip hop? And if you don’t love hip hop, who/what do you love?
MF: I do love Hip Hop... It's in my blood! I started doing graffiti by the age of 17, back in the days! It was a golden era, with Public Enemy, EPMD, RAkim, Run DMC, LL Cool J ...But the artists that I may consider as my influences are guys like Nas, Talib Kweli, KRs One, Common...Furthermore, as a musician I'm also concerned with other arts as cinema, paintings, theatre...

tbj: What would you say is the state of hip-hop today?
MF: I miss the good old days when Hip Hop was a culture spreading positive values as unity, love, or creativity... Now it's all about cash money or fake thugism and I'm definitively not into that kind of things. Fortunately, you still can find artists that are clever and intelligent enough to develop an interesting message...I guess the public shouldn’t trust the tip of the iceberg, and should be digging deeper for some underrated artists...

tbj: Describe your music in 5 words or less.
MF: Introspective, warm, deep, instinctive and – I hope! – dynamic!