Loco Locass
Encyclopedia
Loco Locass are a hip hop
group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language in Canada, and champions Quebec sovereignty.
Loco Locass' lyrics often deal with the role of the French language, and Quebec's role in Canada. Songs such as "ROC Rap" and "Résistance" highlight the band's political leanings, and their strong advocation for Quebec to secede from Canada.
They wrote a song called "Le But", which is a tribute to the Montreal Canadiens
.
In 1999 the band again changed its name, first to 'Locos Locass' and then to 'Loco Locass', also adding new band member Chafiik (Mathieu Farhoud-Dionne).
The band musicians besides the trio of Biz, Batlam and Chafiik are Jeanse, Djip, Lester G, VöV and Tchi Tchi Novo Solmol
governments, and featuring vocals from Quebec comic group Les Zapartistes
. The song took subtler shots along the way at Bernard Landry
for what they viewed as an unwillingness to tackle controversial issues on his part; it was re-released on the 2005 album Amour oral in a longer, extended version.
On 25 February 2010, Chafiik of Loco Locass has signed, together with 500 artists, the call to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against israeli apartheid.
, protesting against the Quebec Liberal government of the day's conversion of $103m in bursary funding to loans. Critics, however, charged that the group's song Casse du 24 supported what they felt to be police repression of students.
St-Jean Concert: on June 24, 2005, the group took part in a show marking the government-designated Quebec National Holiday
organised by Les Cowboys Fringants
at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau
. The ten-hour politicized show's $40 entry fee was controversial, as was its sponsorship by Coca-Cola and Gillette, companies some left-wing nationalists identified as "Anglo-Saxon imperialists", leading to charges that the show constituted elitist competition with a long-established event at Parc Maisonneuve.
Federal Funding: Loco Locass are not among the sovereigntist artists whose political stance leads them to boycott federal funding programmes. In particular, some of their recordings have received federal recording industry subsidies. Federalists have charged that this poses an integrity problem, since they accept funding from the very level of government whose rejection they seek to promote. Federally-funded sovereigntist groups respond that as taxpayers into the federal entity they have the right to benefit from its programmes and that, in the sovereign Quebec they promote, their tax dollars would be diverted to Quebec funding programmes which would similarly become available to them.
Federalists Leave Home: Biz was reported during the spring of 2006 as suggesting that those who do not support the sovereignty option should leave Quebec.http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=554ea4c4-41d1-4f46-9d4d-24ab9b27b147 This position is unpopular among Québécois who support continued affiliation with Canada. Some also accuse Biz's of taking part of the history of accusations of disloyalty by nationalists.
, Loco Locass played five of their songs accompanied by a young string orchestra of musicians aged 12 to 17, an initiative of Camp Musical St-Alexandre director-conductor Mathieu Rivest. The five songs were La censure pour l'échafaud, La bataille des murailles, L'empire du pire en pire, Antiaméricanisme primaire and Libérez-nous des libéraux, to which music by Prokofiev
, Berlioz
, and Stravinsky
was added. Partners included Télé-Québec
, Vidéo Femmes and Audiogram
, and a documentary entitled Symphonie Locass was released in the winter of 2006. It was directed by Martine Asselin and Marco Dubé and produced by Pauline Voisard and Jacques Turgeon. The National Film Board of Canada was the production house.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language in Canada, and champions Quebec sovereignty.
Loco Locass' lyrics often deal with the role of the French language, and Quebec's role in Canada. Songs such as "ROC Rap" and "Résistance" highlight the band's political leanings, and their strong advocation for Quebec to secede from Canada.
They wrote a song called "Le But", which is a tribute to the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
.
Beginnings
The group was formed as an "experimental rap" group by Biz (Sébastien Fréchette) and Batlam (Sébastien Ricard) under the name 'Koubraüss'. The group later changed its name from 'Koubraüss' to 'Les Locos Loquaces'.In 1999 the band again changed its name, first to 'Locos Locass' and then to 'Loco Locass', also adding new band member Chafiik (Mathieu Farhoud-Dionne).
The band musicians besides the trio of Biz, Batlam and Chafiik are Jeanse, Djip, Lester G, VöV and Tchi Tchi Novo Solmol
Politics
The group made the headlines in 2004 with their hit single Libérez-nous des libéraux (Liberate us from the Liberals), a song denouncing the views of the Jean Charest and Paul MartinLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
governments, and featuring vocals from Quebec comic group Les Zapartistes
Les Zapartistes
Les Zapartistes are a group of Quebecois comedians in Canada, founded in 2001 and specialising in political humour. The group works live and for television, generally in the context of special events such as the annual Fête nationale du Québec as well as in various comedy programmes.It won a Prix...
. The song took subtler shots along the way at Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
for what they viewed as an unwillingness to tackle controversial issues on his part; it was re-released on the 2005 album Amour oral in a longer, extended version.
On 25 February 2010, Chafiik of Loco Locass has signed, together with 500 artists, the call to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against israeli apartheid.
Student Funding
In the winter of 2005, Loco Locass supported the political arm of the Quebec student movement during a major student strike2005 Quebec student strike
The 2005 Quebec student strike occurred between February 24 and April 2005. Part of the opposition to the Charest government, it was led by students of CEGEPs and universities of Quebec, on strike to protest budget cuts of $103 million in the Grants and Loans program.- Background :During the 2003...
, protesting against the Quebec Liberal government of the day's conversion of $103m in bursary funding to loans. Critics, however, charged that the group's song Casse du 24 supported what they felt to be police repression of students.
Sovereignty
Particularly given the importance of the "national question" in Quebec culture and politics, it is unsurprising that Loco Locass's self-image as a vehicle for promoting the sovereigntist option has played into existing social divisions. These divisions have played out on several occasions:St-Jean Concert: on June 24, 2005, the group took part in a show marking the government-designated Quebec National Holiday
Fête nationale du Québec
Quebec's National Holiday is celebrated annually on June 24, St. John the Baptist DayIn Quebec, the national holiday is a paid statutory public holiday covered under the Act Respecting Labour Standards...
organised by Les Cowboys Fringants
Les Cowboys Fringants
Les Cowboys Fringants are a popular band and cult phenomenon from Quebec, who perform Québécois néo-trad music , the band also draws on Country music. They have gained an international underground following, especially in France, French-speaking Belgium and Switzerland...
at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau
Parc Jean-Drapeau
Parc Jean-Drapeau is situated to the east of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Saint Lawrence River. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Île Notre-Dame....
. The ten-hour politicized show's $40 entry fee was controversial, as was its sponsorship by Coca-Cola and Gillette, companies some left-wing nationalists identified as "Anglo-Saxon imperialists", leading to charges that the show constituted elitist competition with a long-established event at Parc Maisonneuve.
Federal Funding: Loco Locass are not among the sovereigntist artists whose political stance leads them to boycott federal funding programmes. In particular, some of their recordings have received federal recording industry subsidies. Federalists have charged that this poses an integrity problem, since they accept funding from the very level of government whose rejection they seek to promote. Federally-funded sovereigntist groups respond that as taxpayers into the federal entity they have the right to benefit from its programmes and that, in the sovereign Quebec they promote, their tax dollars would be diverted to Quebec funding programmes which would similarly become available to them.
Federalists Leave Home: Biz was reported during the spring of 2006 as suggesting that those who do not support the sovereignty option should leave Quebec.http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=554ea4c4-41d1-4f46-9d4d-24ab9b27b147 This position is unpopular among Québécois who support continued affiliation with Canada. Some also accuse Biz's of taking part of the history of accusations of disloyalty by nationalists.
Books
Poids plume (Featherweight): After the group's first album birthed a first poetry collection, Manifestif, Loco Locass released their second book, Featherweight, bringing together the lyrics to their albums Amour Oral and In Vivo. The 128-page book was published in November 2005 (Éditions Fides) and included photos by Marie-Lyne Baril and illustrations by Alain Reno.Documentaries
On August 19, 2005, in Rivière-du-Loup, QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Loco Locass played five of their songs accompanied by a young string orchestra of musicians aged 12 to 17, an initiative of Camp Musical St-Alexandre director-conductor Mathieu Rivest. The five songs were La censure pour l'échafaud, La bataille des murailles, L'empire du pire en pire, Antiaméricanisme primaire and Libérez-nous des libéraux, to which music by Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
was added. Partners included Télé-Québec
Télé-Québec
Télé-Québec is a French language public educational television network in the Canadian province of Quebec. Known legally as Société de télédiffusion du Québec , it is a provincial crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec...
, Vidéo Femmes and Audiogram
Audiogram
An audiogram is a standard way of representing a person's hearing loss . Most audiograms cover the limited range 100 Hz to 8000 Hz which is most important for clear understanding of speech, and they plot the threshold of hearing relative to a standardised curve that represents 'normal'...
, and a documentary entitled Symphonie Locass was released in the winter of 2006. It was directed by Martine Asselin and Marco Dubé and produced by Pauline Voisard and Jacques Turgeon. The National Film Board of Canada was the production house.
Awards
Loco Locass have won awards from:- ADISQFélix AwardThe Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois...
(best hip-hop album for Amour Oral, 2005); - CRIACriaA cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
-certified gold album for selling 50,000 copies of Amour Oral (2005);http://www.cria.ca/gold/0705_g.php - Grafika (best CD cover for Amour oral, second opus, 2005);
- MIMI (Mots-Dits prize for lyrics and best song award for Libérez-nous des libéraux, 2005);
- MuchMusic Video AwardsMuchMusic Video AwardsThe MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
(nominated for best French-language video, 2005); - MusiquePlusMusiquePlusMusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
(artist of the month, April 2005).
Discography
- ManifestifManifestif-Track listing:#"Mes enfants..."#"L'assaut"#"Sheila, ch'us là"#"Langage-toi"#"L'empire du pire en pire"#"Malamalangue"#"Potsotjob" Koubraüss#"Impression solennel levant"#"Boom Baby Boom!"#"Isabeille et Biz"#"Manifestif"#"La casse du 24"...
(2000) - In VivoIn Vivo (EP)-Track listing:Data TrackAudio Files#"ROC rap"#"Super Mario"#"Manifestif '"#"Art politik '"#"Langage-toi '"#"Boom Baby Boom!" '"#"Priapée la p'tite vite '"...
(EP) (2003) - Amour OralAmour OralAmour Oral is Loco Locass' second studio album. The album won a Grafika award in the Best CD cover category in 2005. It was also the winner in the Best hip hop album category at the Felix Awards of the same year.- Track listing :# "Résistance"...
(2004)
Videos
- Sheila Chu la (2002)
- Groove Grave (2005)
- Bonzaion (2005)
- Spleen & Montreal (2006)
- La bataille des murailles en symphonique (2006)
- La censure pour l'échafaud (2006)
- La Paix des Braves (featuring SamianSamian (rapper)Samuel Tremblay, better known by his stage name Samian , is a Canadian rapper who performs in both French and Algonquin....
) (2007) - M'accrocher (2008)
- Hymne à Québec (2010)
- Le But (2010)