How would you describe Milit’ants?
Even in our name, there’s militant
and there’s also ants
, the anthill in English. A reference to Weber, and the idea that we are all ants, tiny and alone, knowing that unity is strength. Milit’ants started two years ago to work together, to carry out this project of bringing people together, developing our shared values, and uniting them around rap. Our motto is to convey and transmit
, not to simulate or put on an act
. It’s in this spirit that we hold our Open Mic Nights at the Celtic.
This isn’t a common theme in rap!
No, that’s true. And yet, the foundation of hip-hop culture is the group, it’s being together with dancers, graffiti artists, rappers, and DJs. Together, we shared a message, a cause, and common values. Then it became an industry, and for me, egos took up a lot more space. That's what we hear most often. The collective spirit might not be talked about as much, but it exists, and it's truly our culture.
What are your lyrics about?
We believe in being as honest as possible. We're not going to talk about things we don't do: robberies, Lamborghinis, arriving at Place de Verdun by helicopter. Being honest means talking about what we actually experience, about who we are. There's no point in inventing things when there are so many truths to tell. The most important thing is the truth we can share, where anyone can see themselves reflected.
How do you make rap music in a land of metal bands?
Actually, metal and hip-hop come from the same place: basements, garages. These are two movements that grew up around the same time, with the same ideas, in the same place. We're like brothers! And we grew up in parallel. And there have been some great fusions like Rage Against the Machine, like the meeting of Aerosmith and Run DMC, like the Beastie Boys. And a fusion like Linkin Park that opened new horizons for musicians, especially in rap and metal.
Is that the spirit in which you'll be at La Gespe, in a local scene that leans towards metal?
Yes. These are bands with whom we share a lot, people we get along with well. We all feel at home at La Gespe; we have the same culture. We'll all be together on the La Gespe stage, like brothers, each with our own distinct personality. It's fantastic!
Did La Gespe's support help you?
We received a lot from La Gespe. We worked together to gain perspective on our stage performances and our vocals. It gave us a lot of freedom on stage, and it even motivated us to work even harder in the studio. We also prepared ourselves well, both mentally and physically, for the opening act for IAM that we did last summer at the Pic du Midi. The goal was really to live up to our potential, to deliver a quality performance, and not seem too far behind such a legendary group.
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