The rapper Tuerie, for his latest album Papillon Monarque, is the 2023 winner of the Joséphine Prize, an alternative to the Victoires de la Musique, the organizers announced on Thursday.
Zaho de Sagazan, Acid Arab, Benjamin Epps, BlauBird, Blick Bassy, Eesah Yasuke, Flavien Berger, Prince Waly and Voyou were also in the running for this award. The 2023 jury was chaired by Eddy de Pretto, alongside Arthur Teboul (singer of Feu! Chatterton) and the twins of the group Ibeyi.
“A goldsmith of texts that are by turns raw and meditative, Tuerie shares his personal wounds in a song tinged with soul and gospel feeling while his primary identity as a rapper resurfaces along brave pieces kicked with style and aplomb. The artist from Boulogne-Billancourt, to whom no limits or artistic frontiers can be opposed, mixes the sounds of jazz or folk with the cadences of hip hop,” according to the organizers of the Joséphine prize.
The Joséphine Prize takes its name from Joséphine Baker and Dare Joséphine by Alain Bashung. This new award was born from the frustration of the Victoires de la Musique awards, criticized in recent years for their lack of diversity.
Les Flammes, a new ceremony dedicated to rap and its trends, was also created based on the same observation.