Celebrating more than thirty years of career in a single concert: the promise was enough to make you dream. This Friday, October 10, rapper Booba took over the La Défense Arena in Paris for the first of his three shows in the capital, before nearly 40,000 spectators. A place that the 48-year-old artist knows well, having already performed there in 2018, just two months after his fight with Kaaris in Orly.
This new show, called Nemesis – the name of the Greek goddess of wrath and justice – was intended to live up to the status of the Duke of Boulogne: monumental, symbolic and intense. At 48 years old, Booba promised to revisit his classics and play his biggest hits. And if the energy and spectacle were there, the group sometimes lacked rhythm and surprises, with few guests to energize the evening.
An imperial entrance to Julius Caesar
As soon as the doors opened at 6 p.m., the excitement was felt in the Paris La Défense Arena. In the room, the audience reflects the breadth of Booba’s career: there are nostalgic thirty and forty year olds, lulled by time is up EITHER Pantheonwho came to relive their middle school and high school years, but also young listeners, sometimes accompanied by their parents, for whom this is the first concert.
To raise the temperature before the arrival of the DUC, Couvre Feu Sound System opened the evening. The trio formed by Jacky Brown, DJ Phaxx and Lord Issa -, known for having presented a cult program on Skyrock in the 2000s, then on OKLM Radio (the station launched by Booba himself), presented a set designed to bring together all these generations.
Between Sefyu, Nessbeal or Fonky Family for the nostalgic, and Werenoi, PNL or La Mano for the younger ones, the collective has built a bridge between two eras of French rap. An effective warm-up, perfectly calibrated to prepare the owner’s entrance.
Then, at 9 p.m., the lights go out. A man appears on stage to announce Booba’s arrival. “He’s the boss,” the speaker says. “The names pass but the legend remains. (…) No heir, no mercy. 30 years of reign. Zero commitment. Tonight is not a concert: it is an acquisition.” The tone is set.
Suddenly, Booba appears, perched on a high walkway, like a gladiator entering his arena. Wrapped in a red cape and a golden cuirass, reminiscent of Julius Caesar, he surveys the crowd before beginning his famous hit. AC Milan. An imperial entry, on par with the one that has reigned in French rap for more than three decades.
Rain of hits and XXL scenery
Once the show begins, Booba presents his monumental setlist: Attila, Friday, Paradise, In love with her, Kalash (without Kaaris), dirty humor (with Bramsito), godmother (without Maes), or even At the end of my dreamsperformed together with the group Trade Union… The pieces follow one another without rest amidst the applause of a packed room that knows the words by heart.
The staging aims to match the event. For the occasion, a giant 1,500 m2 screen was installed at the Paris La Défense Arena. Guaranteed cinema atmosphere. On stage, flames, pyrotechnic effects and precise lighting effects mark each piece and amplify the intensity of the show.
For boulbiBooba leaves the main stage and takes a walkway to reach a second stage, in the center of the pit. The public exults and it is once again a shower of hits: Payday, Tony Sossa, Throne, Pitbull – showing the recognizable piano melody of Mistral Winner by Renaud -, number 10 where the rapper takes a public bath, or even Garcimore.
“You might not see me on stage again for a while. So let’s make the most of it,” says Booba after an hour and a half of the show. Next comes a special segment on 92i, where the rapper is joined on stage by Chaax and Keman, two of his young protégés.
Electro deceptive interlude and finale in apotheosis
Booba then leaves the stage and a duo of DJs take to the turntables for an electro interlude. This passage, a nod to the artist’s recently launched SubLife label, is however difficult to convince. Too long, it breaks the rhythm of the show and the energy of the room. The audience feels the wait and some in the stands do not hesitate to sit down again to take a break or take the opportunity to go to the bathroom.
Despite everything, the show quickly restarts with great fanfare with Wesh Morray, validated AND scarface. The room also celebrates PSG’s victory to the sound of D.D. (for Désiré Doué, editor’s note), in front of a giant club flag, before Booba continues with Medicinewithout Niska. Bridjahting and Gato take charge of the impressive Lang Movementin the midst of smoke bombs and pogos.
After more than two intense hours of show, Booba ends his concert without a hitch. An orchestra was installed on stage to accompany him in these last pieces: like a star, little girlor even a moving reinterpretation of 92i Veyron.
To conclude in apotheosis, the duke chooses Dolce Camarahis flagship hit released in 2024, which he performs three times. But the absence of the rapper SDM, with whom he usually shares a song, leaves a slight taste of unfinished business for the spectators present. “Piracy never ends,” Booba proclaims, before disappearing backstage. End of a memorable evening that reminds us why the rapper from Hauts-de-Seine remains a staple of French rap despite the years.
Source: BFM TV
