French urban culture set the scene of the 2025 Cérémonie des Flammes on fire

Last night, the leading figures of French-speaking rap, hip-hop, and urban culture once again lit up the stage during the Cérémonie des Flammes, now in its highly anticipated third edition. This year, the celebration took place at the Seine Musicale, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Honoring the most influential Belgian and French talents of their generation, this 2025 edition delivered many highlights, including stunning performances, emotional award presentations, surprise announcements, and memorable appearances. Here’s a recap of a night already etched in history.

First key point — and worth celebrating —: women were in the spotlight. Eva Queen delivered a fiery performance, while Aya Nakamura was once again honored for her "international influence." Theodora received the award for female revelation, and Shay, the big winner of the evening, was crowned both artist of the year and stage revelation. So many female artists shone brightly in an industry still too often plagued by sexism and misogyny. Shay, visibly emotional, made a point to "congratulate the other women", adding that she "receives this award with great emotion because [she] works hard for [her] woman’s voice to be heard." A small step for the music industry, a giant leap for women — especially our queens of Francophone rap.

On the men's side, several big names stood out despite some notable absences. Tiakola, for instance, wasn’t present but still received three awards: male artist of the year, New Pop album of the year for BDLM VOL. 1, and R&B track of the year for “RESTE LÀ” in collaboration with RnBoi & Monsieur Nov. Another major winner who did not attend was SDM, who took home the award for rap album of the year for À LA VIE À LA MORT, as well as those for track and collaboration of the year for his hit “Dolce Camarra” featuring Booba. Werenoi won the Spotify Album of the Year award for Pyramide 2, and took the opportunity to announce an upcoming track featuring Aya Nakamura. SCH, as essential as ever, received three awards: rap performance of the year for “Prequel,” best album cover, and video of the year for “Stigmates.” Finally, Kaaris delivered a standout performance before receiving the concert of the year award in honor of the 10th anniversary of his iconic album Or Noir, celebrated at Paris La Défense Arena.

But beyond the awards and shows, emotion was also on full display. One of the most powerful moments of the evening was the tribute paid to DJ Mehdi, who passed away in 2011, by Kery James. The presentation of the Eternal Flame award to this pioneer of the French electro and hip-hop scene deeply moved the audience — especially since his name is back in the spotlight thanks to the outstanding documentary series DJ Mehdi: Made in France, aired this year on Arte. Though still young, the Cérémonie des Flammes is already establishing itself as a vital and legitimate cultural event, offering long-awaited — and well-deserved — recognition to artists often overlooked by traditional circuits. While some cultural institutions resist change or even regress — such as the Cannes Film Festival now banning revealing outfits — the Flammes celebrate diversity, creativity, and innovation. They prove that urban culture is not only legitimate: it is brilliant, influential, and more stylish than ever.