Rapkeb returns: hip-hop proves its staying power at Francos

The Place des Festivals filled Thursday night as Loud and Koriass headlined Soirée Rapkeb, 10 ans après — a celebration of Quebec hip-hop a decade after the genre's first major mainstream concert in the province.

Koriass, the rapper who grew up in Saint-Eustache, opened at 8:30 p.m. with his touring band — a drummer, guitarist, and bassist who gave his catalog a live-band energy that flirted with metal at moments. The 25-year veteran pulled heavily from his recent album, "Sept ans de malheur", performing tracks like Habits St-Eustache, Basse couture, Vingt-quatre heures, and Rimes en é. His vocal stamina never wavered through the set.

Koriass invited collaborators onstage: Suspek-T, Calamine, and the legendary Daniel Bélanger, who appeared to sing the refrain of "Sept ans de malheur". FouKi also joined to perform "Slap" and "Tout c'qui faut". The set closed with hits Lendemain, Printemps, "Cinq à sept", and "Enfant de l'asphalte".

At 10 p.m., Loud took over with the powerful percussion of "Game Time", a track from his December release "Douze sur douze". He blended recent material with the arena-filling hits that packed the Centre Bell in 2019: À ce que je sache, Fallait y aller, Nouveaux riches, Jamais de la vie. Statzz joined for "Signe" just as rain began to fall hard — DJ Ajust noted there was poetry in the moment. The crowd stayed through the downpour. More guest appearances followed: Aswell, Koriass (again), Connaisseur Ticaso, and longtime collaborator Lary Kidd all delivered verses.

Gray clouds had briefly relented at the concert's start, but heavier rain returned around 10:15 p.m. Neither the artists nor the thousands gathered let the weather break the energy. A decade after 2016's first Rapkeb — when heavy rain nearly derailed that show too — Quebec's rap scene returned to the same venue to prove the genre's momentum remains undimmed.