City's Youth

A reggae and hip-hop festival born in Saint-Étienne

The City's Youth Festival was born in the early 2010s in Saint-Étienne, driven by the local reggae and sound system scene. The festival drew its roots from the community of Saint-Étienne artists united around the City's Youths Riddim project, a collective track produced by Tony Bakk featuring artists like Dub Inc, Datune, Jah Gaïa, Kamana, Kromi, Greggy, and Les Barabans. This musical effervescence gave birth to a festival that celebrated urban culture and Jamaican music in the city of Saint-Étienne.

Le Fil and the city's clubs as playgrounds

During its various editions, City's Youth took over several emblematic venues in Saint-Étienne. The festival's highlights took place at Le Fil, the city's contemporary music venue (SMAC), located on Boulevard Thiers, which hosted the main concerts. In parallel, sound systems and concerts were scheduled in various bars and clubs in the city, creating a festive atmosphere spread over several days across Saint-Étienne's neighborhoods.

From reggae to hip-hop: a progressive musical opening

While the festival was initially focused on reggae, dub, and sound system, it gradually expanded its programming to include hip-hop and rap. The fourth edition, in April 2016, marked this opening with two distinct evenings at Le Fil: a rap evening featuring Guizmo La Banquise, Swift Guad, and Non Grata, and a reggae evening with Skarra Mucci, Manudigital, and Mighty Klaps. This diversification reflected the richness of Saint-Étienne's urban music scene.

City's Youth Connexion: the last edition

In April 2017, the festival was renamed City's Youth Connexion for its final edition, held at Le Clapier in Saint-Étienne on April 14th. This single evening, from 8 PM to 4 AM, featured a dense lineup mixing local and international artists: Bouchkour and Komlan (members of Dub Inc), Sara Lugo, I Woks Sound, Datune, Riwan (Wailing Trees), Kamana, Solaion, Kromi, Greggy, and Don Matino. The after-show was handled by Tony Bakk, an emblematic producer and selector of the Saint-Étienne scene. Tickets were available for 10 euros via the Yurplan platform.

A legacy rooted in the Saint-Étienne scene

Although the festival has not been active since 2017, City's Youth contributed to promoting the reggae and hip-hop scene of Saint-Étienne and uniting a community of artists and enthusiasts around urban and Jamaican music. Many of the artists who performed at the festival continue to animate the region's musical life, perpetuating the spirit of sharing and connection that characterized the event.