Strasbourg Music Week Hip-Hop as a Genre in the Euro Region

Eli Finberg, alias Mr. E is an author, MC, perfoming artist, hip-hop activist and educator.
Originally from New York, he settled in Strasbourg in 2005 and joined his first band in 2006.

He founded Freestyle Mondays (a monthy open mic) in Strasbourg in 2011.  Since 2007, he has played more than 1000 shows and has won numerous awards

Nurtured by a deep love of Hip Hop culture, Céline KAYOGERA's professional career took a decisive turn in 2016. After several years working in the non-profit sector, she felt the need to explore new perspectives.

Driven by the desire to combine her professional communications experience with her personality and keen interest in French rap, in 2017, Céline reenchanted her career by founding CLNK. She launches herself as a communications consultant for a Brussels-based Hip Hop festival, over several editions.

By 2020, Céline was propelling CLNK towards new horizons. She orchestrated a multitude of projects in the podcast field (Réelle Vie, Pull Up - Une histoire du rap belge, Richesses Générationnels), events (RAP [BOOK] CLUB) and above all training (URBAN360), more specifically in the professionalization of jobs in the “urban” music sector.

Céline has also created video content around music and literature for JAM RTBF.

The embodiment of a creative and entrepreneurial force, Céline KAYOGERA has a degree in communications (ISFSC) and is trained in music production and artist management (Institut des Arts de Diffusion).

Behind the name Tussy is Maxime, 22 years old, from Sivry-Rance, Belgium.

A style geek, gamer, and rap enthusiast, he draws inspiration from the Parisian scene of 2016–2017 (Lord Esperanza, PLK, L'Ordre du Périph, Panama Bende, Nelick, and Josman), as well as from the new wave of U.S. artists (Travis Scott, Tory Lanez, Don Toliver, and Jaden Smith).

A hyperactive jack-of-all-trades, he made a name for himself with his school tour : 33 dates across Belgium, documented in VIBRER, released this month. His message: believe in your dreams, keep going, and don’t let anyone slow you down.

Tussy is the face your mom adores and the flow your girl’s into.

Yan Gilg is a committed artist who refuses to separate culture from society. For him, art is a tool for emancipation, a driver of change, and a medium for transmitting knowledge, memories, and histories. He sees it as a catalyst for hope and struggle.

Since the late 1980s, Yan Gilg has explored various artistic and musical forms rooted in social realities and driven by protest. In the early 1990s, he became actively involved in the cultural development of Strasbourg’s working-class neighborhoods. In 1996, he founded LES SONS D’LA RUE, a platform dedicated to promoting hip-hop culture in Alsace.

In 2006, he created the Compagnie MÉMOIRES VIVES, a multidisciplinary organization focused on producing live performances centered on the histories and memories of immigration.

His work aims to reintegrate into the national narrative those who have contributed to building France—often forgotten or excluded—through their culture, labor, struggles, or knowledge. Artistically, Yan Gilg has developed a distinctive aesthetic by blending rap with theater, giving rise to a unique form: "theater on beat," "theatrical rap," or "urban theater."

Since 2019, he has been leading La FACC, a structure that both pilots and supports the project spanning Strasbourg, Marseille, and Dakar, adapting its governance to the context, phase, and outlook of each location. In Senegal, it supports the creation of FACCTORY – Fabrique d’Entreprise, an initiative moving toward autonomy and self-financing. In 2023, La FACC.fr provided primarily logistical support (equipment donations), as well as training and structural assistance: leadership coaching, professional mentoring, coordinator support, and professional development for artists and entrepreneurs.

Looking ahead to 2025, the next milestone will be the creation of FACCTORY – Fabriques d’Entreprises FR, an association bringing together regional branches (Strasbourg, Marseille, Mantes-la-Jolie, etc.), modeled after its Senegalese counterpart. Its mission: to support the management and development of third places dedicated to entrepreneurship.

Felix Neumann is the frontman and manager of the hip-hop band Zweierpasch. 

Based in Germany and France, the band stands for an international sound and has played over 400 concerts in Europe, West Africa and Asia since 2013. 
They were Freiburg's Band of the Year in 2017 and were awarded the prestigious Adenauer De Gaulle Prize in Paris in 2018. In 2024, Felix and his twin brother Till were named ‘Chevalier des Palmes Academiques’ by the French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal for their services to French culture. 

Felix Neumann has been co-director of the international hip-hop song competition "Ecole du Flow" for seven years. As an expert on hip hop in Germany and France, he takes part in conferences and coaches up-and-coming artists in songwriting and rap technique. He produces music videos via ‘Panoramique_Pix’ and works as a photographer.