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Articolo 31 — Così Com'è (1996)
1. Da un nastro
2. Un urlo
3. Tranqi funky
4. 2030
5. Così Com'è
6. Domani
7. Non c'è rimedio
8. Gigugin
9. Fatti un giro
10. Fatti in là
11. Così è cosà
12. Tocca a me
13. Latin lover
14. Con le buone
15. L'impresa eccezionale
16. Sono l'MC
17. Il funkytarro
18. Sono fuori
Review
by Laura RubertoThree years after its release, Articolo 31's third CD, Così Com'è remains a fresh mix of pop. One of Italy's most successful hip-hop groups, Articolo 31 calls its beats "Spaghetti Funk" — and while Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns might come to mind, Articolo 31's music is less a parody of Italian styles than a skillful Mediterranean refiguring of US hip hop sounds and techniques. In its simplest, and least interesting, form, this approach leads to Italian translations of US hip hop — like the shout-out near the beginning of the album, "Un urlo per Articolo 31," or the use of American slang. On the other hand, references to Italian popular culture and contemporary politics — from politicians Umberto Bossi and Silvio Berlusconi, to telephone gettoni (tokens), the communist daily L'Unità, and the comic actor Carlo Verdone — make these rhythms uniquely Italian.
The album also gets a boost from the appearance of some of Italy's most talented rappers and musicians. Indeed, the back-up singing, dominated by female voices, adds a kind of smoothness to what are often, rough, in-your-face vocals. Forceful as they are, DJ Jad and J. Ax (who together make up Articolo 31) have less in common with US gangsta rappers like Snoop Doggy Dog and the Notorious BIG than with hard but non-gansta acts like LL Cool J and Naughty by Nature. On the Italian front, they are also unique — funkier (and less ragamuffin) than Papa Ricky, more melody-oriented than Neffa, and less political than Sud Sound System.
At least two of the hits on this album ("Domani" and "Un'impresa eccezionale") owe much of their popularity and winning sound to sing-along choruses. "Domani," the album's first hit, is a love song given depth and added R & B rhythm by Paola Folli's background crooning. Meanwhile, "Un'impresa eccezionale" shows off the flexibility of Articolo 31's style. Leaning more towards a classic Italian pop hit, this song would be a run-of-the-mill ode to masturbation if not for the solo and back-up of 1970s Italian folk/rock star Lucio Dalla, which makes it a superb example of how Italian rappers incorporate Italian popular culture into their work. Dalla lends the song its Italian pop sound (anyone familiar with his voice will immediately recognize it, and will be taken back to some of his own hits), and 31's rapped narrative of a search for an exceptional undertaking shows off their humor and wit.
Other noteworthy tracks on the album include "Latin lover," which plays with stereotypes of machismo (the lead rapper claims to be such a smooth lover that he can unhook a woman's miniskirt just with his eyes), and the futuristic "2030," which features cutting commentary on contemporary life disguised as predictions about the post-Y2K world (there will be a woman president, Italy will be cut into two countries, etc.).
The most inventive rapping in the mix is perhaps in the title song "Così Com'è" (roughly "just like it is" or "and that's how it is"). The rap, which announces the arrival of Articolo 31, subtly explores the group's success. DJ Jad explains the song and the entire album best in the liner notes:
"Ancora non mi sono abituato al fatto di poter fare dischi. una volta era quasi un utopia stampare musica del nostro genere. Ma adesso posso stampare le mie idee cosi come le voglio fare. far suonare le mie idee cosi come mi piace. . ."And from the look of things, Articolo 31 will only continue to make music the way they want to."I'm still not used to the fact that I can make records. at one point it was almost a utopia to put out our kind of records. but now I can produce my ideas however I want. I can make my ideas sound however I like . . ."
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