Intro | Thursday, June 8th | Friday, June 9th
Intro | Thursday, June 8th | Friday, June 9th
Saturday, June 10th — Breaking, Concert, and More Free Verse
One of the most amazing sites of the event was seeing hard core breaking in the piazza of Montevarchi. It was exciting to see sheets of linoleum laid out the patterned stone of the Tuscan square as DJ Skizo scratched vinyl in time to the ringing of the church bells. It was a heady mix for this New Yorker.
Italian break dancing crews congregated on Montevarchi that day — Fighting Soul, Ready To Start, Incredible Stylez Squad, and Effect Level Crew. DJ Taglierino led the breaking session before Skizo took over the turntables.
Break dancing, which has experienced a steady decline in the States since the early days of New York Hip Hop, thrives in Europe and Italy. We witnessed a stunning display of physical virtuosity and
improvisational skills as one dancer after the other showed their stuff.
After dinner, Malaisa and Ice One took over from the previous night, and proceeded to set the place on fire. Malaisa's style consists of an immediacy, conviction, and strength that give her rhymes the power of self-evident truths.
Frankie admitted that it has been some time since he last held a mike in his hand but yet he dished out his lyrical gymnastics and poetic fusilade that has invigorated the Italian language in the past decade. An appeciative audience rapped along with Frankie's now classics tunes "Fight da faida," "Quelli che benpensano," and others.
Italy's favorite son, Toni L proved that you can rap in another language (German) and still keep an audience captive. Interspersing his set with Italian comments, Toni L demonstrated why he is one of Germany's top MCs.
Mass MC's physical presence and, more importantly, his verbal command make him a MC that you simply don't fuck with. The vibe of his no-nonsense, agressive rap made its way through audience members at the stage's edge who created Hip Hop mosh pit with their friendly shoving. Mass was a hard act to follow.
Local MCs Dr. Snot & Gazza stepped up to the challenge and demonstrated their linguistic dexterity and professionalism. At one point Gazza rapped in Somalian, which he learned from his immigrant mother.
Canadian Giustizia, relying on a stage presence that owes much to the Back Street Boys, was particularly appealing to the females in the audience. Devoid of talent and brimming with chutzpa, Giustizia managed to suprise many, including the other artists, by getting such a positive response from the crowd.
The audience was very cool.
With the end of the concert, local MCs, including members of Toscani Classici, took the stage to engage in free styling. We thanked the music gods for waiting till the show's concluding notes to let loose a gentle rain.
Hip Hop from the Italian Diaspora 2000
