A Brief History of Italian Rap
Spaghetti Funk or the Arrival of the B-Boys and Fly Girls
Italian hip hop's affiliation with the self-described Movimento Antagonista was to radically change with the arrival of the B-Boys. "B-Boys" and "old-school" became the operative terms used to identify rappers not affiliated with centri. Young men who lived on the outskirts of the city in the poorly constructed and hideous high-rise apartment buildings started mixing beats and improvising raps in their cramped bedrooms. These rappers set the stage for signing with major labels and getting wider national distribution.
A pivotal B-Boy is Frankie Hi Nrg Mc. His brilliant 1993 debut CD Verba Manent helped introduce acid jazz and a more funky sound to Italian rap. As a master of the ironic sample deriding official discourse, Frankie takes on the mafia, racism, and right-wing terrorism. He was immediately attacked by rappers associated with the militant centri like Papa Ricky for signing with the multinational RCA.
Frankie wrote me in English in 1997 about being cast as Italy's hip hop pariah:
"But (I think) I was the only one to sign up
with the "enemy," with "the capital," with "the-easy-money-middle class-mutherfuckers." I was counterposed (sic)
by many other MCs from the centri sociali, conquering
the fame of being "the most known sucker on the scene" because of that contract. The fox dislikes the grape
he can't reach. Now it is normal that Papa Ricky signs
with Virgin, Neffa with Polygram, and so on. People got
a short memory, when the wind changes many faces turn
'round. I like to think I puffed a bit to let the wind change."
Frankie's response was the song Faccio la mia cosa (I do my own thing).
This second wave of Italian hip hop, sometimes known as "Old School" by its practitioners, is less concerned with a strident, in-you-face militancy than with capturing hard edge snapshots of the day-to-day struggles of contemporary Italian youth. Frankie has joined forces with Roman rappers Ice One and Colle der Fomento. Their hypnotic songs like Io sono quello che suono (I am what I sing) and Quello che ti do (What I give you) are self-referential paeans to Hip Hop's healing power in opposition to mind-numbing mainstream culture.
Milanese rapper La Pina has emerged as a serious player in the male-dominated world of hip hop Italiano. Her 1995 Il CD del-la Pina (Pina's CD) and the recently released Piovono Angeli (Raining Angels) proves that "hip hop with tits" (l"hip hop con le tette), as La Pina calls it, is a force to be reckoned with. She has led the way for a new wave of female rappers like Malaisa, Marya, and Sab Sista.
With its 1994 CD SxM, Sangue Misto (Mixed Blood) revolutionized the world of rap Italiano forever. Neffa, Deda, and DJ Gruff introduced a thicker sound, a sophisticated use of language and street-savvy slang, and a socially attuned introspection that were unknown beforehand in Italy. Immersing itself deeper in the growing Italian hip hop culture, the group became one of the most influential in the mid-1990s. Following in the footsteps of the Wu-Tang Clan, individual members have released their own recordings including DJ Gruff's 1993 La Rapadopa and Neffa's 1996 Neffa e i Messaggeri della Dopa.
The popularization of Hip Hop in the 1990s is most evident by the group
Articolo 31 and its "Funky Spaghetti Style." With their bouncy rhymes that owe much to DASEFX, J. AX and DJ JAD bring a refreshing sense of goofy humor to the scene with songs like Voglio una lurida (I want a funky woman) and Ti tiro scemo (I say, "You're stupid") from their 1994 CD Messa di vespiri. Their pro-marihuana "romantic" rap from the same album entitled Maria Maria was a national hit, despite Vatican condemnation. Articolo 31 has collaborated with older luminaries of Italian progressive pop like Pino Daniele and Lucio Dalla, and presented concerts beyond Italy. Many feel that Articolo 31 has commercialized and weakened the sound of its earlier releases, and as a result the group's two rappers have been branded "suckers."
Any homepage dedicated to Italian Hip Hop would not be complete without even a brief discussion of Jovanotti, who often than not is the only Italian artist Americans are familiar with when rap Italiano is mentioned. Never involved in the centri nor a part of the B-Boy scene, this Roman recording artist stands outside and apart of any historical overview. Jovanotti/Lorenzo has transformed himself from his early recordings like Jovanotti for President and La mia moto (My motorcycle) geared toward teeny boppers to the more socially conscious releases of Un tribù che balla (A dancing tribe) and Lorenzo 1992. His catchy melodic hooks have marked him as an artist who creates what music critic Felice Liperi termed, rap canzonettistico.
