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A History of the Insulted World

The artistic militancy of African American rap is a model for Italian youth to address a wide range of contemporary social issues, from neo-fascism to the exploitation of immigrants. In the early 1980s, hip hop emerged as the cultural expression of the self-described Movimento Antagonista, the latest version of a century-long struggle of the Italian left. The names of early groups like AK47, Assalti Frontali (Frontal Attack), Nuovi Briganti (New Brigands), and Onda Rossa Posse (Red Wave Posse) attest to Italian hip hop's radical left politics. The non-centri affiliated B-Boys like Ice One and Colle der Fomento take a less militant but no less engaged approach to the everyday concerns of Italian youth.

As a weapon for social justice, Italian hip hop aggressively seeks to recover a popular memory, what Sicilian writer Elio Vittorini called a "history of the insulted world." The legacy of economic exploitation known simply as la miseria and the diaspora of millions of Italian working people are prominent themes in Italian rap. This retrieved knowledge of Italy's past arms Italian youth in addressing contemporary national and international issues, especially the exploitation of recent immigrants and the creation of a multi-racial Italy.

99 Posse's searing chant Saddà appiccià (Light it Up!) is an adaptation of a Southern Italian folk prayer to St. Anthony, the enemy of the Devil:

The devil is the fascists, the police are demons.
Saint Anthony come and take them all away.
Light it up!
Mourning, blood, and bitter tears.

The prefecture and the government have to be set on fire.
The police barracks and headquarters have to be set on fire.
The guards, judges, and the taxman have to be set on fire.
A flame has to be lit to make the boss man shake.

O' demonio sò i fascisti o' demonio è a polizia
Sant' Antonio vieni ccà e puortatilli tutti via.
Saddà appiccià!
Lutto e sanghe e lacrime amare.

Sanna appiccià o' governo e a prefettura
sanna appiccià e casserme, sadda appiccià a' questura
sanna appiccià guardie giudici e assessuri
sadda' appiccià na vampa ca fa tremmà e padruni.

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