We are the students of Business Italian 496 at San Diego State University. We have spent a generous amount of the 2017 Spring semester researching an infrequently heard style of hip hop that comes from the enchanted land of food, family, fashion and recently mass waves of immigration...Italy!
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We hope that this website - an archive, a visual collection, and a project - which explores the roots of Italian Hip Hop, its history, and its successes and failures, finds interest in our visitors. In creating this hub of information, our goal is to frame for you the pillars of Italian hip hop, its audience, and its strong culture - both old and new. In collaboration with SDSU Circolo Italiano, SDSU Library Special Collections, and SDSU Associated Students, we are presenting this platform to you to show just part of the movement of Hip Hop throughout Italy and the world.
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You can access the SDSU Special Collections here:
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Common Movement Experience by the Division of Undergraduate Studies at SDSU and the Italian Studies Department, our site was featured in Diaspora Sound: The Movement of Transnational Hip Hop. For more information, including videos from the event, click here.
About
Picture courtesy of Clarissa Clò, Florence, Italy, 2016. Street artist: Blub.
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“Hip Hop, ritmo e parola. È la voce di chi non ha voce”
“Hip Hop, rhythm and words. It’s the voice of those who doesn’t have voice”
In the US political rap is linked to the racism common in some regions of the nation, carried out by xenophobic groups (such as the Ku Klux Klan, organizations related to White Power) to the detriment of the African-American community" (Italian Underground Hip Hop). In Italy, in the 90s the “posse” phenomenon develops. “Posse” is used to refer to activists in the political-social field who make rights’ claims, using the strong communication ability of rap to express their views and disseminate them. The movement develops mainly in the “Centri Sociali”, which deals more specifically with social problems "(Spaziohiphopita). Some posse that contributed to the emergence in Italy of militant and politicized hip hop were Onda Rossa Posse in Rome with “Batti il tuo tempo” (Beat your time) and Isola Posse All Stars from Bologna with the song “Stop al Panico” (Stop the panic).
Stop Al Panico 1991
Isola posse All Stars
The history of political and social Italian develops between the years 1990 and 1994. "Stop al Panico” (1991) by Isola Posse All Starts is one of the most important records of the period. Isola Posse All Stars were a group of artists of the Bologna’s "Isola Nel Kantiere" which (Capone 19), and with irreverent political vocation, becomes the obligated reference for those who make hip hop" (Pierfrancesco Pacoda 21).
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Not only a revolutionary language, with political and alternative content, but is also the first "rap sun in the Italian language” (Capone 19).
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Stop al Panico confronts themes that, lightened by fast rhythms and danceable, remains quite delicate (Pacoda 20).
Stop War 1991
Isola Posse All Stars
This song is about the “Banda della Unio Bianca,” known since 1991 with that name because of the type of car used to carry out their criminal activities.
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"From June 19, 1987 to November 21, 1994" the banda infuses terror in 5 provinces between Emilia Romagna and Marche: Bologna, Forli, Ravenna, Pesaro, Ancona (Alberto Gagliardo).
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According to the Central Operational Service of the State Police (SCO) the organization had caused " 103 criminal actions, 24 deads and 102 wounded; But the thing that makes it’s story unique is the fact that its members were, all but one, state police personnel "(Gagliardo).
Batti Il Tuo Tempo 1990
Onda Rosse Posse
It is also one of the first records sung in Italian, and is the first record of the crew Onda Rossa Posse from Rome. This single made the group known throughout Italy for the non banal full of urban poetry and desire to fight (Assalti Frontali).
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The rhythm is a strong element of cohesion, non-verbal communication, then supplemented by fast and complex rhyme, spread by the microphones that pass quickly from hand to hand (Pacoda 23). This Onda Rossa Posse’ single, has an unbreakable connection with the homonymous radio, with the Centro Sociale Forte Prenestino and with the movement to raise conscience in society and in such government, for the right to housing (Pacoda 24 & 27).
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“Batti il tuo tempo” is according to Pierfrancesco Pacoda, "really the more political side of hip hop, music and rhymes are merely a means of expressing anger, strong solidarity, without concessions to the record industry rules" ( Pacoda 27) . “Batti il tuo tempo” is a success that has contributed to the transformation of the Onda Rossa in Assalti Frontali
Aelle: Background and History
The first hip hop magazine highlighting the culture in Italy was Aelle, later named AL (an acronym for Alleanza Latina or Latin Alliance), founded in the city of Genoa by Claudio “Sid” Brignole in 1991.
What started as simply a “fanzine”, handed out at events and concerts, Aelle was more than just a magazine. For hip hop fans in Italy, AL was the first outlet to introduce them to new artists, songs, and culture trends in Italy, throughout Europe and around the globe. The first issue produced and sold to newsstands was Issue 13, in September/October of 1995.
Their creed, or mission statement, published on the inside cover of every issue described AL as an independent magazine, free to make their own decisions and share whatever content they choose. They made it clear that there was no political, ideological or commercial influence. The goal was to stay focused on hip-hop and related culture. Every issue included a letter from Sid describing the influence for the content presented. His passion translated throughout each publication.
Aelle included exclusive content to the Italian hip hop audience, including their iconic interviews with Tupac in 1996 and Outkast in 2000. Other artists featured over the magazine’s tenure were Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, D’angelo, and Mary J. Blige. The magazine not only highlighted Italian and European rap artists, but bridged a long-distance gap for Italian hip-hop fans with rappers around the world.
Paola Zukar, a collaborator and editor with AL for several years, saw the magazine as a “representation of the Hip Hop scene, a moment of concentration of forces, an attempt to represent the Hip Hop movement in Italy, with print, as well as with music, writing, and breakdancing” (translated from Italian).
Their 53rd issue in February/March of 2001, was their last. The magazine closed its doors because according to Zukar, the Italian hip hop market had collapsed. There was a significant decrease in record sales, resulting in record stores closing. Paola, in an 2008 interview described the period as having “more rappers than an audience”. Sid and Paola described the decision to end the magazine as a tough one, and knew that there would never be a publication such as Aelle in Italy again.
That final issue of AL summed up what the purpose of the publication always was - a representation of the Italian hip hop market, a step in creating a strong identity for Italian rap artists and listeners, strengthening the culture, and supporting an economic force for the genre. In a letter to their readers in that last issue, Sid and the rest of the editorial board described hip hop as their outlet for expression and individual identities- the reason that the magazine was founded in the first place.
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Read Poala Zukar's most recent interview about the state of Hip Hop: http://www.magzine.it/il-rap-secondo-paola/
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Watch an interview with Poals Zukar discussing Aelle here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJvv77T3jMM
Centri Sociali
A centro sociale is an autonomous, occupied youth space, often obtained by squatting. It is considered an independent leftist site in antagonism with the established political system. According to Damir Ivic’s Storia ragionata dell’hip hop italiano, social centers endorsed hip hop since its inception in Italy in the early 1990s in order to convey a fresh and new image. However, hip hop began to be poorly tolerated since social centers “erano quelli che ti toglievano [took away] il microfono se dicevi cose con cui loro non erano d’accordo” (92). In addition, Ivic clearly states that posse and centri sociali have become a taboo within italian rap. The author mentions that many, including the Italian media conflated from the beginning hip hop and social centers, which damaged the growth of other forms of politically independent and unaffiliated rap scene (94). Many within hip hop would have preferred to reach a universal public, instead of focusing exclusively on certain sociopolitical issues.
Ivic had addressed the “relazione pericolosa” between centri sociali and hip hop originally in an article he wrote for AELLE 36 in 1998. He emphasized that the equation “HIP HOP = POSSE = CENTRI SOCIALI” is a generalization that will be attached because centri sociali in the beginning contributed decisively to the national circulation of Hip Hop in Italy due to their structure and organization, as well as to the previous experience of punk in these locales (31). Ivic also notes that it is undeniable that “le origini dell’Hip Hop italiano stanno nelle storie, negli entusiasmi, nelle passioni di alcune persone” (31). However, those who appreciate rap and writing must trust in media generalizations since there are two different perspectives about hip hop origins and the evolution of the music movement in Italy. The only way to understand this perspective is by accepting these generalizations since Italian hip hop will always have a relation with the circuit of the social centers, although i centri sociali also took advantage of their position and made hip hop at times their prerogative by excluding other more mainstream and commercial forms. In this regard, Ivic claims that hip hop is a “cultura libera da ideologie, che non si può’ usare come strumento politico strumentalizzandola come invece avviene in molti centri sociali” (32) because social centers have aesthetically shaped hip hop, “... offrono spesso e volentieri asilo a realtà non commerciali” (32). Rather than trying to hide or deny these polemics it is important to acknowledge them and to realize the way they have shaped Italian hip hop in the 1990s, an influence which persists to these days.
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To learn more about Social Centers, visit
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Old School Hip Hop
Since the 1970's, hip hop culture and rap music have created a global audience. You can be anywhere in the world and turn on internet radio to listen to Hindi rap, French rap or Cherokee rap. There is even a hip-hop band, Nuuk Posse, which raps in Inuit. Our focus is on the land of “la bella vita.”
Italian Hip Hop does not require someone to be fluent in Italian. In fact, it is a transposition of American hip hop. As the hardcore punk scene in the United States and the UK began to die down, the same was occurring in the “centri sociali” or alternative centers of Italy. As the hardcore scene began to calm down, the hip hop scene began to take of and the social consciousness in hardcore punk music began to leak into the sounds of hip hop. The development of Italian Hip Hop in the 80's was an imitation of what was happing in the Bronx of New York. It is surprising to learn that one of the first albums which is equivalent to the hip hop sounds of 80s American Hip Hop but lacked the social consciousness that was influenced by the hardcore scene was an album that was recorded in English. Jovanotti was one of the first starts to emerge from the Posse Cut scene in these alternative centers.
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''Most of us, when we started, imitated Americans and we all rapped in English,'' said Ice One (Sebastiano Ruocco) who is one of the most respected Italian rappers and later became the producer of many hip hop groups.
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''Then came a sort of [Italians], an imitation of English, that modified the words. But then we became aware of our own language. And we began to understand Italian sounds.” ICE ONE
1993 song ''Fight da Faida'' (''Fight the Feud''), Frankie Hi Nrg MC (Francesco di Gesu) one of the country's best-selling hip hop artists criticized the Mafia's stranglehold over southern Italy.
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Here you may listen to:
Frankie Hi Nrg's "Fight the Fida"
Post 1990's Hip Hop
In 2006, after releasing nine albums, the duo embarked on a "pause for reflection" during which the two have started solo careers. The singer J-Ax has released six solo albums entitled the Healthy Plant, Rap n 'Roll, Deca Dance, Better First, Live Better! and the Beauty of Being Ugly. DJ Jad has recorded in Milan and New York, collecting African-American rap sounds. After a trip to the United States, on January 29, 2010 DJ Had has published a new hip hop album titled The Tailor, and in 2012 he founded a new group called U.S.B. with rapper Ciccio Pasticcio, with whom he released the album ‘The Spaceship’.
Most recently, as of March 2017 J-Ax is going on tour with music artist Fedez after the success of their newly released album “Communists with Rolex”. After translating into English, it is stated in their interview that their album is, “ is not any disc, is the attempt by the two to clarify that you can make music out of the categories established and be successful, you can be pop and excessive, reckless and romantic, disloyal and committed, writing songs are pop and rap, funk and punk, unnecessary and important. That the disc is still destined to mark a watershed in the evolution of Italian pop, for better or for worse, it is clear, because the way to work of the two artists sets the stage for a different scenario, and it is successful” (Assante). Their tour started last month in March and will continue into the summer voting cities like Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and many more.
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You can read the interview with Fedez and J-Ax here (in Italian):
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Also watch them perform live:
1990's Hip Hop
J-Ax, a rapper and DJ Jad , a disc jockey, met in 1990 in Milan, Italy at a hip hop party. In the same year they decided to form a band and call it "Article 31" in reference to the notorious Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act, a law passed by the Irish Parliament in 1976 following the unrest in Northern Ireland. Articolo 31 was a fusion of hip hop, funk, pop and music traditional. This duo played a huge part in the development of Italian hip hop and fusion of American hip hop with the desire to bring hip hop to light in Italy. Along with much success, Articolo 31 had its struggles like many other music artists. After releasing one of the first Italian hip hop records, Strade di città, in 1993 they soon signed with BMG Ricordi. For the first time, an Italian hip hop group was able to obtain a good sales success, about 90,000 copies entering the charts. This is when they started to mix rap with pop music which was a move that earned them great commercial success but also alienated the underground hip hop scene, who perceived them as traitors. Everyone was ready to judge them without understanding their history. Most put their attention to only their "hits" and not into the essence of their musical career as a whole. Article 31 had the passion for music and their message is the one that started the culture, but the commercialization of their music is what made Italian hip hop become popular.“Real success” in Italy means becoming marketed, as did Articolo 31. Articolo 31 shows up in our database of the Aelle/AL magazines many times, to be specific they are seen in articles 17, 22, 29, 43, and 53. In these magazines you can find one on one interviews, pictures, topics of discussion and their most popular songs of the time.
J-Ax and Fedez who are two generations of hip hop collaboration
Torino Boys
Torino Boys is a comedy inspired by Nigerian immigrants. Marco and Antornio Manetti, the directors of the comedy, aspire to make you laugh about the good and bad stereotypes of Nigerian culture. For instance, “the black losers” The film is an opportunity for others to see the beautifulness and richness of Nigerian people. The Manetti Bros (Marco and Antonio) challenge viewers to combat social injustices. When we fight for social justice, we create a more tolerant place where we can feel protected and safe. By watching the film, the directors bring Nigerians closer to people’s heart and mind. The Manetti Bros reveal the genuine Rome's Nigerian community living style, food, language, struggles and successes. The directors build on the belief that raising cultural awareness makes us more empathetic, so we care for the wellbeing of others. When we care, we feel proud and happy.
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Also, the Manetti Bros have worked collaboratively with Neffa a talented Italian hip hop singer who went to Hollywood with Nella luce delle 06:00, the soundtrack she plays in Torino Boys and published by PolyGram in 1997. In addition, Neffa sings along with many more Italian hip-hop singers like Sottotono, OTR, Flaminio Maphia, Sangue Misto, Colle der Fomento, La Pina, Gruff and Kaos. Every singer who join the raising cultural awareness issue will bring power to (Nigerian) immigrants.
With this in mind, we appreciate the effort of the Manetti Bros, Italian Hip-Hop singers and Nigerian’s actors.
Italy is long known for its history of mass emigration and today is one of Europe’s migrant hot spots, with an estimated "4.6 million foreign nationals residents amounting to 7.5% of the total population”(1). In fact, these people have immigrated to Italy for better opportunities for themselves and children. Some of them have been able to become citizens and contributed with their differences and their labor to this country. Unfortunately, many immigrants face the harsh reality that they might never become Italian citizens because citizenship in Italy is currently still based on lineage (Jus sanguinis) and not on birthright (Jus soli). This is causing a tremendous problem for second-generation youths born or raised in Italy by immigrant parents, on their identity and status.
Italy has become a multiethnic and multicultural country in which racial and national diversity should be embraced. In fact, second-generation youths have contributed to Italian culture in several ways. One of their greatest contributions is through music, and especially the genre of Hip-Hop.
Second-generations have found the way to express themselves and their concerns through Hip Hop in Italian. This section is dedicated to second-generations and beyond in Italy. We begin from the Introduction of the AL 32 issue (December 1998-January 1999), where the founder of the magazine, Sid, addresses questions of racial diversity in his publication and in Italy at that time.
Immigration
Aelle: The Black Magazine
Claudio Brignole aka SID introduces the issue of racial diversity and representation in AL 32 by noting how since the magazine’s inception in 1991 AL has consistently featured black artists of African American or Afro-European descent, something he notes is very unusual in the Italian press at the time. In fact, he notes that AL could be called a “Black” magazine. Sid writes that while years ago, older generations were divided by race and there was little conversation about this issue nowadays (in the late 1990s when he is writing) younger generations see Michael Jordan playing basket on the TV, or Ronaldo playing soccer. These people were considered “heroes” and reference points. This is how a truly global world must be now, Sid comments. Everyone accepting each other without ignoring or oppressing different races. One must see racial diversity not as threatening but as providing specific cultural contributions. According to Sid, hip hop is the perfect example. Created by African Americans and Latinos is New York, it has become available to everybody around the world (“partito dagli afroamericani e dai latini di New York, è diventato patrimonio di tutte le popolazioni mondiali”). However, Sid also warns against forgetting one’s culture and one’s roots in the name of globalization (“avere una visione globale non significa dimenticarsi da dove si viene e quali sono le nostre radici culturali”). He concludes by stressing the importance of cultural integration rather than utterly embracing another culture by dismissing one’s own: “Bisognerebbe integrare, non sostituire!”
How much has changed in Italy since these words were written in AL? For one, new generations of Afro-Italians have emerged and they are making strides in Italian culture and art from music to cinema. A recent conversation with Fred Kuwornu, the Italian-Ghanaian film director of Blaxploitalian (2015), confirmed this trend.
You can watch the sit down showcase with director of Blaxploitalian here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_5KO07kSrk&feature=youtu.be
Tommy Kuti
Tommy Kuti is one of the speakers of the new generation of Afro-Italians. Born in Nigeria he was raised in Castiglione delle Stivierie and Brescia. Tommy Kuti’s music became viral through all social network without people knowing who was behind it. Today, social media is so powerful that is giving him the opportunity to diffuse his music and his work. He is the son of immigrants who now feels at home in the streets of Brescia, Napoli, and Palermo, from the North to the South of Italy. He is now able to tell the life of a generation that is not second to anyone but instead is now integrated into this country. Today, Tommy Kuti has 3 EP, “Tutti vogliono l’album” 2010, “Afroitaliano” in 2011, and “No Sweet Home” in 2012. His hip hop work is appreciated by renowned Italian rappers like Fabri Fibra and by music managers like Paola Zukar, who was a long-time journalist and collaborator of Aelle. He has made a series of ironic reflections about crossing the Mediterranean about racial prejudices, creativity, and social relations.
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Ghali
Ghali was born in Milan and is an only child from Tunisian parents. He has been making rap music professionally since he was 16 years old, with Troupe’Elite. He is now his own manager and has been collecting important consensus, social media views and bookings.
Check out this video to know more about Ghali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wca20Wz4fAg
Bello Figo
Bello Figo is a rapper originated from Ghana that lives in Italy, Parma. He is web a phenomenon that thanks to his tests discusses Italy’s (Referendum Costituzionale) constitutional referendum. He is the king of the SWAG that keeps progressing thanks to all his social media and its great impact on society now a days. Bello Figo has experience the racial prejudices against him and for that reason 3 of his concerts have been cancelle.d
According to the news, his concerts are perceived as a real threat that do not allow a peacefully concert and ensure safety for the public.4
To know more about Bello Figo: http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2016/12/14/news/bello_figo-154103642/?ref=search
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wca20Wz4fAg
2 http://www.magzine.it/il-rap-secondo-paola/
3 http://www.magzine.it/il-rap-secondo-paola/
4 http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2016/12/14/news/bello_figo-154103642/?ref=search
Modern Hip Hop
Paola Zukar, a very well-known italian hip-hop character, and Claudio Brignole, the soul of Latin Alliance, together created the first Italian magazine that described the language of Italian hip-hop. Zukar worked for the magazine until its last issue in March 2001 conclusion. Later, Zukar became involved in the music business by joining Universal Italy where she signed a contract with Fabri Fibra, the first Italian rapper.
Today, Zukar invests her time in her “Big Picture Mngmnt,” supporting artists who are involved in it and also promotes her record called Status. For years, Zukar was the editor of Italian Hip-Hop magazine Aelle, the only magazine that talked about this specific topic. Today, she is the manager of big Italian Hip-Hop artists such as Fabri Fibra, Marracash, Clementino, and Tommi Kuti. Also, she has had the opportunity to interview big American artists such as Tupac, Jay Z, 50 cent, and others. Consequently, she has had an 11-year artistic partnership with Fabri Fibra ever since she met him in Aelle when he bought an advertising page in the magazine. He was under the scope due to his personality and talent, and thus was sent to Milano for an interview. Fibra’s record was introduced in a time when rap had perished from Italian music.
Today, Italian Hip-Hop is as popular thanks to artists like Fibra, Marra, and Club Dogo. Recently, during an interview with Sto Magazine, Fibra mentioned that in order to succeed in the industry, one must count with a solid team, “Un indipendente difficilmente ci riesce… Gente come Salmo e Fedez, che e’ partita indipendente, alla fine e’ finita sotto etichetta.” One of the refrain of Italian Hip-Hop is the concept of commerciale.When a rapper creates a record label, there is always the doubt of not making a sale. However, Zukar thinks otherwise. She claims that Italy is the only one that thinks of record labels like this; instead, it should think of the labels as more than being purely a commercial product, they are art.
On the other hand, one of the biggest innovations, was the invention of trap, which has divided the public since some see it as an evolution of sound and others consider it a different music genre. Similarly with gangsta rap, it took time for Italians to assimilate to that music style, “Ma cosa stanno facendo. Che schifo. Il vero hip hop e’ altro.” Yet, we need to take into consideration that Tupac falls under this music category and has been a successful artist. For years, Fibra has always proven to be the best and deliver product that is extremely up to date. This year, 2017, he will be delivering a new record which will surprise people as his rap is introspective and psychological.
