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In 1999, it can be argued that after a decade's time rap Italiano has entered into its 4th generation. If Italian Rap artists rapping in English constituted the pioneers, then centri-associated rappers were their heirs and the B-Boys were the movement's third wave.
The elements that characterized Old School rap Italiano described throughout this site — musical hyrbidity, Italian Rap in dialect, and the use of political and social messages — are, for the most part, a thing of the past. Rap's militancy and political awareness have waned in Italy as it has in the States.
If Italian Rap speaks to its time, maybe this shift can be attributed to the changing political landscape. Berlusconi's right wing coalition of neo-fascists and ethnic separatists is no long in power, and a nominaly "left" government has been in power since 1995. While xenophobic rheortic and violent attacks on immigrants continue, East European and Third World immigrants have become everyday presence in an increasing multicultural Italia. Even the once formidable mafia has lost control of the economic and political control of Sicily and others parts of Italy.
According to ZKR, the former editor at defunct Aelle magazine, Italian Rap is now seen as a way to "communicate feelings, not just strictly political ideas." Those feelings "connect to kids' lives, everyday reality and the desire to be heard and considered."
Lyrics lean towards musings on Hip Hop culture and aesthetics: questions of style, improved prosody (le metriche), boasting (autocelebrare), dissing suckers, and being hardcore. Love songs, scored to R&B choruses & Puff Daddy-inspired samples, have become more prevalent. Sotto Tono and Sab Sista come to mind.
The past couple of years has seen the emergence of gansta style Italian rap artists like Flaminio Maphia & Maku Go e Sardo Triba, who record sexist raps & pose making L.A. gang-inspired hand signs. Gotti is the name of a fashionable Hip Hop clothing line in Italy.
In addition, contamination is now frowned upon and there is greater emphasis on maintaining boundaries between some "true" essence of rap and other international styles like reagge, jungle, dub, etc.
Has rap Italiano simply become rap in Italian? Boh! I don't know. The music has certainly become more sophisticated, more in keeping with American rap. Give a listen & judge for yourself.
One thing that seems to differentiate the Italian scene from its American counterpart is the production of "mix tapes." Italian Rap recording artists who are signed to major labels and who often use pseudonyms create underground recordings on vinyl and as cassettes for distribution outside the mainstream channels of national chain stores. Rapper-runned independent entities like Area Cronica help to maintain artistic control of the final product.
The problem facing Italian Rap in the 21st century is the lack of sales. That's the word on the street and that what the record industry is saying as well.
Read other Italian Hip Hop/Rap articles
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