the Genoese (or adopted) rappers who made history
A tour in the main Italian cities that have made rap history: after Bologna, let’s continue with Genoacapital of Liguria and characterized by a scene strongly influenced by Genoese school.
A little history of rap in Genoa
To understand who and how the Genoese rap did, we will briefly address the following below:
Use this series of articles as a sort of cheat sheet, as clearly the story isn’t all there: buy the records or use Spotify, YouTube and the like to learn even more.
What can we know about the more or less recent history of rap in Genoa
When it comes to rap made in Genoa, it is easy for it to immediately resonate in the head Wild bandana, the hit made by Izi, Tedua and Vaz Tè, three prominent rappers born under the Lantern. But what happened before them?
Thinking of the nineties and the first two thousand we did not have big names capable of imposing themselves in the whole boot, but if you want to review those who pushed the hip hop of the Ligurian capital from below, just put in play GE unitlast year’s single by Dj Kamo published together with many proponents of Genoese rap, that is Zero Vicious, Gorka, Albe OK, Pensie dal Popo and the award-winning freestyle champion That is that I invite you to see live at least once.
Whoever managed to make a more profitable recording career from freestyle was MorenoGenoese class of ’89, born nine years before another rapper who, like him, from Genoa had the skills to touch the major record company.
We are referring to Chromeauthor in 2018 of his first official album for Atlantic Records, driven by the single Chromite Loco and recently returned independently.
The successor of the Wild Bandana
Perhaps Genoa for notoriety will not be on a par with Milan, Rome or Naples, but it remains a city with an incredible story to tell. Without touching the tragic events of the 2001 G8 but going further back over the years, this city musically speaking has given birth to the well-known and much appreciated “Genoese school”, Sweetened by masters such as Fabrizio De André, Bruno Lauzi, Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco.
These names are better (but still do) a lot of rappers in the scene, such as Izi that just for his album Aleteia has decided to make a cover of Sweet blackhistorical piece by De André.
Izi over the course of his career he has garnered support from right and left. Maybe not that many for the film Zeta(find out more about movie intertwined with rap) but what matters to him is his music and the messages he manages to spread with it.
One of his most popular songs of all time is the aforementioned Wild bandanasuper track where in addition to Izi we are two of his non-blood brothers, with whom he grew up and with whom he made several singles during his career.
The first is Vaz Teaboy with a great passion for football (his name is borrowed from a Portuguese player) and with a few records to his credit but very appreciated by fans and critics, in particular the latest released last year: Glory Days EPmade by four hands together with another Ligurian, Disme.
The third and final voice of the hit produced by Estremo is Tedua, one of the most popular rappers on and off the scene, very attached to his land and its beautiful Ligurian Sea. Initially a critic for “out of time” rap, he slowly made many of those who discredit him change their minds, becoming a point of reference for many of him for lyrics, originality and stage presence above the stage.
It closes the circle of those who have made it from Genoa Breshrapper who together with the two just mentioned and Guesan and Ill Rave forms the collective Drilliguria.
Andrea, this is his real name, has recently returned with the beautiful unpublished namesake, in pure “Genoese school” style, published online after the enormous success of Angelina Jolie, single in Top50 Italy on Spotify for 22 consecutive weeks and certified platinum. What will Bresh’s 2022 be like? We can’t wait to find out.
Non solo wild bandana
As well as from the respective Serie A teams Sampdoria and Genoa, every now and then young p grows up, from the local rap scene interesting young people often come out who seek and manage to get their voice even beyond Liguria.
We can name the strength of Adra or the desire to crack Young Slashone who from the Utri neighborhood where he grew up managed to sign for a record company, also collaborating during his career with Bresh, Vaz Tè and Vegas Jones.
Among the cities that carry the flag of Italian rap aloft, in particular that of the songwriting school, there is therefore also Genoa, a city that for centuries and centuries has been known for having exported its name and its dowries all over the world.
Will he do the same with rap too? We will find out only by putting into play what these and many other rap artists made in Genoa will be able to do through their rhymes.
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Text originally written for Storify’s BSMNT 105 and then revised