ATPC
Nel Bene & Nel Male

We are faced with one of the most beautiful works of the hip-hop duo Rula & Sly...

"NEL BENE & NEL MALE" is an album full of warmth, a deeply felt record and a melting pot of innovative ideas for Italian hip-hop; everything moves on smooth metrics, beats that nod to the commercial but never to the trivial, rhymes from big kids who, for better or worse, have managed to assert themselves in the hostile landscape of Italian rap, made up of fake ghettos and fake tough guys... so, LONG LIVE SINCERITY!!!

But let's start with the review: "DENTRO" is the track that serves as the intro to the record; the beat is simple but effective, the fast and sharp rhymes summarize in a few words the content of the entire work and the effort to create it... the track flows well and we can move on. "UN PO' DI LUCE" first featuring of the 14 songs, the wonderful voice of BUNNA (from AFRICA UNITE) reigns supreme, the vibe is there and you can feel it, the light penetrates deep inside and the message of hope given by the three authors hits straight to the heart without any problems.
The verses overflow with aphorisms and quotes that make everything ironically beautiful and melancholic at the same time... great flow, great lyrics! "CHI C'È SUL PALCO" old school beat, self-celebratory rhymes... it's not an essential track but it's fine: the microphone also sees turns from the Sicilian PRINCIPE and the Sardinian TSU; excellent performances. "SALE" great funky piece! The bassline is amazing and the groove wraps around your head... you can't stay still in front of all this and some rhymes like "...volunteers with proud ideals working in the lane so that hip-hop feels everywhere like Radio Maria..." are really amusing and restrained; the track talks about how to spread hip-hop across the peninsula.

"SPALLA A SPALLA (LA STRANA COPPIA)" opens with a hilarious skit "shot" in a car and the song talks about the broken but very solid relationship between Rula & Sly (great partners, great friends to the skin). Riding the wave since '95!!!! "QUELLO CHE PUOI" non-trivial love song, full of feeling and nostalgia; the words are beautiful and blend well with one of the most beautiful beats of the CD, the backing singers do their job well although maybe the song is a bit too long due to the beautiful but repeated chorus... great new soul guitar solo by Francesco Bruni!
"NEL BENE & NEL MALE" nice sample, the beat is not the best but for being the song that gives the album its title it's not bad... the lyrics are not among the best and maybe could have been sung with a different and deeper metric.
They explain that for better or worse they carry on! "NON MI CERCARE" great rhymes, great beat, great voices... the text talks about loves that end and don't come back; great love advice: sometimes the solution of not looking for each other anymore remains the best. Great end of the track with the falsetto! "DESTINAZIONE OVUNQUE (HASTA LA VISTA)" catchy piece, nothing more, nothing less... the Caribbean beat is unusual but makes the rhymes flow well. It needs to be listened to a few times as "there's no horizon so destination everywhere!".

"TEMPO PER NOI" no comment... Ligabue was massacred without mercy, I hope they apologized to him! The idea wasn't bad but it needed to be developed differently; in my opinion. "AVANTI IL PROSSIMO" no comment... well, not everything can always be smooth! "DAMMI UN SEGNO" exceptional track, the deepest and most beautiful of the album! The song talks about the strong friendship that binds Rula & Sly, about how a great friend is always present when needed; a true anthem to friendship, and those who have a best friend can fully understand the meaning of the song, a unique meaning! The instrumental part is beautifully arranged, with Giampiero Martina on choruses, Francesco Bruni on guitars (oh yes), Alberto Brizzi on keyboards and programming... string arrangements are curated by Enrico Andreini and the beat is produced by ATPC themselves!
What else to say... I still have goosebumps!!!

"TESTE VERE" the most hip-hop track we find on this work; the microphones witness Rula, Sly, Principe & Tsu in a compact, self-celebratory, and stylish manner! Base yhea! Rhymes yhea! Scratches yhea signed by Dj Taglierino... here the good boys of the CD disappear for a moment and show some balls. "PROPONGO UN BRINDISI" another great track dedicated to those who are here and those who are no longer... a great way to close such a great line-up of tracks. Great keyboards by Enrico Andreini a.k.a. The Maestro. What can I say... though dated 2000 the album is a must-have because it is truly a valuable product signed Rula & Sly (ATPC), directly from Torino City! Shoutout to everyone!