Bassi Maestro
Background

Bassi Maestro is one of those names that stands among the absolute pillars of Italian rap, one of those who, through hard work and experience, have found the right balance between underground hip hop, which refuses to compromise with pop radio channels, and a rap that doesn't smell rotten or like a social center, where even in themes, it aims higher. It's not just self-celebration for its own sake, a typical topic for rappers worldwide since it exploded into the mainstream, but also women, money, a search for styles, all without ever descending into the banal thug style trying to embrace (or rather mimic) the lifestyle of rappers made in the USA. Bassi Maestro is a full-fledged Italian rapper, able to take the listener on a journey with productions that sound like hip hop as God commands: if the first official works "Contro gli estimatori" and "Foto di gruppo", although good, contained more minimal and at times heavy productions (especially the first), over time they became more dreamy, refined, lively, and vibrant, succeeding in marrying a less mechanical and more studied and genuine flow; try listening to the first album compared to another like this one "Background".

"Background", according to many fans of the artist, is Bassi Maestro's first real masterpiece, followed by that other gem "Classico". In this album, the creativity of the Milanese rapper explodes, in a good 15 tracks that flow with absolute smoothness. It's fair to say that in terms of content, Bassi has never shone with genius, not surprisingly even in this album, reduced to being almost monotonous. Nevertheless, Bassi himself has declared that he is more a fan of technical rap, and in this respect, he defends himself well, thanks to a smooth flow that has managed to age quite well over time. The fifth official album encapsulates some of the timeless classics of the rapper, and it's no coincidence that it's also one of the works that most influenced the middle generations of rap artists, for better or worse. Although it's from 2002, today it still sounds real, fresh, fun, and in many passages, exhilarating.

Let yourself be carried away by tracks like "Passo e chiudo", the nostalgic title track (with a splendid Stevie Wonder sample), the sweet love song "Senza di te" with Medda (the choir in the chorus is beautiful) and "Non chiamatelo un ritorno" (the only track on the album not produced by Bassi Maestro) to immediately catapult you between the streets of Brooklyn, with that warm and urban sound, made more substantial and alive thanks to the faint noise of the vinyl. Technically, Bassi proves to have improved significantly, as can be seen from tracks like "Everyday", where he tackles extrabeat verses, something taken for granted today but unprecedented at the time, especially when done so well (the chorus is one to move your head up and down in time). There are some freestyles (which in this case mean a track recorded in one take albeit with a real text) like the short but fun "1-2-3", the interesting "Status" with an unexpected beat change halfway through or the closing track "Ricordami". Salvageable episodes, even if they might be the memorable ones of the work. But Bassi doesn't limit himself only to "stupid" freestyles and intense ballads but also tries to get something off his chest. And here "La terra trema" and "S.I.C." pump through the stereo with arrogance: the first is a dark and heavy requiem where the rapper takes aim at a particular type (many thought of J-Ax at the time, but Bassi himself denied it was him), the second is one of the cult tracks not only of the album but of Bassi Maestro in general: the rapper throws barbs at the radio, the so-called fake rap managers, the fans themselves who don't support real hip hop, under a pressing beat very Dr. Dre-like. A remix was later made with Fabri Fibra, much more vulgar but more famous (the chorus is in the annals of Bassi's concerts).

"Background" is one of Bassi Maestro's best works, a classic of Italian rap that knew how to emerge at the right time in the right place. It has passion, culture, fun, irreverence and lots and lots of rap. If you are a fan of the genre, I recommend it without hesitation, as Bassi Maestro is one of the artists who has given Italian-made rap dignity. Over time, Davide Bassi has also managed to produce better products, in my opinion, but few like "Background" have managed to capture a historical context like a group photo, a citation that fits perfectly, I would say.