Fabri Fibra
Applausi per Fibra

The analysis of this song confronts us with a very important issue, the one concerning the current constitution in the ultra-independent state of Italian hip hop. A matter that has been based for too long, almost exclusively, on aversion to commercial music, disdain for mass music dissemination means, and the presumed loyalty to the underground, which becomes an absolute sign of distinction taken to extreme levels. So extreme that at times the line between alternativeness and snobbery appears really thin. The elitist nature of certain underground environments is truly intolerable. And that's why we would approve of Fabri Fibra... for having had the intuition to break down a barrier that was created and increasingly reinforced over time, preventing Italian hip hop from being appreciated for its richness and depth of content.
But the revolution, Fibra's so-called 'betrayal', is only a false revolution... more than anything else, it's a commercial operation in the strictest sense, reeking of inconsistency and opportunism. His move to a major label could have really benefited Italian hip hop, which has been represented for too long by people who have nothing to do with hip hop. But Fibra chose to bow to major label logic... hence the result is a mediocre song, in whose lyrics he perhaps seeks justification for selling out to the system... justification that wouldn't be necessary. According to the principle of Anthony De Curtis, editor of American Rolling Stone, "no one forms a band to remain anonymous”.... The only justification needed would be for selling out in the worst possible way, according to the usual practice of musical commodification.

The track, produced by Fish (former Sottotono), is similar to the amount of garbage R'n'B that overwhelms us every day, and is furthermore filled with giggles and mocking noises as if to entertain you at any cost... or rather... make fun of you. On the other hand, this could nominate it to be the summer 2006 hit or at least the most played song in clubs (perhaps with appropriate remixes that Fish surely already has ready). From a metrical point of view, we have a list of banal rhymes(?), on lyrics more sung than rapped, which, in linguistic terms, offer us the best (?) of youth slang, cleverly grafted with labor limae onto a composition crafted with the expert art of someone who knows what kids (minors) want to hear... including the radio warning.
From a content perspective, the nonsensical lyrics hint at a sort of self-introduction by Fibra, where he tells us about his journey... from a disadvantaged childhood to hitting the charts without ever having a clear path... and moreover, he specifies his initials... precisely 'double F'. There is no lack of a subtle musical controversy... the one that Fibra directs at his former label, Vibra Records (guilty, according to legend, of devoting the revenue from Fibra's CD sales almost exclusively to itself, leaving a very small percentage to the artist)... and especially, to all the puritans of chaste Italian hardcore hip hop, as mentioned above. In just over three minutes of rhymed delirium between 'sfiga' and 'fibra', and between 'raga' and 'strada', Fibra wasted the precious opportunity to make hip hop known and appreciated in its dignity as a musical genre... and after Mondo Marcio, Cor Veleno, 0131 and however many others will be launched by the major labels in the future, we may doubt whether this culture will ever be truly perceived in its essence... at least judging by what is being presented to us. But if you really want to tear the veil of the phenomenon...turn off the television, turn off the radio... and search in the streets...