Frankie Hi-NRG MC
DePrimoMaggio

Surely all of us are familiar with the character of Frankie Hi-NRG MC (born Francesco Di Gesù), and perhaps we have listened with great pleasure to works from 1992 (year of release of "Verba Manent") to 2003 ("Ero Un Autarchico"), with which he has made a clear mark on our domestic hip hop scene for his commitment, for his charm, and for his desire to enter into a certain type of system trying to bring useful and sincere messages a little everywhere (after all, he has always stated this, see "Fight Da Faida" era, when it was danced even in nightclubs).

I was curious to hear something new three years after "Rap@ital", an album containing new versions of his old hits, and in my opinion not up to par, perhaps because the result of wanting to give a new form to such songs seemed more confusing than successful to me, in short: a disappointment. Nowadays, however, someone was shaken by his participation (the second, since the first was when he partnered with his faithful collaborator Paola Cortellesi for the very amusing "Non Mi Chiedermi") at Sanremo with "Rivoluzione", a song overall good even though far from his "clou" pieces.

Shortly after that event, it is finally time to take stock of this "DePrimoMaggio", perhaps, given the themes addressed, the CD that best depicts the current situation of our Italy.

I am surprised, already from the first listen, that the work lasts only 35 minutes (the previous ones were either 50 minutes or an hour long), but I am also surprised by listening to the first track of the CD, "Pugni In Tasca" (later becoming the second single), perhaps the weakest song of all those done by Francesco in my opinion. It is not bad at all, but it seems to lack that enthusiasm that was clearly heard in "Potere Alla Parola", or "Autodafè" or "I Trafficati".

However, there is no need to worry, because by listening carefully to the entire work, there are multiple gems not to be underestimated that clearly show that there is plenty of substance. Besides the aforementioned Cortellesi lending her voice to the chorus of "Precariato" (they say she is also in "Pugni In Tasca", yet I don't recognize her well), there is an unprecedented Giorgia in the disarming "Direttore", Ascanio Celestini and his monologue on call-centers ("Call-Center"), the desire to improvise as an imaginary superhero "one like many, many like one" ("Anoniman"), the stand against the instrumentalization of crimes ("Squarto Uomo", with "quando il mamba si chiama Amanda", a probable reference to those investigated for the death of young Meredith), and even an unexpected new version of Samuele Bersani's classic "Chicco e Spillo", re-sung precisely with the aforementioned.

But the masterpiece of the album is definitely the devastating combination of electronics and rock called "Il Giocattolo", a tribute to the film of the same name by Giuliano Montaldo, almost capable of becoming a hypothetical "posthumous" soundtrack.

Strangely, there is only one "interlude" (and I will tell you... I expected a few more, but so be it...), the excellent "Mattatoy", with the participation of Gianluca Nicoletti.

In summary, the album is slightly inferior to the previous ones (for me unsurpassable), but there is no Sanremo that holds, Frankie has not lost heart it seems and "Il Giocattolo" alone is worth the purchase of the CD. Now let's just hope that in the coming years he doesn't lose his mind too much...