Frankie Hi-NRG MC
DePrimoMaggio

THE REVIEW

Frankie Hi-Nrg Mc (real name Francesco Di Gesù), Italy's "cultured rapper," has returned after a long time. Yes, because that's what we're used to with him: it takes him 6 or 7 years to release another work.

And considering the results, this wait is not that nerve-wracking, quite the contrary.

In this latest work, one decisively realizes the evolutionary sound journey that Francesco has undertaken: he has evolved from the first work "Verba manent" where the beats were sparse, the focus was almost solely on his voice and the rhymes that lashed out against Italian politics and culture, to the pessimism of "La morte dei miracoli" to the resurgence of "Ero un autarchico" to Rap©ital where he remixes some tracks, turning the beats into experiments with the flavor of free-jazz, making them more refined and complete, to this "DePrimoMaggio" where he puts the exclamation point on his career.

Here the intention is the same, the lyrics are increasingly acerbic, and the guest appearances are always abundant and illustrious.

All the tracks are that mix of irony, cynicism, and brazenness in addressing delicate and complex topics (especially in these times) made-in-Frankie: the single previewed at the Sanremo festival "Rivoluzione" featuring Roy Paci and Enrico Ruggeri should be mentioned, or the well-executed cover of "Chicco e spillo" sung together with the same Bersani, the essential Cortellesi lending her voice in "Pugni in tasca" and "Precariato" and the distinguished collaboration of Ascanio Celestino in the ironic and irresistible "Call-center".

The message is always the same, now repeated at very long (and almost regular) intervals: Tremble Italy, because Frankie is back.