Neffa
Canerandagio parte 1

Twenty-six years. This is the interval of time that separates the release of Chicopisco, the last work by Neffa somewhat attributable to rap, from the publication of Canerandagio Part 1, the long-awaited return of Giovanni Pellino to the genre that made him famous in the nineties.

The announcement, made a few months ago, sparked quite a stir on social networks and in specialized magazines. Hundreds of users seemed to be waiting for April 18 as if the arrival of a new Messiah had been proclaimed, who, despite a long absence from the microphone and his fifty-seven springs, would save Italian hip-hop from the squalor and unstoppable decline it finds itself in.

Let's be honest, the good Neffa has certainly done his part to fuel the public's great expectations. The excellent collaboration with Fabri Fibra on "Foglie morte" and the emotional appearance on the Sanremo stage gave us hope; the news that he was working on a new album then made the most nostalgic fans jump, with the subsequent start of an exhausting countdown, as if it were New Year's Eve.

Let's clear the field of doubts: despite some merits, Canerandagio Part 1 is a project that, in terms of intensity and consistency, is not comparable to SxM, Neffa & i messaggeri della dopa, and 107 elementi (not even to the experiments of Chicopisco).

The publication of the tracklist alone made many frown: ten tracks (nine plus an intro) without collaborations with representatives of the old school, a detail not appreciated by the proud b-boys of the era. Instead, it makes room for rappers who emerged in the new millennium (Guè, Noyz Narcos, the aforementioned Fabri Fibra), to other very young artists (Ele A), and to artists not so close to the scene or even far from it (M¥SS KETA, Francesca Michielin).

The first thought that came to my mind is what is the point of filling a 27-minute LP with so many features (as many as fourteen), risking making a brief appearance among the guests and reducing oneself to a mere cameo, almost as if we were facing a supporting actor who forgets he has to play a leading role.

The second reflection, positive, concerns the quality of the beats. Neffa has always been an excellent producer, and this time he confirms his ability at the machines. Despite some missteps (the synthetic sounds of "Cuoreapezzi" and "Argiento" or the overly sparse base of "Hype (nuoveindagini)"), the rest shines on its own: the minimal funk of "Littlefunkyintro", the dark atmosphere of the beautiful "Bufera", the suspended jazz of the title track, the soul warmth of "Perdersi&ritorno"... Everything works remarkably well.

Having said that, what kind of work is Canerandagio Part 1? Probably what one can expect from a fifty-year-old musician, far from the current scene, from trap, from drill; an artist who chooses hip-hop as a form of expression and decides to do it his way, perhaps driven by the urge to reflect bitterly on a present that eludes understanding and a past increasingly distant, shrouded in the fog of memories.

Legitimate question: does he succeed? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I understand the desire to establish a connection with different, more contemporary characters, but in some cases, the chemistry isn't there. The verse by Noyz Narcos, for example, is too banal, self-celebratory, and does not capture the spirit of a track like "Troppaweed". Thumbs down for the melancholic "Cuoreapezzi", where Neffa fumbles with synthesizers and adapts too much to the style of Guè and Joshua, not even shining at the microphone. And the love song "Argiento" proves forgettable, a poorly executed homage to Giovanni's Campanian origins, with a Neapolitan verse that leaves one a bit puzzled and a Lucariello in Luchè mode from Co'Sang (pleasant, however, is the chorus sung by Ste).

Positive moments are not lacking: the egotrip of "Littlefunkyintro" ("Non mi faccio coca né paste/Ancora qui che fumo, c'ho TH nelle lastre": welcome back, Giovanni), contributions from Franco126 in "Bufera" (perhaps the best track) and Izi in the programmatic "Canerandagio", the airy "Tuttelestelle", a song where darkness gives way to hope and where everyone (Neffa, Ele A, even Francesca Michielin) seems to shine.

Unfortunately, the rest is not convincing. "Hype (nuoveindagini)" aims to denounce the overpowering image society but loses itself between a weak base, a Fabri Fibra oscillating between self-referentiality and profundity, and a rather constrained M¥SS KETA, confined to a chorus that feels too tight for her. And in at least a couple of occasions, things would have gone better if Neffa had limited himself to producing, leaving the scene to his friends (the nostalgic "Perdersi&ritorno" with Frah Quintale and "Miraggio", where Chico Snef's rhymes appear out of context compared to the interventions of Gemitaiz and Joan Thiele).

So the curtain falls on Canerandagio Part 1, a project not without merits yet compromised by excessive brevity, too many collaborations, and some forgettable verses by the host. Not to mention some unsuccessful beats and the almost total lack of ironic, light moments that would probably have tempered the atmosphere of the album.

I'll conclude with a personal reflection. Seeing Neffa on the Ariston stage and listening to his rap album was nonetheless a pleasant experience, an event that took me back to when, as a kid, I saw the video for "Non tradire mai" on the then-new MTV Italia for the first time. There's not much more to add, but I can say that the emotion I felt then I experience again every time I dust off that piece, and for this, I will be eternally grateful to dear Giovanni Pellino, aka Neffa.