pyrex
The Dark Album

So, I'm not one to be overly picky and/or snobbish about new tastes or the most disparate music genres: like it or not, Trap (a subgenre of rap but influenced by Southern hip hop and crunk) doesn't really bother me, and I'm happy that even in Italy we've managed to discover it and bring out many worthy artists...

...or almost.

Since 2014, a group of Roman rappers called Dark Polo Gang has been circulating on the Web. These 4 guys (+ Sick Luke, their producer) gained visibility towards the end of 2015 and, for now, all their works are available for free download on their official website.

What distinguishes the gang not only from the other rappers of the latest wave but from rap in general is their insistence on leaving all rhymes open. The few that they have closed can be found in the early works and/or scattered in some singles, or they close them with the same words. The rest is still a broad use of continuous references to money, drugs, fashion (Gucci, Fendi, and Ferragamo belts), and, in general, the repetition of words + slogans like "non fotti con la gang" (don't mess with the gang), "Roma triplo 7" (Rome triple 7), or "bascini agli haters" (kisses to the haters). This type of text is called by them Alien Language. After all, the members of the group all come from well-off families, and they don't even hide it, so talking about the streets and poverty would be counterproductive.

What I've never liked about the gang is the continuous mimicry of American style, an annoying and almost caricatured copy-paste. While many of the new rappers have found their own more personal style or at any rate borrowed more heavily from the French and American styles, the DPG seems almost like a joke because of a content poverty that not even the overseas rappers they copy seem so stupid and ignorant.

Pyrex is the calmest member of the four and seemed almost like a useless mannequin until the release of the Dark Album. An ambitious project, but honestly, I didn't get it. I listened to it several times; maybe I would reconsider if I listened to it a bit more, but the truth is that between the very low tone of voice and the Roman accent combined with endless slurs, I couldn't understand a damn thing.

A similar thing happened with Pugile by Tedua, and generally, IZI often leaves you with that feeling. But with Pyrex, you can't salvage anything because the content of the songs is really poor: really, they repeat about doing drugs, sniffing, having the mom who forks out the money, and that they've got Rome under control. But if you continuously swallow your words then I'll just listen to the instrumentals and we're good, because the aggressive and dark atmosphere given by Sick Luke in this mixtape is really excellent and saves the day.

There are a few good songs: Bello Figo Dark is silly but listenable, maybe the best of the album. Also Voodoo, Canale 777, and Dark Boy are salvageable in their brashness. The singles, on the other hand, didn't grab me: Fiori del male I found quite bad, I don't like either the beat or the lyrics of Sportswear. The rest is average, apart from GTA San Andreas and Età d'oro which in my opinion are the lowest points of the album (with Tedua at his worst in the latter).

However, Pyrex is the only one with a minimum chance to improve in this group of crazies. If you don't know Dark Polo, I suggest you go on YouTube and enjoy their beautiful interviews, moments of pure involuntary comedy.

"STIAMO ALLA DARK HOUSE DARK HOUSE" (quote.)