pyrex
The Dark Album

I have never quite understood this fanatical hate towards trap. I am absolutely not passionate about it, but in the end, it is always a derivative of rap, which existed in America as early as 2000. Here, we had to wait almost 15 years to import it as a new reality and cultural phenomenon, albeit in an overly parodic manner as usual, given that mimicking the Americans has always been a trademark of successful (and not only) Italian rappers. A few weeks ago, the new project of the Dark Polo Gang was released, which I do not intend to talk about. The DPG musically have their own language and imagery; Salmo called them the "Sex Pistols of Italian rap," and it is hard to disagree: the participants of the Dark Polo Gang have nonexistent technique, contents that lead to nothing, a provocation towards the clichéd rhetorical poetic rap, but above all, they are children of modest families, a reason why many go against them mercilessly. Because, as you know, if you don’t come from the streets in rap, or at least don’t pretend to, you are instantly labeled as "fake," to highlight how in 2020 rap in Italy is still stereotyped in an ignorant way by critics, but especially by listeners without the slightest mature judgment parameter.

Having said this, why am I reviewing "The Dark Album," the solo album by Pyrex? Because as they say "give Caesar what is Caesar’s"; Pyrex, while not being much different from the other members in technical and conceptual aspects, I admit makes me laugh to tears. It could be his jaw-breaking voice on the verge of mumbling, it could be that in his mimicking he still tries not to be taken too seriously, and above all, it is that his album, "musically" speaking, if viewed from a purely TRAP perspective, does not even sound that bad. The album was entirely produced by Sick Luke, someone who knows how to do his job, although I often agree with the fact that many of his beats get spoiled or poorly exploited, as has already happened in several DPG episodes. But in this "The Dark Album", for once, they seem to want to go hand in hand with the rapper, matching his "gloomy" tone of voice, trying to create the right final atmosphere: self-celebration, money, drugs, phrases that in their grotesque language make you laugh more than once, so much so that it confuses the listener who wonders if it's a troll or if this person really believes he can make music. Well, to hell with assumptions, Pyrex is someone who knows how to get on the beat: the textbook entrance of "Fiori del male", with the participation of Sfera Ebbasta, says it all, just like in "GTA San Andreas" ("I asked my mother for 20 euros, she gave me 30"); at first, you remain bewildered by so much ignorance for its own sake, but once you understand the sense, you start to laugh, not "at him," but "with him". And from a laugh, you move on to tracks like "Bello Figo Dark", "Voodoo" and "Demoni", and you realize that Pyrex still tries to give more: his attempt to step out of the margins and play the role of the "cursed" rapper is almost endearing, when in reality, he just keeps repeating the same concepts in an unoriginal way, though the introspective perspective makes him, all in all, likable, and in some ways "authentic".

Sick Luke knows how to direct Pyrex, the album sounds flashy and boisterous, but compared to other works, you can see the producer’s "metalhead" perspective. Yes, you heard right; saying it like this might make you laugh, but try listening to tracks like "Dark Boy" (despite a truly embarrassing Side) or "Latte di suocera" (with Gianni Bismark, perhaps the best verse of the album - and I’ve said it all), and you'll understand that if you tried replacing those icy and obsessive synths, and the trap drum samples, we would be facing an album that sounds in a metal key, with riffs that would look right out of place, despite the low creativity and minimality of the productions themselves. Just think of the most famous track on the album: "Sportswear", probably the most damn genius trap beat I've heard in Italy in its simplicity, it wouldn’t look bad as a metal cover to upload on YouTube (Danny Metal already thought about this, try it to believe it), or even "DM" (very similar, although with more idiotic lyrics). The track "Età d'oro" follows the Cloud Trap sounds, a variant of trap of which Young Lean remains probably the best exponent; Dark Wayne participates, very comfortable with this style despite being even poorer (his solo album is full of these sounds, up to the point of nausea) and a completely wasted Tedua.

"The Dark Album" is an album that those who love keep-it-real hip hop will hate with all their heart. On the other hand, if you are in search of something that can represent the trap terminology in Italy, it is certainly one of those works I recommend listening to, both to understand why a group like Dark Polo Gang has become so known among the youth in Italy, and because despite everything, they are still active, proving not to be just a fashion product. Personally, I do not consider "The Dark Album" a great work, but by turning off the brain and entering the journey that Sick Luke and Dark Pyrex want to take us on, however, the album gets heard and from a certain perspective, it makes one laugh a lot, considering that we are facing a simple entertainment album.