Radio Rade
Il Ragazzo Venuto Dall'Est

Wow, wow was my reaction after hearing for the first time the latest album by Radio Rade titled "The Boy from the East".

"The Boy from the East", ten pieces of hip hop "old school style", with New York sounds, where Radio Rade pours all of himself, all his passion, his heart, his life, and as you listen, you can feel it, thus transferring the emotions from the artist to the listener. Honestly, I find it one of the best albums of the last two years in the Italian hip hop scene. The New York style is missing in Italy, and we lovers of the old school, the golden age, feel it a lot. New sounds in Italy are increasingly linked to electronics, even breaking the frontier of the Dirty South. Radio Rade, no, he brings us back to the style that fascinated all of us genre lovers in the '90s, along with a few other survivors who still give us a bit of good, pure, and uncontaminated hip hop.

The work with Rubo was undoubtedly an excellent training ground and showcase for him, giving him the opportunity to compete with the best in the hip hop scene and with what at the time was considered by many the best Italian beatmaker. Now Radio Rade starts again with himself, as he already specifies in the title, "The Boy from the East".

"The Boy from the East" is indeed him, and in the album, it's him, his experiences, his emotions, his thoughts, his life. The lyrics are among the best of the recent period, the flow is there, in some pieces more noticeable, in others less but more due to stylistic choices of the pieces. The album is fantastic as a whole, there isn’t a song or verse that doesn’t deserve to be heard at each listen. Wonderfully structured, with a final touch that also brings joy. The productions are excellent; if FatFat Cor Funk and Rubo are a certainty, "The Boy from the East" also presents lesser-known beatmakers who have brought great beats, and even the beats from Radio Rade himself, with which the album concludes, are deserving. The collaborations with FatFat Cor Funk and July B, as well as with other lesser-known MCs, are also excellent; Radio Rade has highlighted a good group of quality artists on the album.

I don't want to recommend one or more songs from the album; I suggest you listen to it all, all in one go. It is a very valid album, in my opinion, it will also appeal to those who are not very fond of hip hop and might even increase a bit the negative musical consideration that the genre has had lately.