Sparo Manero
Tutta Sostanza

I didn't know him, I had only heard him on the Amir and Mr. Phil CD released a few months ago. Yet Deva was talking to me about him. He lent me a CD, and now... I've discovered true hip-hop.

Sparo Manero is one of the lesser-known MCs on the scene and one of the most authentic. For him, hip-hop is passion, it is "pure substance", Roman hardcore and funk, Italian rap, the macaronic black style; for him, they are absolutely not a trend, they are life.
Even money takes a back seat (see "Tutta Sostanza"), and this is already commendable, considering that most Italian rappers (Bassi at the forefront) sing "1 for the money, 2 for the show", even dedicating a crew's name to the business (albeit in a healthy way). However, Sparo doesn't think about these things; he simply does what he does best, hip-hop, and gives us a unique gem of Roman funk. Most tracks are introduced by spoken or musical skits, of which the best are definitely "King skit" and "Jake La Motta Skit", plus the songs are wonderful. It's not about gangster, even if the artist's name would suggest it; it's about pure love for this genre. And for music in general. And for Rome. "Buongiorno a?" is perhaps, along with "Il cielo su Roma" by Colle Der Fomento, the best song dedicated to Rome, but it doesn't stop at Rome. "Buongiorno a?" is dedicated to everyone, "to the people who do, to the people who know, to all those who make my city great, to those who know what they're doing and to those who don't but still do something." It can even be a poignant song, and from here Sparo opens up more and more to the listener.
Anger, hatred, love, and above all, lots of style, as demonstrated by "Che Tocca Fare" with a sublime Danno and a Fresh Mastino in great shape. But the CD reaches its peak with the Sparo-Cina (Amir) duet with "Quando Eravamo King", talking about their good old days with spray cans, disagreements, and first steps in hip-hop. It seems that Amir himself has revived it with Mr. Phil on the latest CD. But if someone criticizes Sparo, he doesn't listen to them, and "Non ti ascolto" is a great track.

What can I say? How can you rate this work of art? After a series of great stylistic demonstrations from "La mia strada" to "SuperScialo", Sparo dedicates the beautiful "Canzoni 2000" to music, truly interesting: Sparo does something that few had done before. He allows us to enter with a critical eye into the mentality of an anonymous rapper, who maybe one day will really become someone and renounce his roots.
After the "Outro", I feel like talking about it to someone, and I follow a good advice to talk about it to you. Mr. Sparo, a Gentleman Rapper... Tutta Sostanza doesn't need any more compliments to prove what it is: unique. So I dedicate the soul of Manero to all of you, and leave you the playing field
but before judging this great album, listen to it...
it deserves it.
this is hip-hop... "let them keep calling your sound noise"
Fresh Mastino, "Che Tocca Fare"
Gentlemen, please.