Uomini Di Mare
Sindrome di Fine Millennio

Let's start right away by saying that Uomini Di Mare are (or rather, were) Dj Lato & Fabri Fibra. And let's immediately say that this album is a masterpiece. Released in '99, this Sindrome di Fine Millennio represents the genius manifested in bursts of rhymes and beats. Lato's beats are original and amazing, very unique, and what can we say about FF, who in my opinion is the best Italian rapper? His tongue is smooth, his rhymes are perfect, and the themes he explores aren't the usual smoke-drugs-girls-fights. Or rather, they are these too but are tackled in an intelligent way and from an internal and very intimate point of view by Fibra. The first 2 songs almost seem like introductory exercises, they're fun and seem to serve as an introduction to the album. In the first track, there's the presence of Esa, who exclaims: 'How is this generation on a mission? it must be the syndrome, spreading down the sacred street like the shroud', while number 2 ('Dove sei') is very technical but not without interesting cues. With 'Da ke mondo è mondo' things get serious: Fibra's singing perfectly adapts to the very original beat, creating a wonderful atmosphere that highlights the rapper's worldview. One of the most successful songs on the album. But in the whole album it's hard to find a bad or trivial song, maybe if we really have to find one, it's 'Entro il 2000' with Inoki which personally doesn't say much to me. For the rest, the album is impeccable, full of intelligent cues and flooded with a certain style that makes it fresh and current even years later. Just listen to a track like 'Non Dimentico', featuring his brother Nesli, to be bewitched by the sincere, true, and heartfelt lyrics that narrate youthful paranoias, reiterated also in 'Il Domani è Oggi' where FF says: 'For twenty somethings, endless paranoias… '. And upon reflection, this album really concerns the youth universe, it seems aimed at an audience ranging from 16 to 30 years old, while demonstrating great maturity. 'I Sogni Persi' is a reflective piece, where it talks about the many dreams of young people that fade with the passing years; it's no coincidence the piece ends with: 'I recommend keeping a drawer reserved for dreams xsi/Of dreams xsi by the dozen, endless mornings… '. There are also tracks - clear, mysterious, almost incomprehensible like 'Muffa a Etti' and 'Il Turno d Guardia'. The first of the two also features the presence of Shezan Il Ragio who with his incomprehensible style shoots rhymes all the time, as does Fabri in 'Il Turno d Guardia'. Ultimately, these two tracks present a great flow that makes them impossible to ignore, on the contrary, they leave the listener captivated. Then there's love, already expressed in 'Lei ke', but it reaches its peak with 'Vorrei': Fibra's words melt the heart, the female voice that serves as the chorus blends sumptuously with Lato's slow and cadenced beat. A masterpiece, followed by another masterpiece: '1 su 10'. On the surface, it may seem like another technical exercise like 'Dove sei', but try to get the lyrics, try to hear the first words pronounced in a low voice by the mc ('And with 2000 changes eh? Do you sense it? Do you understand it?') and you will understand, everything will be clearer. An incredibly intelligent text (especially in '99, on the cusp of 2000, the new millennium) that reaches its peak when the rapper from Senigallia exclaims: ''1 out of 10 projected into the future/ and the remaining 9 still with the Greeks'. Amazing. The album concludes with 'Verso Altri Lidi', a beautiful piece that closes one of the best rap albums ever (self)produced in Italy. An album where the strengths are freshness, intelligence, modernity, style, and the beats. To be considered (something very important) and not to be underestimated, the year in which it was published, which is then the theme and sets the background for the songs. Ultimately: congratulations Uomini Di Mare. You are missed.