What is the relationship between architecture and trap? How music videos have revived the interest and the charm of often forgotten places

At a first glance, there doesn't seem to be an immediate and self-evident link between architecture - intended as the representation of symbolic, but also forgotten places - and rap or trap music. Until recently, the classic music videos of this genre were associated with only one type of imaginary, which hinges on the concept of show off, and which therefore focuses on the artists, their style, and their successes. 

However, it's undeniable that over the last few years there has been a very important evolution from an aesthetic point of view, thanks to a new generation of artists who have moved away from those stereotypes, to tell their hometowns in a more authentic and truthful way. Music videos have become the favourite tool of communication where maniacal attention is paid to the background, that doesn't have anything 'back' any more. This shift in the perception and the representation of places took place both at a European level (just think of the video of Skepta's Shutdown, less than three minutes that alone tell the London suburbs and the faces that populate it) as much as Italian, just think of the partnership between Francesco Lettieri and LIBERATO, and artists such as Mecna, Rkomi, Gue Pequeno, Tedua, and many others. 

The latest project by Bianca Felicori, architect and author, started from here, as she made research one of the cornerstones of her work, as proved by the IG page @forgotten_architecture. The result of his research has been at the centre of a series of talks, entitled TRAP ARCHITECTURE and held at Triennale Milano together with the (ab)Normal collective, the artists of the DICHO pavilion, currently in the impluvium of the Palazzo dell'Arte in Milan, in collaboration with the Tbilisi Biennial. 

nss magazine has reached out to Bianca Felicori to better understand what is the new bond that connects architecture and trap imagery. 

#1 How did you come up with the idea for this project? Where does your research start? 

Rap before and trap today are musical genres (and sub-genres) born as subcultures that today make up a  universal language. Anyone listens to trap, the twelve-year-old on TikTok as much as the thirty-year-old freelancer who works as an art director. Trap unites us, and we feed this economic and social system. All trap artists today have millions of views, gold and platinum records, sold-out gigs, concerts with endless queues outside. I've been listening to rap since I was a teenager and at the time it was quite atypical, despite being born and raised in Bologna, a city commonly recognized as the symbol of this culture. Over the years I have learned to combine my education as an architect with collateral passions. I began to investigate the most popular architectures that form the backdrop to the music videos of artists - emerging and non-Italian. Artists who have built an empire without forgetting where they come from, indeed, they go up on stage and show you where they have arrived, how much gold they wear around their neck after suffering the condition of isolation of the suburbs and of the province. 

#4 Can this trend be seen as a sort of revaluation of the suburbs, at least from an architectural point of view?

Yes, but it takes much more to re-evaluate the suburbs. In recent years this passion for brutalism (an abused term) has spread and therefore everything that is exposed concrete is considered interesting also and above all by those who are not in the sector. This love for the "concrete" has also led to the re-evaluation, by a wider audience, of the Italian and international popular contexts. So although the average user who watches a video may feel attracted to the peripheral context of Genoa, Naples or Milan, I'm quite sure that he would not experience the same sensations being on-site, also and above all because very often these buildings have not had the maintenance necessary to keep them alive and therefore they are in a state of decay. Obviously, it depends on the cases. 

#5 The music video has almost become an art form in its own right, a self-sufficient narrative that often transcends the song it is supposed to convey. Do you think this is a passing trend or that this visual research will continue in future generations? 

No, this trend will never be momentary, this is the future. I started this research intrigued by the connection between the artists and their neighbourhoods of origin, but in reality, as I went on I realized that my interest was practically centred only on the work of the directors. This is not a trend, it's the natural evolution of a profession towards an upward path. I dream one day of seeing artists working more and more with architects, artists, sociologists, anthropologists. An achievement for everyone.