The New Italian Realness: interview with Massimo Pericolo, Speranza and Barracano Provinces, drugs and the hood life: face to face with the new italian wave
"Everyone loves the American dream, but in the remote Italian province there is not even a Mc Donald's"
There are just 300 McDonalds in Italy, while the Italian provinces are 80, which means that there are just under 4 McDonalds per province. If we consider that most of the restaurants of the most famous fast food chain in the world are in the big cities, Barracano's statement reflects in reality. It is easy to relate the idea of McDonald's with capitalism, it also happened in the Soviet Union after the end of the USSR, and therefore using this example to identify an ideal distance from the "center" of metropolitan life is the best possible way to do it. Moreover, Italy is a country of provinces, and there is no lack - in the history of Italian music - of attempts to tell it. One of the most successful narrations, however, of the modern Italian province is the one by Massimo Pericolo, Speranza and Barracano.
The three rappers - who will leave for their collective Italian tour on November 2nd - were able to represent Italian realness as no one else had been able to do in the trap era. A raw aesthetic, immediate, true - which is also reflected in their faces, as well as in the merch that will accompany them on tour and in their first posse track, "Criminali" - which in nss magazine's shots is instead contrasted by the shooting places, a mix of high and ancient elegance. The story of a country that we thought we knew, and that we then realized we did not know enough about.
The association between the three was natural and started right from those places where often there is not even McDonald's, where you do not see your future clearly, but you need to build it yourself.
Varese and Caserta, anyone can picture them as two very different places, yet both are at the provinces of a metropolitan city and have produced artists like you. When you first met, what were the similarities that you found in your backgrounds?
Massimo Pericolo: Similar places but with their different strengths and weaknesses. The whole world is a country, two people in difficulty, even in different contexts, tend to live similar experiences at family, youth, school, work and even street level. We saw our similarities knowing Rafi and I first of all through the pieces and then speaking, a friendship was born that was then reflected with Ugo and now we get along like people.
Speranza: We do have many relatable experiences, from the everyday life like struggling to find a way to move around. Certainly, also the boredom that sometimes dominates us and we end up facing it with excesses.
Barracano: I believe that all the provinces are similar, there are the same dynamics also in Europe, maybe there is a bit of different ethnic groups, but after removing this they all look alike. It's a bit frustrating to live in a province near a big city, you're close but you're far away.
You are about to go on tour in Italy, how do you imagine life on tour?
MP: There is little to imagine because we have already seen how things are going with tighter dates. We organized it well, we're happy, it's just us, we're practically in the family. If we had a little fun this summer, we will have more fun now.
S: Life on tour I imagine quite nomadic and it's something I like. Facing it together, however, in friendship it will be like a trip, I already have good memories and starting from this I believe that everything will be better.
B: I imagine it tragicomic.
