Debut tape for the Italian underground hip-hop legend Bassi Maestro, from Milan. It's not a real studio album, this effort is a self-produced demo by the artist, active since 1988 as a DJ and who in his first years of activity had already made some rap songs in English.
It's an amateur and light-hearted tape, unlike the other groups and artists of the Italian rap scene, it doesn't focus on political issues and delivers a tape almost entirely braggadocio, with an ultra-fast, tight, out of time delivery style, on boom bap heavy and energetic and very tight syncopated skinny drum machine. Here we find some of his strengths that he will continue to re-propose throughout his long career, including attacking weak rappers ("Come un treno"), representing himself ("Bassi è il nome", ft Papa Ciccio, an amateur dude) and hip-hop ("Troppe cazzate"), moreover there are several ideas for some his subsequent works: the final cut, "Tempo di svacco", anticipates "Tempo di cazzeggio" ("Contro gli estimatori", 1996) by a few years with a lazy, listless, almost spoken syncopated delivery with a banal hook on a lo-fi rhythm.
"Il viaggio di Biancaneve" is one of the best cuts and sees Bassi show off his storytelling skills: the story tells of Snow White coming out of her perfect world in order to venture into the real world, to be raped and robbed soon, and then enter the world of prostitution, ending up by switching from cocaine to heroin, a drug for which she will die. "Troppe cazzate" is among the strongest point of this tape: on a heavy hip house rhythm, with a tight syncopated skinny drum machine and a frenetic and heavy boom bap, Bassi greets the arrival of hip-hop among the new Italian genres and warns the right-thinking with an ultra-fast delivery, but he's still too ahead of its time, let's say about fifteen to twenty years in advance, before the hip-hop genre takes root within the mainstream in Italy. Last but not least, "Fai Memoria", the other strong point of this demo: splendid rhythm, great boom bap with nice sample, skinny slow light syncopated drum machine, slow syncopated delivery with social comments, I think it can easily be called the prelude both of "Cosa Resterà" and of "Foto di Gruppo", both cuts present in "Foto di gruppo", 1998 studio album.
Overall it's an honest demo, there's a few wacky bars, fast-paced beats and ultra-fast delivery, but there's also some talent here: curious prelude for an artist who will be trimming several classics within the history of Italian hip-hop.
Highlights: "Fai memoria", "Il viaggio di Biancaneve". Classic cut, unfortunately overslept even by the Italian hip-hop scene. Frantic, simple, dope boom bap, energetic skinny syncopated drum, great MC slow and smooth syncopated delivery.
Rating: 6/10.
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