Cara Italia:l’espressione dell’identità multiculturale nella musica rap e trap italiana

Abstract

In the past fifteen years, the Italian rap and trap music scene has experienced significant changes due to the entrance of artists who have foreign heritage. Called “second-generation rappers and trappers,” these musicians represent a new generation of Italians who are born and/or raised in Italy by one or both immigrant parent(s). Giving a voice to a multicultural community that has been struggling for political, economic, and social representation in Italy, they utilize various linguistic tools, such as Italian dialects and the foreign languages of their countries of origin, in their music to express their multicultural identities. In many of their songs, they also bring awareness to the issues that their communities face, such as the difficulty to obtain citizenship, xenophobia, racist stereotypes, the exploitation of foreign workers, the identity crises of the children of immigrants, and the Italian society’s lack of understanding of these issues. As the Italian state struggles to provide opportunities for success even to its own citizens, these artists pave the way for other children of immigrants with the message that they can be successful on any path they choose or create for themselves. They also defend their Italian identity from those who try to undermine it, while communicating that progress and equality are possible for immigrants and their children in Italy’s future. However, if the Italian state cannot obtain these goals, through their music, they will.