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Mixtape Studio Fyah Vol. 1
The cover of Studio Fyah Mixtape vol. 1 was born in the spring of 2019, after meeting young rappers/trappers from the Novara area.
These were young individuals passionate about freestyle, a spoken word technique associated with the hip-hop culture, which involves improvising rhymes, assonances, rhetorical figures, and wordplay. They were part of a generation connected to the digital sounds emerging from the trap music phenomenon, which was gaining popularity worldwide.
An example of these sounds can be found in the distinctive sound of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, characterized by its deep and often syncopated bass drum, combined with hi-hats in double or triple time. The beat's speed typically ranges from 100 to 180 bpm, accompanied by a melodic part created using synthesizers and VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology), featuring minimal, repetitive, aggressive, or hypnotic melodies.
My initial feelings regarding this project were disorientation, due to the themes being so distant from my personal "philosophy" of life. However, I was simultaneously intrigued by the enthusiasm of these young talents pushing towards this form of expression. In a very short time, I embraced the initiative for creating the mixtape.
The classic drum machine Roland TR-808.
The reason I focused on this opportunity was to immerse myself in a young and experimental world, where I could engage with something that had not yet been fully deciphered. I carefully observed new perspectives through narratives with a very direct and rough language, akin to a true "verbal brawl," with little romanticism and a lot of individualism.
The connection to Decadence was the first association my mind made upon listening to the rough drafts of the lyrics the young artists brought to me. Let's briefly delve into the history of this artistic and cultural movement that originated in France between the late 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. The term encompassed two meanings:
NEGATIVE: Used by critics in a derogatory sense, referring to the new generation of "accursed poets" who scandalized society by rejecting bourgeois morals, positioning themselves outside the norm both in artistic production and in their way of life.
POSITIVE: Subsequently claimed by the poets themselves, it was understood as a new way of thinking, as diversity and alienation from bourgeois society.
Stèphane Mallarme
1842 - 1898
Arthur Rimbaud
1854 - 1891
Tristan Corbiere
1845 - 1875
In 1884, the poet Paul Verlaine published "Poètes Maudits," a work dedicated to his three friends, Tristan Corbière, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Arthur Rimbaud, who became known as the "accursed poets":
This designation bestowed a certain mythical aura upon the representatives of decadence.
Cover - Damned Poets.
The theme of "social decadence" and a crisis of values with strong existential implications, taken up by a group of writers who founded the Le Dècadent magazine in 1886, establishes a sort of parallelism with today's civilization. The "negative" lexicon of trap lyrics denounces a lack of true and essential values in constructing a community with "strong principles" capable of inspiring emulation in the youth. On the contrary, trap music texts are narcissistic and projected towards an imaginary enemy who wants to "dethrone" them from the pedestal they have erected for themselves.
The recurring figure of the "accursed artist" in the decadent period aligns with the self-perception of a contemporary trap artist, representing a mythical dimension.
The decadentists emphasized the artist's "power" to choose the path of self-destruction, distancing themselves from the values of a society that did not understand them. They took pleasure in a wretched life characterized by carnal vices, indulgence in destructive impulses, contemplation of death, and the abuse of alcohol and drugs.
This mode of expression is evident in trap themes, where references to drugs, life in the periphery, money, sex, and the emptiness of existence appear like a kaleidoscope. Articulated as streams of consciousness, rarely conforming to precise patterns beyond verses and choruses, they reflect the inner turmoil of the writer, confused and devoid of reference points. The characteristic metric schemes of rap are abandoned, making room for the search for new sounds and flows (the way of intoning the spoken words following the beat), often less rhythmic and more melodic
Barrio's Live (ex Barrio's Cafè) is a brewery with kitchen and live music.
After various web searches, the Studio Fyah collective gave me the opportunity to participate in a live freestyle event in Milan, specifically in the Barona neighborhood. The event took place at Barrio's Live in the early months of 2019, during the warm season.
In that place, I had the sensation of "artistic brotherhood." I witnessed true verbal boxing matches on the stage, but when the allotted seconds for two participants ended, handshakes and hugs concluded these challenging encounters.
With a jury evaluating flow, rhythm, and stage presence to decide who would advance to the next round, the competition continued until the final.
Freestyle Event Poster.
Creation Cover
After an initial draft, created with a broad outline of the reiterated concepts so far, my focus shifted to incorporating key elements into figurative elements. These points serve as a summary of what I will call the essence of the "decadent-trap" notion.
Starting with a dark setting, aimed at identifying the moment as a transition, spicing up the context with heavy and menacing clouds that depict the apocalyptic passage as inevitable. A mutation that must necessarily pass through radical change, through a violent disturbance, not so much atmospheric but rather new dictates conceived to rise as a new ethical-social class. The depicted location (Novara) is linked to the roots of the collective, a desire to proudly proclaim and reaffirm to outsiders where the work was born, but at the same time, it is a metaphor for change. The flames represent the redemption of the "place" from what is now the past, from outdated points of view, all with a touch of audacity, portraying a lightning bolt that destroys the dome (symbol of the city). As history has taught us, when dictatorships fall, the most pressing ideologies, their symbols are the first to be uprooted. It is not the case here to overthrow a dictatorship, let it be clear, but the philosophical parallel is approaching. The paradox is just around the corner, the intention is to exaggerate the ongoing change to such an extent that, like in a cartoon where everyone is waiting for the arrival of the hero to save the world, here the aforementioned hero resembles a monster.
The representation of the monster-hero is indeed an allegorical image, the savior distinguishes his figure from the traditionalist one to which we are more attached due to old and antiquated stereotypes. Where the hero, 90/95% of the time, is someone who possesses a good reassuring appearance, conventionalized by gentle and respectful manners towards others. The change is hidden precisely in the figurative interpretation that the latter assumes, the valiant one is deliberately depicted as a skeleton, with modern elements such as the hairstyle (pink-colored dreadlocks) and the concert-style jacket from a Saturday night "hangout," returned from the afterlife to bring balance and justice through his spiked club.
The logotipo was designed and created by a young emerging writer, known as Franz to his friends, dedicated to drawing tags and graffiti on the walls of Novara as well as on the classic sheet of paper. His style of simple lines makes the writing clear and direct, intentionally impactful.
In concluding the description of the project, I leave you with a quote from the great Charles Baudelaire:
"What is intoxicating about bad taste is the aristocratic pleasure of giving offense."