Mecna's Neverland: Rapper and Graphic Designer on Album Art and Collaboration

Italian rapper Mecna (Corrado Grilli, born 1987) released his album Neverland in 2019, a collaboration with Roman producer Sick Luke. The album features artists including Marina, PSICOLOGI, Voodoo Kid, Ainè, CoCo, Luchè, Tedua, and Generic Animal. Its cover art is a photograph by Corey Olsen, a senior photography instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, depicting a boy with red hair putting in a colored contact lens. Mecna, also a graphic designer, chose the image for its multiple connections to the album's concept of two coexisting visions. The title Neverland, suggested by Sick Luke, evokes a fantastical place representing new and experimental territory for both artists. Mecna's career began with the collective Blue Nox alongside Ghemon, Kiave, Macro Marco, and Hyst. His debut solo album Disco Inverno (2012) won the Targa Giovani MEI 2.0 for Best Soloist and the Special Social Prize. Subsequent albums include Laska (2015), Lungomare Paranoia (2017), and Blue Karaoke (2018). Neverland entered the Italian top ten albums chart. Mecna describes the album as a sincere and genuine project that merges two different styles.