Trap Music's Stylistic Conventions in Italian Commercial Music
The article analyzes the stylistic conventions of Italian trap music, which has gained commercial supremacy following Achille Lauro's participation and Mahmood's victory at the Sanremo Festival. Trap, derived from rap, is characterized by autotune, electronic beats, increased BPM, and lyrics rich in interjections and onomatopoeia. Despite criticisms of stylistic carelessness, trap lyrics exhibit traditional literary features such as a fragmented first-person perspective, mixing of high and low cultural references, and a hybrid language. Examples from songs between 2017 and 2019 illustrate techniques like enumeration, asyndeton, antonomasia, and neologisms. The genre also employs foreign borrowings, often accented on the last vowel to fit musical needs, and uses rhyme in weakened but persistent forms, including identical and equivocal rhymes. The article cites specific lyrics from artists like Mahmood, Carl Brave x Franco126, Dark Polo Gang, Capo Plaza, Ghali, Vaz Tè, Goya, Laïoung, Kerim, Quantin40 & Puritano, Chadia Rodriguez, and Tedua. It concludes that trap, despite its seemingly careless nature, follows market logic of recognizability and reproducibility.
Key facts
- Trap's commercial supremacy in Italy was marked by Achille Lauro's participation and Mahmood's victory at Sanremo.
- Trap derives from rap, emphasizing audacity and transgression.
- Trap features autotune, electronic bases, increased BPM, Gucci bags, and gold teeth.
- Lyrics use interjections, onomatopoeia, and meaningless phonetic fragments.
- Trap lyrics exhibit a fragmented self and multi-perspective narration.
- They mix high and low cultural references.
- The language is hybrid and ductile, similar to postmodern novels.
- Examples include Mahmood's 'Soldi', Carl Brave x Franco126's 'Enjoy', Dark Polo Gang's 'Pesi sul collo', Capo Plaza's 'Giovane Fuoriclasse', Ghali's 'Ninna Nanna', Vaz Tè's 'Stazione centrale', Goya's 'Goya', Laïoung's 'Giovane giovane', Kerim's 'Flexo E Faccio Move', Quantin40 & Puritano's 'Thoiry', Chadia Rodriguez's 'Bitch 2.0', and Tedua's 'Vertigini'.
- Neologisms like 'bufu' from Dark Polo Gang are common.
- Foreign borrowings are often accented on the last vowel.
- Rhyme is weakened but not abandoned, with identical and equivocal rhymes.
- Tedua's 'Vertigini' uses a single tonic vowel throughout a stanza.
- The article was published on Artribune in September 2019.
Entities
Artists
- Achille Lauro
- Mahmood
- Carl Brave
- Franco126
- Dark Polo Gang
- Capo Plaza
- Ghali
- Vaz Tè
- Goya
- Laïoung
- Kerim
- Quantin40
- Puritano
- Chadia Rodriguez
- Tedua
- Sara Moccia
Institutions
- Artribune
- Sanremo Festival
Locations
- Italy
- Roma
- Padova
- Napoli