2017 is the year of Lazza’s debut

The general public has come to know Lazza at the Sanremo Festival in 2023 when, with the song “Ash”placed second in the final classification of the event, surpassed only by Marco Mengoni and from his “Two Lives”. The Milanese musician Jacob Lazarus turns 30 today and has released three albums so far: “Zala” in 2017, “King Midas” (read the review here) in 2019 and “Sirius” (read the review here) in 2022. We wish him a happy birthday with the review of his debut album written for us by Valeria Balestrieri.

“Zzala” is the debut album by Lazza, a rapper and pianist from Milan born in 1994 who has been noticed since he was a teenager for his technical skills displayed in freestyle battles around Italy that have earned him a good number of fans. In 2013, Lazza joined the Blocco Recordz roster, with whom, in 2014, he published his first mixtape, “K1” in which his collaboration with Emis Killa stands out. Subsequently, Lazza published various videos, receiving excellent acclaim, and then took part in the hip hop video format Real Talk, becoming the protagonist of one of the two most viewed episodes on YouTube. In 2016, he was noticed by an even wider audience thanks to “DDA”, the single that marked his partnership with 333 Mob, a label with the artistic direction of Dj Slait and Low Kidd. A few days after the release of the video for this first single from his album, Lazza opened the first concert of Salmo’s double date in Milan at Fabrique, which was sold out for the occasion. After this experience, the young rapper from Milan continued to publish freestyles on YouTube, collecting views, and left for a solo tour accompanied by Low Kidd.

The second single that anticipated the album’s release was “Maleducati”, another success on YouTube. His technique, his musical preparation (he trained studying classical music at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan) and his impactful style make his rap unique on the Italian scene.

Lazza’s album is the first produced by 333 Mob: the musical production of the album is by Low Kidd, Lazza and Dj Slait.

Eleven tracks, in which Lazza has inserted piano riffs played by him to create a link between his classical background and a decidedly more current and raw sound and this is certainly the trait that distinguishes him from any other exponent of the rap or trap scene. “Zzala” is a rap album that uses today’s sounds and gives importance not only to music, but also to writing and touches on a wide range of moods and atmospheres. In this sense, “Ouverture” is certainly the piece that best represents the contaminated soul of the album. It is no coincidence, therefore, that in an album in which Lazza puts himself totally on the line, only in one piece there are guests: the super tested couple formed by Salmo and Nitro support him properly in “Mob”.

In the album, Lazza lays himself completely bare, talks about himself, his private life, his desire for revenge and conquest, he puts himself on the line using catchy and lively rhymes and a decisive but at the same time fresh and original flow, all accompanied by choruses that enter and hit you in the head almost as if to fuck your brain.

Lazza has certainly managed to find the right compromise between style and content on this album, between more “ignorant” and raw pieces and other more introspective ones, all accompanied by an impeccable flow that makes him immediately recognizable. The artwork is by Moab, another member of 333 Mob who has already curated cover graphics for international artists, such as Migos. The booklet photos are by Any.