22Simba and Ele A: with great power comes great responsibility

“Giant”, Marracash defined him, indulging in an endorsement of great weight. Too soon to say if 22Simba he really is, a giant. Certainly the certificate of esteem from one of the most important and influential artists on the scene represents a significant injection of confidence for Andrea Meazza, this is the real name of the rapper from the province of Varese, born in 2002. Furthermore, Marracash did not limit himself only to defining him as a “giant”, but also decided to put his signature and face on it, appearing alongside him in “Fanculo”, one of the tracks that make up 22simba’s debut EP, “La cura”. Keep in mind that Marracash, unlike many of his colleagues, is someone who sips and chooses his feats with obsessive care. In short, there seems to be some substance in 22Simba. And it is no coincidence that he is considered one of the two emerging Italian rappers who are rewriting the rules of the genre in 2025. The other made her debut today: it is Ele Areal name Eleonora Antonioni, originally from Aranno, Switzerland, also born in 2002, who planted a first, important flag with the album “Pixel”. Listen to their songs in the playlist “Italian Rap Game Over”, which you can find right below:

Young, authentic and ready to take the stage, 22Simba and Ele A stand out for their personality, style and a musical vision capable of remaining linked to the roots of the genre and at the same time speaking to an increasingly wider audience. The music speaks for them. The one proposed by 22Simba in the nine songs that make up the EP “La cura” is a journey within oneself, between light and shadows, with the power and identity that make the rapper from Varese one of the most interesting voices on the panorama of new Italian rap. In addition to Marra, there is also collaboration with Silent Bob on “4 Zeros”. «Marra is a mentor, Silent a brother», says 22Simba. From “The cure” the urgency strikes: «It’s curious because it’s as if I already had these songs inside me, it’s as if they had already been written, I just had to complete their journey. ‘Fuck’, for example, I dreamed about it: the chorus and the melody came when I woke up.”

And urgency is also what distinguishes the thirteen tracks contained in “Pixel” by Ele Awhose guests also figure Guéin “With my Gs”. After having captured the public’s attention with notable featuring and a high-impact performance on the stage of the Sziget Festival in Budapestwhere she represented Italy in one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, Ele A established herself as one of the most promising artists of the new urban scene. “Pixel” is a mosaic of emotions, experiences and sounds that reflect the sensitivity and strength of a generation on the move. Without ever compromising, song after song, Ele A has been able to build his own path while remaining faithful to his vision and his imagination. The writing does not look for shortcuts: it tells what it is, with authenticity and strength, and it is precisely this coherence that has opened the doors to a scene that today recognizes it as one of the most solid and original presences.