Shiva and his “Gospel”: the real Judas is the average listener
Shiva’s new album, “Vangelo”, has polarized the publicespecially the average listeners of Italian rap and some of its fans, leaving many taken aback by a direction they simply didn’t expect. Different productions, different approachwriting that tries to get out of certain tracks. And then the question immediately became the wrong one: “But is this really Shiva?”. The answer is yes. Except that he is a Shiva who partly changes his skin.
If the often sterile expectations and analyzes are removed, “Gospel” remains what it is: the album of a 26 year old boy who tries to do something new, without losing his identity. And this already, in the current panorama, it’s a plus. There has been a lot of discussion on the thematic front: the title recalls a specific imagery, but the direct references to the Gospel are few. An accusation already seen, as when Tedua was criticized for “The Divine Comedy”. But who decided that a record should slavishly follow its title? Shiva says it immediately: he is writing “his” Gospel and plays on the fact that he has not read the original, in full mocking and rap style. He is creating “his” sacred text. And it does so by building a personal language, more internal than didactic.
Much of the credit lies in the productions of Drillionaire, who openly looks at Timbaland here. It’s not just inspiration: in certain moments it really is a tribute. The result? New sound carpets for Shiva, more stratified, more dynamic, far from certain more immediate solutions of the past. At this point, criticizing Drillionaire (sometimes it was done here too, as when he released his superfluous producer album) leaves the time he finds: Most of today’s music is derivative, but here it’s done well and serves the story. Within these sounds, the rapper from Corsico moves in balance between ego and fragility. Tracks like “V for Gospel”, “Sins” and above all “God exists”, almost seven minutes, open up scenarios. Confessions, dialogues with God, moments in which the character leaves room for the person. And the same goes for pieces like “Spies”, “Rise”, “Conscience” And “Judas’ Kiss” with Tiziano Ferrowhere the story it goes beyond gangsta rap and tries to touch something higher or deeper. This creates a personal, almost spiritual dimension in which Shiva rereads himself.
And it is paradoxical that this is precisely what is criticized: rappers are asked to really talk about themselves, then when they do they turn up their noses. The featuring artists also came under observation: Anna, Geolier, Kid Yugi, the surprise Tiziano Ferro, Lazza and Sfera Ebbasta. There is certainly a rap game logic, also linked to streaming. But they are choices consistent with his path. Not foreign bodies: plugs. And then there’s the cruder side: the legal troubles, the falls, the paranoia, the weight of choices. Everything enters the disc without filter, until you get to “Consciousness”a close focus where Shiva talks about family, his son, mistakes, the past. It’s one of the truest moments of the project. In the end, “Vangelo” is not a perfect record. But it’s a record full of light. If there is a Judas, here it is the average listener of Italian rap. The one who does not accept change, who demands coherence only when it is convenient, who asks for evolution, but then rejects it. Shiva did not deny his imagination. He tried to elevate it.
