Ladies and gentlemen: BigMama, the queer queen of rap

Marianna Mammone in art BigMama Today he turns 24 and just two days ago he released his first album, “Blood”. But her recording journey of a certain completeness began in 2022 when she released the EP “Next big thing”. We therefore wish you a happy birthday and good success in your long-distance debut by taking up our review of “Next big thing”.

Often, in the urban world, the funniest, craziest and most ironic albums have various technical gaps, are poorly rapped, have “plasticky sounds” or in any case have something that doesn't work entirely. This reduces many projects, valid on paper, to small naïve experiments which then get lost like tears in the rain. BigMama, on the other hand, thanks to her first EP “Next Big Thing”, immediately put herself forward for a credible and deserved role, that of queer queen of rap. In her songs there is rhythm, fun, a sense of freedom, irony, madness, an open fight against easy labels and strong female emancipation. But also depth and desire to tell stories. And everything, even from a musical and technical point of view, works. The Pluggers team, a label born thanks to the push of Massimo Pericolo's team, has been a real guarantee in this for years.

Marianna Mammone, this is her real name, born in Avellino and then moved to Milan, began to get noticed in 2020 by releasing her first singles: she plays with her body in a conscious way, shoots vitriolic bars and has a musicality capable of warming the public on the track. To increase the fire of BigMama, who appears armed with a flamethrower on the cover of the album, there are the beats of Crookers, skilled in signing persuasive and pounding productions: he created five of the eight songs of the project, one of which in collaboration with Goedi.

In addition to him there is the talented and eclectic Riva, former producer for Myss Keta, a character who, despite his differences, is often paired with BigMama. Riva is the author of the instrumentals of “Chupa Chups” and “POF”. He also makes room for the young producer duo B-Croma, who have already worked with Gaia and Joan Thiele, who closed “Note” together. He starts with “Pollo Chicken”, a powerful and at the same time enveloping piece in which BigMama raps with self-irony, but also immediately showing all the “a 'cazzimma” that distinguishes her.

“Next Big Thing” is darker and more aggressive, while “Chupa Chups” is catchy with a fun, club-ready chorus.

“Poker”, musical and sentimental, puts aside the tight rap for a moment and embraces pop. “I wrote it for a person who is not capable of loving, of loving himself, but who demands all the love in the world from those around him. I finally got it,” Big Mama says. “Notes” is also on the same wavelength. With “Mami Daddy” we return to pushing electronics, in some cases it seems like we're hearing Die Antwoord. “I hope this piece addicts everyone a bit like it did me. Oh yes, the voice is mine. Oh no, it's not modified,” underlines the singer. The circle closes with “POF”, in collaboration with Ensi. “The piece is with the first artist I saw live in my entire life, the most southern Turin native in history, a person I respect infinitely, fratm Ensi”, writes BigMama.