Lazza: “Salmo has always given me advice, live rap is growing”
At this moment a live of Lazzaas his first date at the Milan Forum fully highlights “Locura tour”it is the clear photograph of how far, in terms of performance, not only has he come as a rapper, but also how much space and credibility the urban scene is taking. It’s not just a question of numbers, of paying audiences, but of quality. “When I left I never dreamed I would do it a tour of the buildings, now we are here designing the stadiums – says Lazza in a meeting with the media before going on stage – and when I talk about stadiums I am referring to a broader discussion, of scenethere are also other artists who have crossed those doors (here is an in-depth look at rap in stadiums, ed.). The bar has certainly been raised. Salmo has always given me various and many pieces of advice to grow on this front and I, in turn, have also given some colleagueswhich start with the first live shows in clubs, I try to return the favor, saying for example: ‘don’t put your voices down, it’s not a disco’. It really changes the perception.”
A diamond-shaped stage
The one at the Forum is Lazza in an unbridled bull version, confident in both the rapping and melodic parts. Today he is one of the best artists, not only on the urban scene, capable of holding a show of this level for two hours. “In this show I vent everything that is on the album and that was there before ‘Locura’, it was a difficult project to realize for all the reasons I told (here is our interview, ed.) – he underlines – in these scheduled dates are expected 37 songswhen there are no guests. This album requires a new step on a vocal level. I noticed it immediately when I tried the songs. I arrive exhausted at the end of the live shows. Guests? Yes, I would like to take them to other cities too, not just Milan”.
The stage, designed by Davide Pedrottihead creative, ed Eleonora Peronettiset designer, has a clear reference to one of his latest achievements: Lazza, with “Sirio”, he was the first solo rapper to achieve Diamond disco certification. There is another album by Diamante, in the rap world, and to find it you have to go back to 1996. It’s about “As it is” of the Article 31. A Diamante album hasn’t been seen in Italy for over ten years: the latest certifications, obtained in pre-streaming by Vasco with “Vivere o niente”, Jovanotti with “Ora” and dai Modà with “Viva i romantici”, date back to 2011. “Yes, the stage is diamond-shaped, I thought about it before reaching this goal, I risked it a bit, if I hadn’t achieved it, you know what a fool I would be? – he smiles – it is an interesting setup because from every angle of the building you have a different view, the screens reflect different images and are asymmetrical. It all takes place in a post-apocalyptic world.”
This time without a band
“It’s a stage without rulesfollows the imagery of the album ‘Locura’ – intervenes Slait, the rapper’s manager – the break lies precisely in that diamond, in not being ordinary from any point of view”. The most significant difference, compared to the previous tour in the arenas, it’s the lack of a band. “Yes, on the old tour I was surrounded by extraordinary musicians – remember – this time I wanted to change. It all sounds as if you were listening to Spotify (laughs, ed.). I don’t like repeating myself, hence the decision to vary. There remains a piano moment with the participation of my teacher Aleksander Zielinski“. Throughout the month of April he will be busy a European tour: “I will play in spaces where people literally sing at you, it will be nice to return to slightly smaller, more compact places and feel the warmth of the audience so close”. A path that will ferry Lazza towards his first dates in the stadiums, including the one on 9 July at San Siro. “I don’t know yet what I will bring to that context, but it will certainly be something even different,” he continues.
Look at the stage, not at Sanremo
His mind is not on the Sanremo Festival, but on the concerts. A Festival that with “Ashes” in 2023 saw him as the protagonist and led him to place second. A curiosity: in the merch of the dates in the arenas there is a t-shirt on sale with the words “All the forums full even before the Ariston”the reference is to the long series of sold outs obtained before arriving at the event on the Ligurian Riviera, which made it known to a large popular audience, “at the skies”, as he jokingly recalls. “No, I’m not following the Sanremo Festival, I just saw that the report cards on the first listens have come out. Tony Effe, Fedez and Emis Killa I know them well, yes, they will be able to handle the situation – he concludes – an interesting name? BrunoriI think he has a fantastic pen and I will go to see him live soon, I also wrote this to him: ‘I scrounged two tickets to come and see you in concert’”.
