Sfera and his brothers: Italian trap is (already) 10 years old
From the beginning, it divided and caused discussion, polarizing. On the one hand there were those who considered it the clearest and most authentic photography of the new generations, on the other who criticized it by dismissing it as music made of easy provocations, poor language and apology for excesses. In fact, even today, debates on lifestyles, the social responsibility of artists (assuming they have a social responsibility) and the (counter) values conveyed by the lyrics of the songs fill talk shows, newspaper pages and discussions on social media. Yet in the long run trap has proven that it is not a passing fad: it has resisted the fluctuations of public tastes and continued to update itself, also contaminating pop and becoming one of the main codes of Italian music of the last ten years. 2026 will be a pivotal year for the genre: one that will mark the tenth anniversary of a season that radically changed the sound, imagery and pop culture of the country. And for the occasion there will be no shortage of celebrations by Sfera Ebbasta and his brothers. The trapper from Cinisello Balsamo has already moved forward, announcing two shows at San Siro, one scheduled for 8th and the other for 9th July 2026, and a large project that will collect all the initiatives linked to the anniversary as a container. Even the record ones. He renamed it “$€LEBRATION“, written like this. And never mind if it sounds a little self-referential: if in 2016 trap – still perceived as a niche phenomenon at the time – made its definitive leap into the mainstream, redefining aesthetic and linguistic codes, it was above all thanks to Gionata Boschetti, who with the eponymous album, the first released for a multinational, inaugurated a new type of pop star, closer to the digital bedrooms of the suburbs than to the stages of the singer-songwriter tradition. A phenomenon well covered by playlist which you find below, which you can listen to by clicking on “play“.
The Sfera Ebbasta revolution had already started a year earlier, in 2015, when as an independent the trapper from the Milanese suburbs together with his right-hand man Charlie Charles published the album “XDVR“. The exploit, which started from the bottom, allowed him to win the attention of the recording industry and shortly thereafter to sign for Universal, one of the multinationals in the recording industry. «The move to the major label didn’t affect me almost at all, except for the fact that I knew that I would be dealing with a much larger audience. From the beginning I made it a point not to be modified by anyone: I wanted to do my own thing, period. Universal and Def Jam give me a chance to do that. This transition was as natural as going from a totally independent artist to Marracash’s Roccia Music: when you start to make yourself known, situations, if you’re good, you create them. In my case, my good friend and manager Shablo made sure that all this was possible”, he told Rockol at the time, in this interview, one of the first granted.
“XDVR” – and the subsequent reissue “XDVR – Reloaded” – was not just a successful album: it represented the legitimation of an entire movement. The immediate language, the hypnotic melodies, the street aesthetic revisited according to the codes of the web and the international production opened a door to a new world. 2026 will bring that moment back to the center of attention, not only to celebrate an artist who has since become a pop icon, but to come to terms with what that record meant for youth culture and for Italian discography.
$€LEBRATION collects under one great title the artistic initiatives – recording and live – of this special anniversary, starting from the release (for Universal Music Italy) Of “XDVR Anniversary10″. The album that in 2015 marked a new era for the Italian scene come back in aunmissable celebratory editionto remember how it all began and raise the level again: the original tracks are presented with a new mix and new master edited by Charlie Charles, designed to enhance every detail and give the listener an even more powerful sound experience. To these are added two unreleased songsboth dating back to the beginning of Sfera’s career and obviously produced by Charlie Charles: “Pray for Us” and “Watches”, piece that went viral in the past but never officially published until now. The most iconic way to crown a work that marked the direction and which still sets standards today, in the name of a story that continues to grow.
Now available for pre-order, “XDVR Anniversary10″ will be available digitally from Friday 5 Decemberand off we go from 12 December also in four physical formats: Standard CD, Autographed CD, Double colored vinyl (purple and green), Double colored vinyl signed and numbered.
And to pay homage to the cult titles of the Trap King’s discography through new collector’s editions, three new products are also arriving, all on vinyl and characterized by exclusive alternative covers: the vinyl “Sfera Ebbasta”with original tracklist and alternative cover, in mixed red; The double colored vinyl “Rockstar – Rockstar (International version)”, with original tracklist and International Version, and alternative cover in pink and yellow; The “Famous” vinylwith original tracklist and alternative cover, in transparent gold; it is also available again special pop-up vinyl of “X2VR” with alternative artwork.
