Hip-hop has always been a genre born out of a mix of young boredom, political anguish and an artist yearning for their voice to be heard. Whether they were part of the genre’s roots on the opposing US coasts in the late '70s, or the kids in South Korea making their own imprint on the scene today, the international language of rap has resonated with so many, both performers and fans. The Italian hip-hop scene hasn't been considered much on an international level, but the Italian rappers involved in it have been creating a diverse breeding ground for colourfully-dressed acts making commercial pop-rap, as well as a reel of other Italian artists making more serious stuff, who have their sights set on making a difference to the towns and cities they grew up in.

In a piece for Huck Magazine on Milan’s burgeoning hip-hop and rap scene, journalist Cian Traynor argued that “some [rappers] rely on hip-hop as an outlet for self-expression, some... a weapon for social change… others just see it as fun music.” This killer triad of hip-hop making qualities can be seen all across Italy’s biggest cities; with Rome and Milan both acting as burgeoning hubs for the movement. Despite the fact that when thinking of rap culture the Italian scene might not be one of the first ones that pops us in people's mind, some of the best and up-and-coming Italian rappers are ready and absolutely deserving of imminent worldwide breakout. To not get caught off guard when that time comes, keep reading.

Here's our rundown of the best Italian rappers worth keeping an eye on in 2024:

Salmo

Without a doubt one of the most accomplished, recognizable, internationally acclaimed and authentic artist on this list is Salmo. My absolute personal favourite the italian rap scene has had to offer since Frankie Hi Energy.

Since his debut in Italian hip-hop, he has released five solo albums, peaking at number one three times, and numerous successful singles and collaborations, selling more than 3 million copies in Italy. So yeah, definitely not an up and comer but one you must know.

Salmo is an artist that never compromised and made up an entire artistic journey of falls, comebacks, and great successes. A heavy dubstep infused rap of his early beginnings, with his latest album Flop (2022) he has show that, if it wants to, it can master other registers. Offering a taste of each musical genre that is (probably) aimed to appeal to everyone, Salmo seems aware that this makes the record more maistream, and in the eyes of the most purist of the genre risks a loss of coherence, but it allows for a complete project, and artist, to come to life.

Achille Lauro

Hailing from the capital city of Rome, Achille Lauro – real name Lauro De Marinis – dubs himself the “anti-rapper,” a hip-hop musician who forgoes the macho stereotypes of rap culture in favor of a feminine aesthetic, making tropical-tinged samba rap in the process.

He broke out back in 2014 with "Achille Idol-Immortale," a rap record steeped in religious allegories, but found a fresher, more contemporary sound last year. 2017 saw him sign with Sony Records, releasing party-friendly rap in collaboration with producer Boss Doms, who now makes his mark on pretty much all of Achille’s tracks.

We’re still trying to decide whether his flamboyant aesthetic is an example of queer tourism or signs of an artist rejecting toxic masculinity in hip-hop today, but for now we can revel in this lad’s daring style and entertaining musical delivery.

Think Lil Peep meets Tommy Cash, but in Italian.

Massimo Pericolo

Massimo Pericolo, translated to Maximum Danger, stage name of Alessandro Vanetti, was born in Gallarate in the 1990s and approached rap at the age of ten.

He represents the face of the provinces and the voice of all the people who inhabit them. Being such a reference point is not easy or even trivial, considering how much Italian rap revolves around the city and its suburbs, and it is definitely a sought-after and conscious choice.

This representation comes to the forefront even more explicitly in his latest album release, Le Cose Cambiano, where Massimo Pericolo offers the vision of someone who finds himself singing out of the choir, far from the din of the urban context and also has every intention of staying there to do so.

Ultimately, Massimo Pericolo's music, also in his previous music releases before breaking through a more mainstream audience, aims to give a voice to young people who have none, trying to represent a context that is sometimes unfamiliar or at any rate far from the dynamics we are used to hearing in Italian rap.

Gemitaiz

A Universal Music signee and longtime contributor to the Italian rap scene, Gemitaiz has been dropping mixtapes and full-length records for more than15 years now. When he was just 13, he surrounded himself with the Rome-dwelling hip-hop crowd, befriending fellow rap star CaneSecco and forming Xtreme Team, a collective that would go on to dominate the Italian rap industry between 2006 and 2012.

He’s still a big deal today though. Gemitaiz is known for dealing with street and narco culture in his lyrics, and hit a tough point in 2014 when he was arrested on suspicion of drug dealing offences. After being placed on house arrest, he bounced back with an album that went platinum in Italy, and followed in 2019 with Scatola Nera (featuring MadMan) and, my personal favourite, Eclissi this past year.

Ghali

Ghali is, for us, Italy’s most exciting young face in hip-hop right now. Born to Tunisian parents and raised in the suburbs of Milan, he draws inspiration from everybody from Michael Jackson to Migos when making his trap-heavy records.

Famed for his keen eye for fashion, killer ear for beats and an even better one for good flows, he’s been around for the past half decade, working with a number of different rap collectives, but gaining his brilliant solo breakout in 2016.

His music touches on the dichotomy between his African heritage and Italian upbringing – which he ponders through tongue-in-cheek metaphors in “Pizza Kebab” – and how chill his approach to relationships is; “We’re watching documentaries on the universe and how it works” he admits on the excellent "Habibi." His debut LP, titled Album is a party-ready dive into the life of this 24-year-old Milanese rapper, and has already gone double platinum in his home country.

KETAMA126

Taking inspiration from the white god of trap Yung Lean, KETAMA126 is Italy’s prime purveyor of hazy, soaring cloud rap. Working mainly with his Love Gang group (aka SOLDY MUSIC, aka CXXVI/126 – they have many monikers), he’s part of a softer, more expressive movement coming out of Milan at the moment.

Working alongside Pretty Solero, Franco 126, Nino B and more, KETAMA’s catalogue is shaped by this dream-like vision of the world he and his friends grew up in - dwelling on drugs, relationships, and the pressures of growing up across his last three releases. His most recent LP, Oh Madonna, saw him remove himself from the equation, painting a wider picture of the lives young Italians lead. “It speaks of me, of my life, but through images – not anecdotes,” he said.

Pretty Solero

Another member of the Love Gang group, Pretty Solero makes swooping, bass and percussion heavy hip-hop for the “snowflake” generation. A creator of crestfallen love songs, he’s opted to call his record Romanzo Rosa, or Romance Novel; it’s no surprise that he’s superimposed himself into some Lana Del Rey clips for the video of his song "Red Roses."

We have to say, the visuals for Solero’s work veer on ‘white boy rap’ satire at times, but the songs themselves aren’t too bad. Whether soppy odes to past lovers are your thing or not, there’s no denying that there’s a refreshing element of fragility to his work. If you’re a hip-hop obsessive whose not looking to get too crazy, give this guy a try.

Priestess

It’s safe to say that hip-hop everywhere, not only in Italy, is unfairly dominated by male voices. But with the rise of a woke new generation, we’re starting to discover more talented women in the rap sphere; in Italy, Priestess is leading the pack.

Part of Universal’s roster, Priestess, real name Alessandra Prete, was discovered after her name wound up in the hands of MadMan, an Italian rapper who featured her on his 2015 record, Doppelganger. She doesn’t need anybody’s cosign though: Prete makes feverishly catchy and smart trap songs about cutthroat relationships, told through the lens of some of history’s most iconic women.

Rkomi

Allured by the hip-hop game by his rapping older cousin, Milan-raised emcee Rkomi originally started out as one half of a familial duo named Cugini Bellavita back in 2013, before parting ways and going solo. After a short time away from making music, he returned in 2016 with an image and sound that hip-hop fans and radio stations went crazy for, and quickly cemented himself as one of the best Italian rappers in the scene.

You can recognise Rkomi’s work thanks to his relentless flow. He can somehow pack what feels like two dozen syllables in one breath – and his subjects of discussion seem pretty varied too. On his verse for the posse cut "Bimbi" (alongside Sfera Ebbasta, IZI and more), he’s musing about the inescapable nature of the city he grew up in. But he’s not always so melancholic: "Liam Gallagher," a brutal two minute cut in which Rkomi compares himself to the famed Oasis frontman, is a track about cockiness and knowing your worth.

Sfera Ebbasta

Part of the respected Def Jam roster, Sfera Ebbasta calls himself the ‘Trap King’ on his Instagram feed. With his flash pink hair, grills and Kurt Cobain shades, he certainly looks the part, channeling artists from his genre’s emo renaissance. His music, however, is more the kind of polished pop-rap that could tear up the Billboard chart.

A chance encounter with producer Charlie Charles at a rap event back in 2013 led Sfera on the path to making hip-hop. The pair linked up for a series of projects together, including his debut album XVDR and his eponymous follow-up – both of which landed him with a loyal fanbase in his home country. Then came Rockstar: his LP that saw him collaborate with Quavo and Rich the Kid – a rare crossover for Italian rap, that was further expanded with his latest album Famoso, in which he collaborated with the likes of Offset, Future, Steve Aoki, Diplo, J Balvin e Lil Mosey. It’s clear that Def Jam think he’s got what it takes to go all the way, so watch this space.

Rondodasosa

If even Drake gives you flowers on Instagram, than you deserve to be on the list of the best italian rappers. Mattia Barbieri aka Rondodasosa was born in San Siro, Milan, and began his musical career in early 2020 by releasing his debut EP, Giovane Rondo. In 2021 he was part of Central Cee's mixtape and single "Eurovision", alongside another italian rapper Baby Gang, british rapper A2Anti, spanish rappers Morad and Beny Jr and french rappers Ashe 22 andFreeze Corleone. On April 29, 2022, the day of his 20th birthday, inspired by US drill music, he released the single "Sturdy". Later last year, Rondodasosa finally released his first album titled Treches baby. Trust us, he is here to stay!

Tedua

Bouncing between Genoa and Milan throughout his childhood, Tedua’s sound is the product of a man who’s never felt at home in either place. Raised in a single-parent family, his frenetic, often anger-laced rhymes dwell on the violence that surrounded him in the streets as a kid. That being said, he’s able to apply a similar energy to a collection of tracks that poke fun at rap culture and Italian hip-hop scene, while pandering semi-ironically to its stereotypes too; they’re both present on his Orange County mixtape trilogy.

When he’s not rapping, you can see him dipping his toe in the fashion world, too. For Dolce and Gabbana’s 2018 menswear collection, Tedua joined the sons of the world’s most famous faces to walk the FW18 runway.

Curious to know more about what the countries are doing in the rap game, take a look at our list of the best Gorillaz songs, the best 10 Korean rappers, or Spanish rappers to keep on your radar.