The interview with Rondodasosa, the rapper from San Siro based in London
Who is Rondodasosa? Part of the San Siro Collective, with which he released the Platinum "Seven 700 Mixtape" , at twenty he is one of the most acclaimed rappers on the international music scene.
Photography EUGENIO INTINI
Stlyling CECILIA BROSCHI
Rondodasosa , born Mattia Barbieri, comes from Municipality 7 of Milan, that of San Siro, is 20 years old and with his first EP “Giovane Rondo” in 2020 he immediately ranked in the top 50 of Spotify. In a short time he has conquered his place in the world of rap , with singles from millions of streams such as "Dubai" and "Solo / Alone" and collaborations with international rappers such as Central Cee and Tion Wayne . For those wondering what is behind the Rondodasosa phenomenon, the answer is: "the passion for music, some dissing that made people discuss and the hunger to take everything." The latest success? The “Seven 700 Mixtape”, a posse track that brings together the whole collective of San Siro rappers, the guys from Town Hall 7, who have obtained Platinum certification.
Scroll down to discover the interview with Rondodasosa.
He gives very few interviews, he is not a person who likes to talk, if he spends time with friends it is because he really wants to be there; he often wears the balaclava , the accessory that covers the face and leaves only the slit of the eyes uncovered; the mainstream headgear of recent years derived from war clothing ... «I am one of the first to have worn it. On the street I don't like them to recognize me and together with ski masks and track pants that's what I and the others wear ». The others for Rondo are fellow rappers . «Those always angry. Young people today are angry because it is difficult to find their place out there. Hunger is back and finding your way around the suburbs is complicated, let alone in the world. Other times because they don't appreciate what they have » . It sounds like the phrase of a grandfather who preaches to his grandson, but they are the words of Rondodasosa, who over time has learned the value of gratitude. “Just think that the first song I wrote was dedicated to a friend in prison. They arrested him and I wrote down the words, then came the video on YouTube and the views that went up ». Let's talk about “Free Samy”, the freestyle released in January 2020, which in a short time reached 500 thousand views on YouTube and 500 thousand streams on Spotify. Samy will become Sacki 20148, taking up in the name the ZIP code of the popular area of San Siro, and Rondo will begin to make his music known, a mix of English drill and rap with Milan influences. “That boy from San Siro” as Lazza defines him in an interview, he goes to school in the stands of the most important stadium, which is confronted with freeestyle shots with the school of Rozzano (the other Milanese rap scene). Feuds are part of the rap and hip-hop culture. The latest? The rhyming argument with Paky, "I don't listen to anyone but myself." Rondodasosa you imagine him with a sulky face, his fists clenched when he gets angry and his gaze sometimes turned downward out of shyness. With the success that travels fast, comes also what we could define "FOMO / fame" (FOMO acronym for fear of missing out and hunger in the double Italian and English meaning), the other side of the coin of the new generations of artists who in a short time they reach everything and want more and more. Rappers in Italy are often associated with money, luxury, sexist jokes, material successes that they celebrate so much in their lyrics, but Rondo does not want to answer the question of what his relationship with money is. "As soon as I started earning money making music I just bought a lot of shoes."
Scroll down to discover the interview with Rondodasosa.
If rappers abroad are considered real artists, in Italy it is still difficult for them to be taken seriously. “ But something is changing. The Italian scene, and more generally the European one, is becoming relevant. Compared to American hip-hop and rap, we are no longer the last wheel of the wagon ». Rondodasosa is reserved, he doesn't talk about his private life and shares very little on Instagram. Many wonder if there is someone at his side. What is certain is that if anger is a creative driving force, a little love cannot be missing to make rap.
HAIR Angelo Rosa Uliana
GROOMING Carolina Antonini
PHOTO ASSISTANTS Stefano Schiaffonati and Andrea Mariniello
HAIR ASSISTANT Antonio Navoni
GROOMING ASSISTANT Dayhana Piedrahita
STYLING ASSISTANT Fernando Echeverría
SPECIAL THANKS Bar Studios, Via Vallarsa 10, Milan
