SLF, the Rap looking for authentic Naples

We are in full “spring” of the Neapolitan rap, a golden moment for the local scene. If in the past the use of dialect has raised doubts about the accessibility and spread of the Neapolitan rap on the national scene, today the discussion appears completely overcome. The dialect is no longer perceived as an obstacle, but an element that adds authenticity and a symbol of cultural roots.

The demonstration lies not only in the growing number of Neapolitan artists at the top of the listening rankings, but also in the thickness and originality of their projects. Among the protagonists of this phase, the SLF (acronym of we are the Fam) stands out. Composed of MV Killa, Lele Blade, Vale Lambo, Yung Snapp and Niko Beatz, the crew created a coherent musical identity, capable of merged different talents in a collective project. This alchemy is evident in their latest mixtape We the Squad Vol. 2. Naples is able to tell each other authenticly through rap, beyond surface narratives.

In contemporary rap, in Italy and beyond, the concept of collective is increasingly rare. SLF has chosen to carry it on with determination. “Once upon a time the idea of ​​the group was stronger, even at the market level,” says Lele Blade. «But putting many heads together is not easy. Those who start by themselves often continue alone. We have always been in the same collective, it is part of our way of seeing music ». MV Killa adds that, although not a group in the strict sense, their way of collaborating adds thickness to the music they produce: «We are autonomous artists, but we organize ourselves as a crew. We love to be together. Our single careers, growing, also improve the collective. The final result is greater than the sum of the parts ». For Yung Snapp this approach goes beyond music: «We have always reasoned collectively, sharing study and spaces. It is a structured modus operandi, as if it were a common laboratory ».

All this happens in a unique context in the Italian panorama such as that of the city of Naples, where in the rap scene, especially the youngest one, there is a sense of solidarity and cohesion that is difficult to find elsewhere. “It is a mentality that belongs to our city, but it is also a necessity,” says Mv Killa. “In Naples there is no structured musical industry like in Milan, so we had to build everything alone, making strength on each other”. Lele Blade confirms: «We have always had a different mentality. It is an intrinsic thing to our way of being ».

From the most related songs to the tradition of Rap Street to the most radio -themed pieces, Naples is always present in the background. Sometimes it emerges as the protagonist. This is the case of 'Na vita Annanzone of the deepest and most interesting songs that the group has ever produced. It tells of the many innocent deaths that have dotted the black news of Naples in recent years. “We are proud of this piece,” says Yung Snapp. «We were in Tuscany to finalize the album, and at that time Naples was marked by many deaths on the street. The story of Santo Romano affected us deeply, was a trauma. We felt the need to tell the pain of seeing so many innocent to die like this and to transmit our suffering. Like young Neapolitans, we felt extremely involved in seeing people who could have been to die in that way. It is one of the few pieces with a social background that we have made in our career, but we go super proud ».

MV Killa is linked to this theme, speaking of the unidimensional narrative to which the media often resort to telling Naples. According to the rapper, the city is always reduced to a stereotype both when it criminalizes it and when a folkloric portrait is made. Rap is one of the few spaces in which the city manages to tell itself authenticly. «It is important to tell all the sides of our city. A few years ago Naples has lived a flourishing period, also thanks to tourism, “says Mv Killa. “We would like to show the complexity of our city, above all trying to represent the guys who live in it and by conveying a positive message”.

We the Squad 2 A mixtape is defined by rappers, yet the project has the shape of a real disc. Mixtapes are a typical product of the rap world of the early 2000s, substantially compilation of songs in which non -original production were used and which were therefore distributed in a circuit parallel to that of official music. Today with streaming everything has changed and mixtapes, in their original meaning, no longer exist. “For us Mixtape means freedom,” explains Yung Snapp. «In solo paths we follow a personal vision, in the mixes we explore everything, without constraints. In the studio, if we hear a beat that inspires us, we follow it without superstructures. When you make a single disc, you can decide at the start that you want to treat a specific theme, in the collective disc it is rare that it happens. You work on the ideas: if someone records a verse on one topic, another can hook and develop it. Knowing us well, everything comes naturally ».

Vale Lambo adds that “at the production level, our mixtape has nothing to envy to an album. It is the approach that makes the difference. We the Squad It is a mixtape for the way we make it, rather than for the final result ». “When you make a solo album follow only your path,” says MV Killa, “with SLF you have to put all the cards on the table and find a synthesis. Yung Snapp has a key role in this, but we are all used to managing this balance. Being part of an heterogeneous project is our strength: we can always create something new ». Lele Blade: «We are lucky because we are distributed on different age groups, which allows us to have varied sensitivity. Each completes the other both in terms of personal experiences and on know -how musical”.

The SLF therefore manages to combine modernity and tradition, in a mixture with a contemporary flavor. To convey the concept of mixtape, and tie it to the group's Neapolitanity, two short videos have been published on the pages of the collective that tell the story of the smugglers in the port of the Campania leader. “The smugglers are the Hustler of Naples,” says MV Killa, “people who build their own way of surviving from nothing. It is a very hip hop story, even if it happens in a different context. We want to do this, build bridges that tell our identity ».