Lazza and Emis Killa they entered the Monza prison for a morning that has little to do with formal visits and a lot to do with music, discussion and the possibility of building real paths. The meeting – which took place on Friday 14 November – is part of the project Free for Musican initiative promoted and financed by Orange Records with the socio-educational supervision of Paolo Piffer.
Not a concert, not an appearance. But a moment of work that led the artists to sit next to the inmates involved in the workshop: listening to songs, talking about writing, sharing mistakes, pressures, doubts and small career victories. Naturally and without formality, just like two colleagues who enter the studio to start a session.
Free for Music, when a laboratory becomes a journey
Born as a weekly event dedicated to writing and production, Free for Music it has become a continuous path over time. The inmates transform their daily lives – interrupted freedom, distances, fears and the desire for redemption – into original songs. A creative process that required months of authorizations, checks and constant coordination with the prison management, the educational area and the Penitentiary Police.
In a context marked by overcrowding, the space dedicated to training is often residual: according to the XXI report of the Antigone Association, as of 30 April 2025 in Italian prisons there were 62,445 prisonerscompared to just over 51 thousand places. Within these numbers, initiatives like Free for Music become a precious rarity.
Lazza and Emis Killa: direct dialogue, without filters
Jacopo and Emiliano – as they chose to present themselves – sat at the table with the boys, listened to their songs, analyzed the lyrics, talked about method and path. They shared the mistakes of the beginning, the pressures, the unexpected events, the missed opportunities and those narrowly missed. A comparison that transformed the morning into an authentic exchange, built around music and what it can represent for those who will have to get back into the game one day.
“We have worked for months to make this morning possible – tells Paolo Piffer – overcoming bureaucratic steps, authorizations and the inevitable limits of the context. But seeing the kids' eyes as they talked to their idols repays every effort. I'm sure they will remember it for a long time“.
One of the declared objectives of the project is to publish the songs created in the laboratory: not leaving them closed within the walls, but transforming them into tracks available on digital platforms. A choice that gives value to the work of the participants and allows for the creation of a dialogue with the outside world, showing the path taken and offering skills that can be used once the prison period is over.
«Free for Music – explains Christian CambareriCEO of Orange Records – was born from a simple idea: bringing real skills where opportunities are often lacking. It is not a sporadic intervention: it is a structured path that aims to give continuity to the work of the inmates. The morning with Lazza and Emis Killa confirms that, when you work well, the prison can open up to useful training processes even outside these walls“.
The project was possible thanks to the collaboration of the Management and the educational area of the Prison: the Director BuccolieroDr Sacconeeducators and the Penitentiary Police. An uncommon opening in the Italian panorama and fundamental for the success of the initiative.
Orangle Records has already confirmed that Free for Music will continue in the coming months with new activities – some of which are still confidential.
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