Fabri Fibra

Never quite fitting in among his peers, Fabrizio Tarducci found his niche in hip-hop, a genre that was developing in Italy in the early '90s with the emergence of groups like Sangue Misto, 99 Posse, Articolo 31, and Gemelli Diversi. Tarducci, who rapped under the name Fabri Fibra, released a series of albums in the late '90s with a variety of artists, including his group Uomini del Mare, DJ Lato, and his brother Nesly Rice. After some encouragement from former hard rocker-turned-rapper (and later pop singer) Neffa, Tarducci worked on creating his debut solo album, Turbe Giovanili, which came out in 2002. Despite the fact that he was happy with the results, he decided he needed to take a break from music and left for England, though he soon changed his mind and returned to Italy, where he issued his second record, Mr. Simpatia, in 2004. He then broke from his label, Vibra Records, and signed with Universal Music Italia.

In 2006, Tarducci's major-label debut, Tradimento, arrived and immediately found its way onto the Italian charts. Bugiardo, released in 2008, featured one of the biggest Italian hits of the summer, "In Italia." Controcultura appeared in 2010 became one of Tarducci's biggest hits, selling double-platinum due to the success of its singles "Vip in Trip," "Tranne Te," and "Qualcuno Normale." Three years passed before the release of the next proper Fabri Fibra album, although he did form Rapstar with Clementino and recorded Non è Gratis for a 2012 release. Guerra e Pace appeared in early 2013, and quickly reached number one, staying in the charts for the entire year. It was notable for its input from many American producers, including Organized Noize, Lee Major, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Squallor, released in 2015, and Fenomeno, released two years later, maintained Tarducci's high commercial standing. ~ Marisa Brown, Rovi