Clementino: “My dark side” (at the intersection of Naples and Los Angeles)

Compton, approx 20 kilometers south of downtown Los Angeles. From the window of a typical US building, songs by Pino Daniele fired at full blast. Every now and then someone would come out of the room with a football shirt: it was that of Napoli. “Maybe that’s why everyone in the neighborhood loved us,” he laughs Clementinetelling us about the genesis of his new album, Black Pulcinella, out of April 29 for Epic Records Italy / Sony Music Italy. «The title on the one hand recalls African American music, which was a source of inspiration, on the other hand it is a tribute to my roots, with an iconic mask ».

Okay, but in practice where did this record come from?
«Between California and Naples: immediately after the lockdown, my staff and I went to West Hollywood and got to work. There some traces came out, then obviously we went back to the studio in Italy too ».

A postcard that you carry around linked to that period?
“There are so many: from traveling in the desert with the jeep to Las Vegas and listening to typical songs California hotels, or we who were pushing Pino Daniele. Detail: we only ate well when we went to the Italian restaurant ».

Have you found something that unites Naples and Los Angeles?
«First of all the slang, the Neapolitan dialect is very Compton. And then, one thing I love, is the upbeat beat, which arrives late, and this is also a meeting point with my origins: as Massimo Troisi said, the Pulcinella without a mask, “sorry for the delay“”.

I ask you for a verse that you think tells this album well.
“I’ll tell you two, the first is from Universe:”hands shaking in unison, red carpet like my blood offered in sacrifice, the story of a puppet that laughs is sad, the Black Pulcinella ready for the apocalypse“: It represents the sacrifices I made to get here, and I still don’t feel satisfied. The second is in the title track, in dialect it says “a jester on stage and behind the dressing rooms, you see that he laughs but he has thorns on his back “: translated, people see me happy, but they don’t know everything I’ve been through “.

According to the first verse, he says he still does not feel satisfied: yet, in addition to the albums, he has done many other things, including cinema and TV. By the way, is it harder to rap or present?
«For me to present, although I enjoy it a lot: I think I’m more of a hitter, the one who messes up, who bothers the serious presenter. Before The VoiceNow Made in South, I realized that people like my entertainer figure, this turned me around. Then, of course, there’s the music, I want to make another 30 records: I write a lot, I don’t like leaving things on the computer ».

Moving on to the second verse you mentioned, the subtitle of the project emerges, “The Dark Side of Ienawhite”. Here, what are its dark sides?
“Paranoia and insecurity are part of me, but much better that way than being presumptuous. In my life I fought a lot, I went through a dark period between drugs and community. Before, I didn’t have the strength to tell it. “

What has changed now?
«As I say in another verse,“ fear and boredom are my children ”: I always have to live with something wrong, this is my balance. However, I do not hide the fact that now is a good time, I am fine both physically and in my mind ».

Can you identify a turning point?
“Growing up the way you see things changes, you abandon more adolescent thinking. Then getting on television was fundamental: professionally you apply yourself, you learn, you understand new things, all this makes you mature. And I also got engaged ».

Right! But is it true that she is thinking of getting married?
«The will is there, but we still don’t know when. I’m fine with Martina, I would also like to have children with her. We will see. Surely I would like a more regular life with my family, this can be said ».

However, Clement-ino remains.
“Given the age – I’m almost forty – and the young artists who collaborated on the album, I feel more like Zio Clemente (laughs, ed), proud of it. Thanks to these feat. I’m back with 90s rap disco, but projected in 2022 ».

Dwelling on collaborations, how do you see the rap scene in Naples?
«There is a thread that binds neomelodic to rap, but we must be careful not to fall in that direction, otherwise we risk becoming neomelodic singers on a trap basis, we risk neo-trap! I’m not talking about anyone in particular, I’m just saying you have to be careful. The scene is still alive: J Lord, Nicola Siciliano, Geolier are very young and very valid, people who break and I pulled in ».

And the scene in Italy, in general?
«I see it well: a wave of rappers all alike had arrived, the fans understood this and realized that the veterans, some pioneers, have taken another direction. I think of the new albums by Marracash, Noyz Narcos, Fabri Fibra, the strong ones stand out and those who remain standard, automatically, are killed. For this I have pulled out ATM, which is Clementino, the evolution of myself. He is not a copy of anyone ».

You mentioned Marracash: what do you think of the duet with Vasco? Two different genres that meet, she knows something.
«Both Marra and I are like detergent, we work well on all surfaces. In the sense, we rapped on the underground, on pop songs, on radio hits. He is a great modern singer-songwriter and he deserves it: a devastating pen, for me in Italy he is among the best three. For him it must have been fantastic, as for me it was fantastic to sing with Pino Daniele ».

Today, however, who do you dream of collaborating with?
«My dream was precisely Pino Daniele, then there were other great ones like Jovanotti and Fabri Fibra. If I had to name everyone on an international level, I would say Snoop Dogg: for me he would be the top ».

Staying on the Naples-West Coast axis.

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