Here’s how EM15 was: the event for Emis Killa’s 15-year career

Tell EM15the super event held at Fiera Milano on the occasion of the 15-year career of Emis Killait’s not simple at all. Thinking back, you have some conflicting thoughtspartly because we have witnessed something unique and a little because of what was seen on stage it wasn’t entirely what we expected. The name was more than explanatory «EM15», an event in which the rapper from Vimercate would celebrate his first 15 years of career. In this Emis he was clear: «Don’t expect just a concert» and he kept his word, he who is a guy of his word, as admitted by his colleagues on stage. Thinking then about the most suitable term to describe EM15 we could then opt for “different”. Different because this concert-event was a great celebration of Italian rap and not something totally self-referential. Homage was paid not only to the music, but to the entire hip-hop culture, also present with a freestyle competitionwhich took place on a secondary stage, and a writing session where you could witness the creation of some graffiti live. All in full style Emis Killawho has never made a secret of his total passion for this cultural movement.

If hip-hop has had its fair share of tributes, the same cannot be said for his career. of the rapper from Vimercate who, on more than one occasion, it seemed to take a back seat to everything else. And perhaps it is here that things started to go wrong, or rather, to go in the opposite direction to the celebration that was expected. The lineup was filled with many guests, starting with Fedez, friend since the beginning of his career, from those of the old guard like J-Axwho was one of the first rappers to be heard when Emis found the cassette of City streets at his aunt’s house, or as Jake The Furya close friend with whom he made the album 17. There was no shortage of representatives of the more recent generations, such as Ernia, Geolier, Sfera Ebbasta and Lazza. The list is long and is completed with Chief Plaza, Kid Yugi, Maximum Danger, Neima Ezza, Nicky Savage, Paky, Rhove, Simba La Rue, Villabanks.

Stephen Manzoni

It is true, There is no official parameter to say that the list is too longso much so that seeing them all on stage It was as exciting as it was alienatingespecially when the guests performed pieces from their repertoire – all selected by Emis Killa who played the role of artistic director – in which the host did not appear. A choice that certainly benefited the show but that transformed the celebration of 15 years of career into a small festival, perhaps taking away too much space from the protagonist of the event, who would have been nice to hear in other pieces from the early years, those of Champagne and Spine for example. We will remember EM15 as a big collective celebration and if this was the intent then everything succeeded.