Capo Plaza

There was a period when Luca D'Orso, born in Salerno in 1998 and better known as Capo Plaza, drew the attention of the scene and of fans, especially his teenage peers. He made his debut on YouTube in 2013 with "Sto giù", still fully in a hardcore hip-hop style, then teamed up with Sfera Ebbasta for "Tutti i giorni" (2014), by which point he was already deep into trap, in its most aggressive and uncompromising form. The videos are a great example of the aesthetic of early Italian trap, shaped by influences from the US and France.

With "Sulamente Nuje" (2016), alongside fellow Salerno native Peppe Soks, he put together an adrenaline-fuelled but brief street album in dialect that captures trap still in its raw, violent phase. He signed to Sto, the label founded by Ghali, and built up hype with three tracks billed as "workouts": the second went triple platinum, the third double. These are tracks that steer clear of dialect, streamline the production by simplifying it and putting the rapper front and centre, softening the flow and leaning on autotune to give the melody more weight. Much of this growth can be credited to producer Ava, who found the perfect setting for his sing-song flow.

The turning point comes with “Giovane fuoriclasse” (2017, triple platinum and over 100 million YouTube views), trap steeped in autotune, with a hypnotic beat featuring an initial change of pace and a hammering beat pervaded by sub-bass. This blueprint is closely followed on the album “20” (2018, quadruple platinum).

The second album is called “Plaza” (2020, double platinum), a title that seems to suggest this is the trapper's real debut. The success is solid but reveals a dip in public interest. “Hustle Mixtape” (2022) tries to return to the trap of his early days. “Ferite” (2024) recounts wins and losses with a mix of trap and pop-rap.

(Antonio Silvestri)