Dj Fastcut

DJ Fastcut, the name by which Roman DJ and producer Valerio Alessi, born in '86, is best known, has been active in music since 2002 and paid his dues alongside Sgravo and Mr Mine. Under the name Carbonara Team, the three gained a certain underground following, releasing “Gioventù bruciata” (2008). Only Sgravo and Dj FastCut remained, later joining Inquilini, and thus stayed active as a duo under the name Guastaf3st3. Dj Fastcut shines as a solo artist, achieving a certain international profile - quite rare for our scene - thanks to collaborations with KRS-One, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Ghostaface Killah, but it's in 2016, with “Dead Poets,” that he truly leaves his mark: across its 15 tracks unfolds an Italian hip-hop rooted in homegrown hardcore tradition, open to international contributions and driven by the voices of numerous rappers, including scene celebrities like Bassi Maestro and new names far removed from the emerging trap trend (Rancore, Claver Gold, Murubutu). Holding the contributions together is a fil rouge tied to the film “L'attimo fuggente” (Dead Poets Society), but above all a fabric of samples and scratches from Alessi, who reinterprets the classic sound of the Roman scene by working on an abundance of references, including foreign ones, without upending a now well-established language. In 2019 came “Dead Poets 2: I Due Ordini,” a sprawling double album featuring 60 artists who rallied to contribute to the most impressive hardcore hip-hop exercise outside our mainstream, a total of 26 tracks exploring the underground of angry, aggressive rhymes in an Italian rap scene far removed from radio play and trends. It's a triumph of productions that nod to the Nineties, a parade of old glories and more recent names, a monument to an alternative, lateral musical world, yet one rich with punchlines, samples, and beats that tell the boundless story of 25 years of Italian hip-hop (and the reflection of the global scene upon it). Given these premises, “Dead Poets 3 - Maledetti” (2021) is a (inevitably?) disappointing third chapter, far more modest in form and less sprawling in content. Partly because it's very similar to the dozens of tracks already released in the “series,” partly because the names involved deliver less razor-sharp bars. At least a handful of tracks are still worth remembering: the grim “Il peggio del peggio” (feat. Virux, Suarez, Kappa O), the Roman-minstrel rap of “Famme dormì” (with Sgravo, Er Pinto, Chef), and the pop crossover of “Smackdown” (with Caparezza and trumpeter Roy Paci). He regains his strength with “Dead Poets 4 - Ad Honorem” (2024): across its 15 tracks, an uncompromising hardcore spirit prevails, delivering substantial doses of punchlines and memorable verses, strictly explicit. The ideal antidote to the trap overdose of recent years, this “Dead Poets 4 - Ad Honorem” is best listened to at full volume and on repeat, diving in with due awareness into its whirlwind of violent imagery, references, and lethal rhymes.

(Antonio Silvestri)