Guè Pequeno

Cosimo Fini, born in Milan in 1980, is one of the recurring names in Italian hip-hop and, under one of his aliases, Il Guercio or Guè Pequeno or simply Guè, is one of those figures who shows up in at least three different chapters of the genre's history in Italy: his stint with the influential Sacre Scuole ("3 Mc's al cubo", 1999), the long arc from hardcore-rap to pop-rap with Club Dogo, and finally his solo career, which, after a handful of EPs and mixtapes, took off on the wave of early trap with “Il ragazzo d’oro” (2011), one of the first Italian examples of the style and an album that owes more than a little to the southern-hip-hop scene. The platinum-selling “Bravo ragazzo” (2013) places him somewhere between hardcore-rap and pop, buoyed by the single “Brivido” with his friend Marracash.

“Vero” (2015), showing a new maturity in handling the album format, is released through Def Jam. The double-platinum “Santeria” (2016), co-credited with Marracash, is the commercial seal of approval on an album that could well be Italy's answer to “Watch The Throne”. The singles lifted from it rack up another 7 platinum certifications.

The success is matched as a solo artist too with “Gentleman” (2017), much closer to the trap style that had by then become fashionable. “Lamborghini”, quadruple platinum in its remix version with Sfera Ebbasta and Elettra Lamborghini, is one of the most-streamed singles of the year. With his fifth album “Sinatra” (2018), produced and overseen by Charlie Charles, the transition from the hardcore sound of his early career to a multifaceted, deeply experienced rap style is now complete. Building on this pedigree, with “Mr. Fini” (2020), “GVESVS” (2021) and “Madreperla‟ (2023), as well as countless collaborations, he keeps up the pace well into the 2020s.

Since 2013 every one of his albums has gone platinum or multi-platinum, while the singles bearing his name, as lead artist, co-writer or featured guest, have topped thirty platinum certifications combined.

(Antonio Silvestri)