Jovanotti

From this point, things started to happen very quickly for the young DJ infatuated with American rap. A few novelty singles revolving around rap and discos met with unexpected success, leading to the release of Jovanotti's first long-player, Jovanotti for President, in 1988. A hodgepodge of derivative, thin-sounding dance tracks, rap quotations, and enthusiastic calls in broken English, the record was derided by critics but caused quite a stir on the Italian charts, with both "Gimme Five" and "E Qui la Festa?" (not included on the album) reaching the top spot. Jovanotti's meteoric success was compounded with his next single, "La Mia Moto," from the 1989 album of the same name, which he was even asked to perform at the Sanremo Festival. Suddenly, Jovanotti was a star and he was everywhere. He published an instant book, the merrymaking manifesto Yo, Brothers and Sisters; became the first Italian veejay on MTV; and hosted his own TV show, inviting rap giants such as Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C. to Italy for the first time. His first compilation, Jovanotti Special, appeared during the same year, collecting non-album singles and a flurry of recordings released under different names, such as the Indian and Gino Latino. In the media, he became the epitome of unthinking, self-indulgent youth whose only concern was to find out where to find the next party. For all of his rap posturing, however, Jovanotti was never perceived as threatening (perhaps due to his rakish good looks?), but rather as a silly fad, not so much a character out of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" than the male equivalent of Cyndi Lauper's protagonist in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

From 🇮🇹 Italy