by “Old School G” Greg Schick

For the past decade, Italian emcee/producer Silek has been a mianstay in the Italian hip hop scene. While much of Italian hip hop has turned gangsta - or “Mafia-style”, as the case may be - Silek has continued to follow the path of socially conscious themes and lyrics. In the midst of an Italian economic crisis and political corruption, Silek seeks to bring people together with his music and message.

Silek took some time to speak with World Hip Hop Market via email from Padova, Italy.

Old School G: Tell us a little about the background of hip hop in Italy.

Silek: Today, Hip Hop is raising much interest among Italians, especially among media and labels. Nevertheless, only a few things are published mainstream, and above all tracks with more “commercial value” rather than with technical and conceptual importance. The underground movement is spreading more and more and some interesting realties are coming out.

OSG: How did you first get into hip hop?

I got to know Hip Hop thanks to the few video clips that were transmitted on Italian TV toward the end of 80’s (Public Enemy, Run-DMC, De La Soul).
I had been a simple “listener” for many years and only in 1996 I started writing and I got in contact with the Hip hop movement in Padova, the city where I still live, and I founded the first rap band in the city (DOZHENS). 
During the following years I travelled a lot all over Italy by getting in touch with the underground movement which was very intense that time.

What made you want to be an MC?

It’s my wish to communicate, to express myself, to analyse in depth the self-consciousness and the surrounding reality, hoping that my personal experiences and points of view can transfer something important to the people who listen to my music.
It is a sort of revolution or revenge, which points out my independence from social schemes.
Being an MC has been my wish since I listened to my first hip hop LP, which was Tougher Than Leather by Run-DMC.

What is Italian hip hop like today? Commercial? Underground? Gangster?

Hip hop in Italy is today mainly “gangster-like”, to say “life on the street”. Indeed people stress the fact they come from hardships and discomfort, but this is often overemphasized and exaggerated. The search for money, for social revenge, tough life and all commonplaces concerning this matter are the main topics of their tracks.
It seems that in order to be an MC people must necessarily have a “ghetto- and poverty-background”.
Fortunately, there are also many examples of people who made Hip hop their own communication mean to express different concepts and a different reality.

I consider Hip Hop as an empty container that people can fill up with everything they want and evolve it by adapting it to the times and to new and different social contexts rather than repeat it endlessly as a cliché.



How do you think the economy and politics of Italy have effected hip hop?

In order to simplify some concepts of “opening toward other cultures” or of “brotherhood”, they have been linked to the left-wing politics, so the first RAP (POSSE) in this sense was born within centri sociali - (a place where people aggregate and propose both cultural and political activities. It is managed collectively by allowing participants to be both promoters and organizers. Such union places were born mostly from radical left-wing political movements and upon such principles and ideals they are generally organized.) - also because they were the only places that allowed people to performance.

As time went by, this often caused confusion both within the movement itself and in those who were external, who have combined HIP HOP and Communism as they were part of the same container.
Therefore, a big part of the Italian Hip Hop has been deeply influenced by it, but today I think it has nothing to do with party politics, although most lives still take place at centri sociali.

In my opinion, hip hop should be non-political or, even better, ideologically independent.

You performed at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival in 2006. How did you find out about that festival and come to perform there?

In 2004, during my visit in USA, I met DJ Magee (one of the Festival organizers) at a party in New Heaven. Some freestyle sessions occured and two years later, when Magee organized the festival, he proposed me to take part in.

I couldn’t miss this opportunity, so I accepted his invitation with honor. It was really an awesome experience and I seize the opportunity to thank again Magee, the whole Trinity staff and Nomadic Wax for publishing a track of mine on the Festival compilation.

Give us your discography. What are the albums and singles you have released?

My discography is entirely SELF-PRODUCED. Here it is:


LP
DOZHENS DHS 1998

DOZHENS HI - TECH 2002

SETTIMO SENSO 2003

DOZHENS COSE MALVAGIE 2005

SORRISI E FINZIONI - SileK 2006



SINGLES within COMPILATIONS

Nomadic Wax - COSTANTE

Mc’s For Peace - SANGUE CALDO

What is your new album all about?

As for this work, I wanted to go back mentally to the beginning, when I first started and when things were done because there was a pure need for expression with no expectations. It will talk about all my intimate and social views concerning what I personally experience. It won’t be based on one theme, but of course there will be severe criticism toward the social moment that we are going through, among hyper consumerism, social poverty and lack of strong values.

I think it will be done by the first months of 2009 and it will be called “PUNTO” (= dot), which i still don’t know if it will be a full stop or a starting point.

Do you have any other projects you are currently working on?

No, I’m focusing only on this project since with my job it’s already though to find time to dedicate even just to it.