Alessandro Vanetti aka Massimo Pericolo quickly carved a singular path in Italian hip-hop. His 2019 debut album Scialla Semper, named after the anti-drug operation that sent Pericolo to prison and then house arrest, melds the unyielding drill of breakout track “7 miliardi” with conscious rap, trap, dancehall, cosmic electronics and emo efffects. Those sounds are a backdrop for his unflinchingly gritty, affecting narratives around incarceration, friendship and life. Whether weaving through synth-laden pop-rap or bass-ridden house, these stories are at the heart of the rapper’s output.