Shade

Born Vito Paparella in Turin in 1987, Shade is an Italian rapper known for his sardonic style. He came up through freestyle rap competitions as a teen, winning titles by the age of 16. In his late teens in 2006, Shade appeared in a handful of films and shorts that incorporated freestyle, including the American action film Endz. Also pursuing work as an actor and standup comedian, he had a guest spot on the Comedy Central sitcom Favelas in 2011. His most high-profile appearance to that point came in 2013 when he won the second season of the Italian TV freestyle competition MTV Spit. Meanwhile releasing singles such as "Avanti il Prossimo" and "Cambiare Stato," he also appeared on the long-running Italian comedy series Zelig and did voice work for South Park in 2014. In 2015 Shade signed with Warner Music, which released his debut LP, Mirabilansia, later that year. The album Clownstrofobia followed in 2016 and landed in Italy's Top Ten. His subsequent singles "Odio le Hit Estive" and "Bene Ma Non Benissimo" garnered millions of plays across streaming sites, with the latter earning over ten million plays on YouTube alone within a few months of its release in June 2017. ~ Marcy Donelson