Caparezza

Before he re-emerged in 2001 as Caparezza, Italy's Michele Salvemini was a clean-cut, B-boy-style pop singer named Mikimix. His 1999 full-length, La Mia Buona Stella, produced the Italian hit single "E La Notte Se Ne Va," a slice of Europop closer to Color Me Badd or Enrique Iglesias than anything resembling American hip-hop. Caparezza made clear the distinction between past and present personas with furious raps about personal honesty and music business hypocrisy, painting a picture of himself as a pawn who knew he could be king. Caparezza went on to contribute raps to likeminded projects by Speaker Cenzou and DJ Honey.