Frankie Hi Nrg (Francesco Di Gesù), born in Torino of Sicilian parents, was one of the founders of rap italiano in the 1990s. His breakthrough was “Fight Da Faida,” (1993) a no-holds-barred attack on the Mafia and the politicians who aid and abet organized crime.  “Don Vito Corleone today is closer than you think: he has a seat in Parliament,” he rapped.

Italian rap has lost much of the political edge it had during the last decade. But Frankie Hi Nrg  still tackles political and social issues. His new album, his first in three years, is titled Deprimomaggio, and its theme is work. Guest artists include the Sicilian trumpeter-bandleader Roy Paci, singer Giorgia, and singer-songwriter Samuele Bersani. Frankie introduced one of its tracks, “Rivoluzione,” on what Repubblica called “the improbable stage” of the San Remo festival.

In recent years Frankie has collaborated with well-known Italian artists such as Tiromancino and singer-songwriter Daniele Silvestri, and also such leading American rappers as RZA from Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan and Nas. Of the latter pairing, Frankie says, “It was fine. He was in front of his computer on the other side of the world and I was at a computer over here.”

Kataweb at La Repubblica has a big spread on Frankie Hi Nrg, complete with interviews and selections of his work.