When DJ/turntablist Fish and rapper Tormento started out in 1994, their sound was unmistakably hard-hitting. While they undoubtedly reflected the sound of US acts like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and N.W.A., they also rapped in Italian, adding cosmopolitan, soulful grooves to their stories and style. Their second album, 1996’s Sotto Effetto Stono, remains an important benchmark for Italy’s rap movement. Although they spent much of the new millennium focused on individual solo projects after 2001’s In teoria, Sottotono regrouped in 2021 for the euphoric “Mastroianni” and Originali.