Articolo 31 is a band from

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, formed in 1990 by

J-Ax Alessandro Aleotti (; born 5 August 1972), known professionally as J-Ax (), is an Italian rapper and singer-songwriter, part of the rap group Articolo 31 with his DJ Vito Luca Perrini (DJ Jad). He is the brother of Grido (formerly part of Ge ...

and DJ Jad, combining

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and traditional Italian musical forms. They are one of the most popular Italian hip hop groups.

Band history

Articolo 31 were formed by rapper

(real name Alessandro Aleotti) and DJ Jad (Vito Luca Perrini). In the spoken intro of the album ''Strade di Città'' ("City Streets"), it is stated that the band is named after the article of the

Irish constitution The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the fundamental law of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executive president, a bicameral parliam ...

guaranteeing freedom of the press, although article 31 of the Irish constitution is not about the freedom of the press. They probably meant the Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act. Articolo 31 released one of the first Italian hip hop records, ''Strade di città'', in 1993. Soon, they signed with

BMG Ricordi Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music com ...

and started to mix rap with pop music – a move that earned them great commercial success but that alienated the underground hip hop scene, who perceived them as traitors. In 1997, DJ Gruff dissed Articolo 31 in a track titled ''1 vs 2'' on the first album of the beatmaker Fritz da Cat, starting a feud that would go on for years. In 2001, Articolo 31 collaborated with the American

old school Old school, Old School, or Old Skool may refer to: Computers and gaming *Old school gaming or retrogaming, playing and collecting obsolete computer, video, and arcade games * Old School Renaissance, a trend in tabletop gaming *''Old School RuneS ...

rapper

Kurtis Blow Kurtis Walker (born August 9, 1959), known professionally by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapping , rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Walker is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major rec ...

on the album ''XChé SI!''. In the same year, they made the film ''

Senza filtro La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer that sells women's lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Regent which operates and owns La Senza stores in Canada and the United States and uses a franchise mo ...

'' (in English, ''"

Without filter ''Without filter'' () is a 2001 Italian film directed by Mimmo Raimondi starring J-Ax, DJ Jad and Luciano Federico. The film stars the hip hop duo Articolo 31 in their acting debut. Cast * Alessandro Aleotti: Nico * Vito Perrini: Ray * ...

"''). Their producer was Franco Godi, who also produced the music for the ''Signor Rossi'' animated series. Their 2002 album ''Domani smetto'' represented a further departure from hip hop, increasingly relying on the formula of rapping over pop music samples. Several of their songs rotate around the theme of soft drugs legalization in Italy (pointing strongly in favour). Following their 2003 album "Italiano medio", the band took a break. Both J-Ax and DJ Jad have been involved with solo projects. In 2006, the group declared an indefinite

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

. Their posse, ''

Spaghetti Funk Spaghetti Funk was an Italian collective of hip hop musicians. History The crew was founded in 1994 by Articolo 31 Articolo 31 is a band from Milan, Italy, formed in 1990 by J-Ax and DJ Jad, combining hip hop, funk, pop and traditional Ita ...

'', includes other popular performers like Space One and pop rappers

Gemelli DiVersi Gemelli DiVersi is an Italian hip hop group, best known for their 2003 hit single " Mary". Biography Gemelli DiVersi formed in 1997 in Milan when two Italian rap crews, La Cricca and Rima Nel Cuore, merged. Their first single was 1998's "Un att ...

. On 4 December 2022, it was officially announced Articolo 31 participation in the

Sanremo Music Festival 2023 The Sanremo Music Festival 2023 (), officially the 73rd Italian Song Festival (), was the 73rd edition of the annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held in the Teatro Ariston of Sanremo, organised and broadcast by (RAI). The ...

. "Un bel viaggio" was later announced as their entry for the Sanremo Music Festival 2023.

Band members

– vocals *DJ Jad – turntables

Discography

References

{{Authority control Italian hip hop groups Musical groups from Milan Hip-hop groups from Milan Italian rappers Italian rap rock groups