Rkomi is (almost) the only rapper we trust

I don’t trust rappers. I don’t trust the way they talk about women, I don’t trust the way they address social issues. I try to stay updated on new artists, I’m well aware of the deep contradiction at the heart of trap music, that  expresses the struggle of youth growing up in difficult environments, but I still remain cautious: why should growing up in tough conditions and wanting to express yourself through music have to come with the extreme objectification of women? These thoughts - and many others - run through my mind when I try to justify (mostly to myself) my decades-long love for Fabri Fibra. There’s one artist who fits into this category (at least initially and perhaps only partially) yet challenges all these conventions and tropes. His name is Mirko Manuele Martorana, aka Rkomi.

Rkomi's New Album and the Song "L'ultima infedeltà"

We’ve already talked about how Rkomi became - during and after Sanremo 2025 - one of Twitter’s darlings, thanks to his slightly goofy self-deprecating humor and his attention to important social causes like mental health, therapy, and the LGBTQIA+ community. But now a single has landed (along with an album titled "decrescendo", released on May 23rd) that confirms our diagnosis. Rkomi is a modern (or adjacent) rapper who talks about masculinity, gender-based violence, and his own life with a level of introspection and sensitivity that’s nearly unheard of. We love to see it!

The Lyrics of "L'ultima infedeltà"

In the lyrics of "L'ultima infedeltà", the artist doesn’t shy away from opening up. The first few lines already hit like a punch to the gut. "When my mother’s partner ran out of words / I was nine and already learning to hate / He shoved her against the table, I watched from the hallway / I would’ve picked up a candlestick just to smash his skull in," he says, and continues: "I don’t feel like a son, I don’t feel like a brother / I don’t feel like a friend, a boyfriend, not even a rapper / I feel far from the place I was born / I feel far from what other people like / I told myself: If you want to grow up, talk about it now / Or keep it inside and watch yourself bleed."

Elsewhere on the album (in songs like "dirti no", "brutti ricordi", and others) he touches on more familiar themes: painful love, loss, substance abuse - which, according to his own words, is also part of his family history. What stands out, however, is a new kind of sensitivity, and therefore a new kind of masculinity. A rapper’s masculinity that doesn’t reject itself to the point of falling into queer baiting or caricature, but rather accepts its contradictions with grace and aims to evolve - without relying on the worn-out tropes of rap and trap machismo. A positive role model, we can hope, especially for his younger fans who are at risk of being radicalized daily by Andrew Tate and the manosphere on social media.