CONCEPT
“The Language of Rap” is the first festival dedicated to the encounter between Italian rap and American rap. It takes place in New York, at the Italian Cultural Institute, as part of the Week of the Italian Language in the World. For many young Italians, American rap has represented an imaginary world, a language and a cultural universe that has crossed the ocean, inspiring new forms of expression.
Today, through this festival, Italian rap symbolically returns to the city where hip hop culture was born. For three days, the festival will feature Skyzoo and Dynasty from the United States and Davide Shorty and Adriana from Italy, with concerts, talks and workshops. The festival was conceived by Amir Issaa, rapper, writer and educator, who oversees its artistic direction and hosts the events. The events will take place between the Italian Cultural Institute and several universities in New York.
Day 1, Amir Issaa, rap workshop
Amir Issaa will guide you in an open-to-all rap writing workshop for all ages, a hands-on activity to work on rhymes and play with the Italian language. No experience is needed, just something to say to discover the power of words through the language of rap.
BIO
Amir Issaa is an award-winning Italian rapper, author, and hip hop educator. A pioneering figure in Italy in the use of rap as an educational tool, he has lectured and led workshops at universities including Stanford, Georgetown, NYU, and UC Berkeley, as well as at institutions across Europe, Canada, and Japan. He is the author of Educazione Rap (add editore, 2021), the bilingual memoir This Is What I Live For (SDSU Press, 2023), winner of the Flaiano International Prize, and the educational manual Rap in classe (Erickson, 2025), winner of the BELMA Award. Over more than two decades, he has built a discography that remains relevant for its engagement with social and cultural issues. His work on the soundtrack of Francesco Bruni’s film Scialla! Earned him nominations for the David di Donatello and Nastri d’Argento awards. Through his artistic and educational endeavors, he uses hip hop to explore language, identity, and storytelling.
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