Salmo

With a ferocious blend of hardcore hip-hop, metal, and bass-heavy electronics, Italian rapper and producer Salmo has dominated charts while shattering streaming benchmarks. After collaborating in various rap, metal, and hardcore ensembles, his solo introduction came via the 2011 release The Island Chainsaw Massacre, whose beats drew from grime, dubstep, and drum'n'bass. The follow-up albums Midnite (2013), Hellvisback (2016), and Playlist (2018) each topped Italy's charts, coinciding with Salmo's appearances before capacity audiences in arenas across Italy and further afield.

Originating from the Sardinian locale of Olbia as Maurizio Pisciottu, the rapper and producer Salmo laid down several demos within the trio Premeditazione e Dolo before issuing his own Sotto Pelle during 2004. Alongside those same associates, he established the nu-metal outfit Skasico, while also joining the hardcore punk act To Ed Gein and the stoner metal collective Three Pigs Trip. Nevertheless, his inaugural official album arrived as 2011's The Island Chainsaw Massacre, succeeded by Death U.S.B. in 2012. Recognition came when the Italian MTV Hip-Hop Awards bestowed upon Salmo the title of Best Crossover. Additionally, he contributed to the Machete crew, responsible for two initial mixtapes that surfaced in 2012.

Arriving in 2013, Salmo's third album Midnite marked his initial chart-topping release within Italy. Sony Music put out the live album/DVD S.A.L.M.O. Documentary in 2014, captured during a tour promoting Midnite. Early in 2016 saw the emergence of the rapper's fourth studio LP Hellvisback, which entered at number one on the Italian album chart and included contributions from blink-182 drummer Travis Barker across two songs. Throughout 2017, Salmo appeared at multiple European festivals, while the single "Perdonami" attained triple-platinum certification domestically. Upon its 2018 launch, the full-length Playlist shattered various streaming benchmarks, as most tracks swiftly entered the Top 20. The Complete Vinyl Edition box set compiled his studio albums spanning from Death USB to Playlist. Machete Mixtape 4 from 2019 bore his production, followed by Playlist Live toward year's end. Limited picture-disc singles emerged in 2020, alongside the 2021 release of "La Canzone Nostra" featuring Mace and Blanco.