Mirko Manuele Martorana (born 19 April 1994), known professionally as Rkomi, is an Italian rapper, singer and record producer.
Early life
Rkomi was born and raised in Milan in the famous district of Calvairate, located in the eastern part of the suburbs of Milan. He attended the CFP Galdus hotel Institute until the third year, and then dropped out at the age of 17 without obtaining a diploma. Until the age of 21 he worked as a bartender, bricklayer and dishwasher.[1]
He became friends with rapper Tedua, who was his roommate. Tedua himself originally planned to become a tour manager.[2]
Career
Calvairate Mixtape and Dasein Sollen
Rkomi has stated several times that he was initiated into a musical career due to his best friend Tedua.[3]
Rkomi's first musical projects were Keep Calm Mixtape (with Sfazo) and Quello che non fai tu (with Falco) in 2012, Cugini Bella Vita EP (with Pablo Asso) in 2013, followed by the more famous amateur songbook Calvairate Mixtape, which was created by six people (including Tedua and Izi), in 2014.[4]
That was followed by almost two years of silence, then Rkomi published the song Dasein Sollen on the YouTube platform. The song's title is a direct reference to the Heideggerian concept of Dasein. The rapper learned about it through a random search on the Internet.[5] On 13 October 2016 Rkomi released an EP Dasein Sollen in collaboration with the Digital Distribution label.[6]
First collaborations and Io in terra
Following the good reception of Dasein Sollen (the single Aeroplanini di carta, created in collaboration with Izi, was certified platinum),[7] Rkomi was hired by an indie singer-songwriter Calcutta for the opening of the show live in Turin.[8]
Having come into contact with Shablo, former producer of the album Aeroplanini di carta, Rkomi decides to sign a contract with the Rock Music label managed by Shablo himself and Marracash.[9] On 13 March 2017 the rapper announced that he was going to release his first studio album Universal.[10][11]
On 8 September 2017 Rkomi released the album Io in terra, consisting of 14 tracks, some of them created in collaboration with Marracash (in Milano Bachata), Noyz Narcos (in Verme) and Alberto Paone (in Mai più), a drummer.[12] The album was preceded by the singles Solo, Apnea and Mai più.[13][14][15] After its debut in the music charts, Io in terra reached the top of the FIMI chart and was certified gold,[16] while Milano Bachata, Apnea and Mai più were certified platinum.[7]
Ossigeno - EP and Dove gli occhi non arrivano
On 26 June 2018 Rkomi announced the upcoming release of an EP, entitled Ossigeno - EP, which was released on 13 July 2019 accompanied by a vinyl edition and an autobiographical book.[17][18] The CD features the single Acqua calda e limone, which was written in collaboration with rapper Ernia, as well as songs written in collaboration with Tedua, Night Skinny and Mc Bin Laden.[19] At the end of 2018, the single Non ho mai tanto la mia età was released on the occasion of the release of the video game Assassin's Creed: Origins. It is a tribute to a video game saga created by Ubisoft.[20]Solletico and Acqua calda e limone were certified gold.[21][22]
On 19 February 2019 Rkomi revealed that he intended to release the album Dove gli occhi non arrivano, which was released on 22 March 2020. Jovanotti, Elisa, Carl Brave, Sfera Ebbasta, Dardust and Ghali also worked on the disc.[23][24][25] The album successfully debuted at the top of the FIMI rating, as did Io in terra.[16]
2021-present: Taxi Driver, Sanremo Festival and No Stress
In April 2021, Rkomi announced his third studio album Taxi Driver, which was released on 30 April.[26] The first single from the album "Ho spento il cielo" with Tommaso Paradiso was released on 14 April.[27] The album debuted at the top of the FIMI Album Chart, while the track "Nuovo range", a collaboration with Sfera Ebbasta, reached the top of the Top Single.[28] On 24 September 2021 the live album Taxi Driver (MTV Unplugged) was released. It included previous tracks edited and sung live.[29]
In July 2023 Rkomi published the collaborative album No Stress with Irama.[35]
Style and influences
Although the rapper's first songs belong to pure rap and do not include other genres, Rkomi proposed himself as an exponent of indie rap.[36] The album Io in terra has often been considered as an example of hip-hop influenced by the genres of prog, funk and others, because of the original and innovative bases (in addition to the drums, the electric bass, guitar and trumpet appear).[37] With Ossigeno - EP, Rkomi began to approach a more funk and pop version of rap, establishing a new musical dimension with the album Dove gli occhi non arrivano, characterized by purely pop sharing.[38][39]
