A little bit from Varese, a little bit from Senegal: ThisGelo, the rapper who rhymes in dialect puts his album to the test

Varese, May 11, 2025 – Rediscover their roots and a language at risk of extinction through rap and the voice of Lorenzo Pellegrini , aka “ThisGelo“ . “Vares'hot” will be released on May 16th, the album by the rapper who chose the ancient Lombard dialect to tell the story of diversity and inclusion in places where sometimes it is difficult even to communicate with your neighbor.

Putting dialect into rhyme is a boy who is half Senegalese and half Varese and who has long been noted on the scene for his lyrics that talk about the contradictions and walls he has had to deal with, broken down thanks to the irony and vernacular learned from his grandmother. Twelve tracks , some of which are already famous among fans who go to his concerts. “4 di ball, Sempar lü, Va a ciapà i ratt , Radiis, Brööd, Mucala, Tel chi , Sacro munt, Andem!, Portaföi, Erburìn“, are the titles of the songs that, for those who are familiar with the language, are also ways of speaking.

The choice

“The whole album will be in dialect. It's a specific choice,” explains Lorenzo Pellegrini. “ I learned it from my grandmother. I grew up with her from the age of 5 to 15. I was curious about it at the time, but I didn't like it. I associated it with something distant, perhaps only for the elderly. Then I discovered that it sounds good and rhyming is as easy as with English, French or Neapolitan . I noticed in the last live shows, during which I also sing songs in Italian, that people wanted dialect. I think it's the right time. You can hear it more and more often on social media, there are several artists who are proposing it and I think it's a time to rediscover traditions and one's roots.”

ThisGelo brings together seniors and second-generation Italians through a language that has often been associated with a certain political idea. “I don’t want to get political in my pieces, but I repeat concepts that I’ve always heard. Said from my perspective, counting on the fact that I’m the one putting them into rhyme, it has a strange effect on some people.”

The mockery

“It 's no longer the Varese of the past, full of foreigners walking around doing nothing,” sings ThisGelo, making fun of a certain vision of the world.

Even the songs that were already out there sound completely new with the bases produced by Massa and the other producers who worked on the album. “It wasn’t easy to find time from work to make the album, but we did it. People seem excited. We’ll see on Friday.”