Faccio brutto [English translation]

1

I rule: I got my heater ’neath my tracksuit,2

and my rhymes are sharp like plastic cutlery,3

even though I practiced a bit of ballet when I was 8:

mom used to tell me «you look gorgeous in your tutu».4

Then, with a friend of mine who works at Banca Intesa,5

I began ruling and preparing for my rise:

together with my bitches, I sleep with the light on,

I come with my gang and deal shopping bags.6

Once a day, I polish my Beretta;7

when I’m bored, I set fire to a police jeep;8

every rapper respects me ’cause I come from the streets.

Well, actually, I’m a rapper too, but I come from home.

I want the fame of the Beatles, but not the fans of John Lennon;9

I have marijuana inside the false bottom of my Thermos bottle;10

the police told me I’m in custody.

Hey, I’m not an addict, you see: I’m a modern guy, man.11

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more herb than a gardening class.12

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more blades than an ice skating class.13

Today, I picked up more than 20 grams of brick weed,14

I stash it inside my yellow SpongeBob underpants,15

I push my shit and I often empty by bowels,16

and during every live concert, I bite Ozzy Osbourne’s head off.17

I have a huge golden chain, I found it in an Easter egg,18

I go around with raw fusilli and I ask you if you’d like a pill. «Want a pill?»19

I never leave home unless I have my heater in my pocket;

but before that, I do my hair a bit with my hot plate.20

I shout «All cops are bastards!», though in an unsteady voice,

then my father hears me while he’s taking off his uniform.

Crime and me are as thick as thieves, and I sniff gunpowder,21

I have 2Pac’s poster with Totò Cuffaro’s face.22

I feel a repressed hatred towards all gay people,

but then I snog the picture of Green Day’s singer.23

I’ve racked up four days in jail; I get into a fight every Saturday night:

the usual fake tales based on a true story.

Once a day, I polish my Beretta;

when I’m bored, I set fire to a police jeep;

every rapper respects me ’cause I come from the streets.

Well, actually, I’m a rapper too, but I come from home.

I want the fame of the Beatles, but not the fans of John Lennon;

I have marijuana inside the false bottom of my Thermos bottle;

the police told me I’m in custody.

Hey, I’m not an addict, you see: I’m a modern guy, man.

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more herb than a gardening class.

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more blades than an ice skating class.

Life in the ghetto, but when I wasn’t dealing in the park,24

I used to dress up as Naruto at comic fairs.25

And I haven’t changed since when I reached fame;

simple thing: that’s ’cause I’ve never been myself.

For the sake of fame, anything is allowed:

pick your little role in this big play,

and if you lie like the others do, you won’t be able to do without it anymore.

Fortune kissed me before brushing her teeth.

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more herb than a gardening class.

I rule, I rule, I rule.

I’ve seen more blades than an ice skating class.

1. fare brutto {to make ugly/bad} = to rock the world; to be a bad guy, to be respected, to be the best.

The song laughs at the ‟street rapper” cliché, which would have a rapper be the more cool and respected the more he is involved in troubles, violence and drugs.2. ferro {iron} = gun.

A gun can be hidden undearneath tracksuit bottoms, where it is difficult to recognize its outline.3. The original pun is on:

tagliente = sharp (like a knife, not like a person).

tagliente = biting, scathing.4. tutu = ballerina’s skirt.

The original line uses an ungrammatical construct, and a feminine word to refer to the singer, emphasizing the fondness of his mother in seeing him wearing a tutu.5. Banca Intesa.

The ‟untroubled” job in a bank is far from the ‟streets”, hence the paradox between the singer and the cliché he should fit into.

Or, banks are not doing business in a way that’s much cleaner than that of street criminals; on the contrary, it is a good place to make money for unscrupulous people.6. Pun on:

buste della spesa {shopping’s envelopes} = shopping bags.

buste = plastic bags, plastic envelopes. (drug is kept in plastic wrappings or bags)7. Beretta is a famous Italian firearm manufacturer; among their products is the well-known Beretta 92 pistol.8. During clashes between protesters and the police, violent protesters sometimes set fire to police vehicles.9. The Beatles are famous all around the world, but being shot to death by a fan like it happened to John Lennon is not worth it.10. Drugs can be hidden in the false bottom of suitcases, inside hidden compartments of a car, etc.

A Thermos bottle has a ‟double bottom” too (two casings separated by an insulating layer), but it is a much more commonplace object.11. zio {uncle} = guy, man, buddy, homie.

ragazzo moderno {modern boy} = a person who is not old-fashioned, i.e. who rejects the values and customs of the older generation.12. erba = grass.

erba = herb, marijuana.13. lama = blade.

lama = knife.14. moffo = hashish.15. imboscare {bring into the woods} = to hide.

SpongeBob is a cartoon character.

SpongeBob underpants16. spingere la propria merda is a translation of the English ‟push my shit”; together with other words and customs coming from the US, it is regarded as cool.17. It seems that, during a concert in 1982, the British singer Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat that had been thrown onto the stage, believing it to be a rubber toy.18. Huge chains are part of the cliché rapper’s outfit. Inside chocolate Easter eggs, it is common to find junk jewelry of little value and taste, just like the rapper chains.19. Pun on:

pasta = pasta.

pasta = pasticca {pastille} = drug pill.

fusilli is a kind of pasta.20. Plated hair, 2010s fashion, emo style21. mangiare pane e X {to eat bread and X} = be extremely accustomed to X, be used to X.

malavita {bad life} = crime, criminal life.

pippare = to sniff (drugs).22. 2Pac was a world-famous rapper, also appreciated for the social issues he talked about in his songs.

Totò Cuffaro is a former Italian politician (and the president of Sicily) who spent 7 years in jail for being involved with the Mafia.23. Green Day is a US music band. In 1994, their singer Billie Joe Armstrong stated he was bisexual; he made news in 2010 too, when, on the stage, he kissed a male fan of his on his mouth.24. smazzare {to deal (cards); to distribute, separating from a bunch} = to deal drugs.25. Naruto is a manga and an anime.