A few days ago we told you about the New Year’s Eve concert, announced by the City of Rome, at Circus Maximus. Among this year’s performers was to be Tony Effe (Nicolò Rapisarda), a Roman rapper whom many will also know for the hit single together with Gaia “Sesso e Samba.”
The mayor’s decision
The decision comes from the Campidoglio, which is backtracking on its decision to host the artist at the concert (as one of the top singers). As reported by the Adnkronos news agency, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, as part of the inauguration of the ‘Murales’ project in Piazza Venezia, said,“At the moment when it became clear that that choice would have divided the city and offended the sensitivities of so many, we thought it appropriate to ask for a step back because for us the New Year’s Eve concert must unite and not divide the city.”
The mayor is referring to the bipartisan complaints he received from various politicians and the council; some of the lyrics of the rapper’s songs were deemed misogynistic and anti-women.
“Surely it was a mistake,-continues Gualtieri-we should have made this assessment earlier and for this we apologize, first of all to Tony Effe to whom we wish the best for his career. It is not a decision against him, I reiterate. It is a decision made so that a special moment, when a community comes together, does not become an occasion for division and controversy.” The mayor also reports that there were no signed contracts and therefore no penalties to be paid.