Marracash and Guè celebrate 'Santeria' in Milan: 34,000 fans for the return of the joint album

Marracash and Guè kicked off the celebrations for the tenth anniversary of "Santeria" with the first of two sold-out concerts at the Snai San Siro Racecourse in Milan, in front of over 34,000 spectators. The evening, which will be repeated tonight, saw the two rappers perform in shimmering red tracksuits, starting with the track "Salvador Dalì" and moving through the hits from their 2016 album, such as "Money," "Senza Dio," and "Ca$hmere."

The show, true to its hip-hop roots with Ty1 on the decks and minimal frills, also included a friendly "Street Fighter"-style battle, where the two challenged each other with tracks from their respective solo repertoires. The most intense moment came at the end with "Nulla accade," when Marracash emphasized the importance of their thirty-year friendship, culminating in an embrace on stage. The audience, spanning generations, responded with unanimous chants, demonstrating the longevity of an album that remains a benchmark.

"Santeria" is a collaborative album released in 2016 by Marracash and Guè, two pillars of Italian rap. The record, born from the partnership between two already established artists still grappling with the contradictions of success, has over time become a cult work, capturing a crucial moment in the national hip-hop scene. The title is inspired by an Afro-Cuban religion born from the forced encounter between the Yoruba traditions of African slaves and the Catholicism of the colonists, where to continue worshipping their own deities (orishas), they were associated with Catholic saints.

The album marked a turning point, anticipating the trend of shared records in the Italian rap market. Marracash and Guè, who grew up in the same Milanese environments, have built parallel careers that have often intersected, maintaining an artistic and personal partnership that has survived twenty years of their careers. The Milan concert celebrates not only the album's anniversary but, above all, this thirty-year friendship, demonstrating how Italian rap has become a language capable of crossing generations, with an audience ranging from twenty-five to forty-five-year-olds.