Neffa

For the dance and music festival also known as NEFFA, see New England Folk Festival.
Neffa
Neffa in concert (2007)
Born
Giovanni Pellino

7 October 1967 (1967-10-07) (age 56)
Scafati, Italy
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • record producer

Giovanni Pellino (born 7 October 1967), best known as Neffa, is an Italian singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He is a pioneer of Italian hip hop scene.

Life and career[edit]

Born in Scafati, at young age Pellino moved to Bologna with his family. In the late 1980s he adopted the stage name Jeff Pellino and was a drummer in several rock and punk bands, notably Negazione.[1] In 1991, he joined the hip hop ensemble Isola Posse All Stars and adopted the stage name "Neffa" in honour of Paraguayan footballer Gustavo Neffa, at the time playing with U.S. Cremonese.[2][3]

After the album SXM with the rap group Sangue Misto, in 1996 Neffa started his solo career, with the successful album I messaggeri della dopa which was led by the single "Aspettando il sole".[1][2] In the following albums he spanned various styles including funk, pop, soul, jazz and R&B, achieving major success in 2001 with the summer hit "La mia signorina" and the accompanying album Arrivi e partenze.[1][2] The same year he was nominated as best Italian act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[4] In 2004 he entered the main competition at the 54th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, placing ninth with the song "Le ore piccole".[1]

In 2007 Neffa composed the musical score of Ferzan Özpetek's Saturn in Opposition, for which he won a Globo d'oro for best score and a Nastro d'Argento and a Ciak d'oro for best original song ("Passione").[5] In 2010 he started the musical project Due di Picche with the rapper J-Ax. In 2016 he returned to compete at the 66th annual Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Sogni e nostalgia".[6]

Discography[edit]

  • Neffa & i messaggeri della dopa (1996)
  • 107 elementi (1998)
  • Arrivi e partenze (2001)
  • I molteplici mondi di Giovanni, il cantante Neffa (2003)
  • Alla fine della notte (2006)
  • Sognando contromano (2009)
  • Molto calmo (2013)
  • Resistenza (2015)
  • AmarAmmore (2021)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Eddy Anselmi (2009). "Neffa". Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics, 2009. ISBN 978-8863462296.
  2. ^ a b c Enrico Deregibus (8 October 2010). "Neffa". Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana. Giunti Editore, 2010. ISBN 978-8809756250.
  3. ^ Sebastiano Vernazza (12 January 2007). "Gustavo, il paraguaiano che ha dato il nome a Neffa". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  4. ^ "MTV European Music Award nominees". Curlio.com. 27 September 2001. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. ^ Felice Liperi (28 September 2007). "In concerto per l' Ecofest la 'passione' di Neffa". La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Sanremo 2016, Neffa tra 'Sogni e nostalgia'". Il Resto del Carlino. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neffa&oldid=1219741904"