Sottotono

by Johnny LoftusThe Italian rap duo Sottotono (Undertone) first appeared in 1994 on the hip-hop compilation Nati Per Rapppare (Born for Rap), where the laid-back raps of MCs Fish and Tormento were a hit with the burgeoning Italian hip-hop audience. Their debut LP, Sopratutto Sotto, appeared that year; Sotto Efetto Stono followed in 1996. By now, Sottotono's mixture of Warren G-style West Coast flow with soul-inflected grooves reminiscent of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was well-established. They shook things up a bit with 1998's Sotto Lo Stesso Effetto, dabbling in the aggressive drum'n'bass that was en vogue at the time. Tormento also began to unveil a talent for singing that had not previously been apparent. The duo remained active in the Italian hip-hop scene, collaborating with like-minded MCs like Leftside and Lyricalz. In February of 2003, Sottotono released Vendesi, a best-of collection that featured one previously unreleased track, "(Sei Tu) Che Mi Dai."