Franco126 is the stage name of Italian rapper Federico Bertollini, born in Rome on July 4, 1992. While he jumped to fame as a hip-hop artist, throughout his career he has evolved into a full-fledged singer-songwriter, incorporating elements from pop music into his eclectic, cosmopolitan style. Hailing from the Trastevere neighborhood, Franco126 took his first steps in music as a founding member of the hip-hop collective 126 CXXVI (later renamed Lovegang) alongside fellow MCs Ketama126, Drone126, Pretty Solero, Asp126, Gordo, and Ugo Borghetti. After dropping the collaborative album Asso di Guasconi (2015) with Asp126 under the moniker Smuggler’s Bazaar, he made his official debut as a solo artist with the mixtape Buchi Neri in 2016, produced by Il Tre. In 2017, Franco126 teamed up with rapper Carl Brave and formed the duo Carl Brave x Franco126, whose platinum-selling first album Polaroid reached Number 6 on the Italian charts. This success preceded the advent of his studio debut Stanza Singola, which peaked at Number 7 in Italy aided by its title track, featuring Thegiornalisti’s Tommaso Paradiso. That same year, he popped up on Fabri Fibra’s “Come mai” and collaborated with Don Joe, Ketama126, and Franco Califano on the single “Cos'è l'amore.” Multisala, his highly-awaited sophomore effort, saw the light in 2021 and represented a giant leap in terms of songwriting, significantly expanding his sonic palette. A chart-topper in its own right, the album spawned the single “Che senso ha,” which climbed to Number 27 on FIMI’s rankings, and the duet "Blue Jeans" with Calcutta (Number 33). In December 2021, the single Fuoriprogramma anticipated his first EP Uscire di scena (2022). After a duet with Loredana Bertè on "Mare malinconia", the third album Futuri possibili (2025), featuring collaborations with Giorgio Poi, Coez, Fulminacci and Ketama126, reached Number 3 in Italian charts.
