Salmo

The Italian rap star and record producer Salmo was born Maurizio Pisciottu in Sardinia on June 29, 1984. He began experimenting with music in his teenage years and at the age of 15 released a collaboration demo titled Premeditazione e Dolo with fellow Olbian rappers Bigfoot and Skascio. During his formative years, Salmo would produce a further three albums for Skascio and was closely associated with him between 2004 and 2008. Alongside his solo career, Salmo was also involved in a number of side projects including a rap metal band which he performed in and as a producer for the psychedelic rock outfit Three Pigs Trip. His first album as a solo artist was the critically acclaimed The Island Chainsaw Massacre, which was released in 2011. The album launched Salmo's career as one of Italy's rising hip-hop artists and the two follow-up recordings Death USB released in 2012 and Midnite in 2013 further consolidated his career. These early albums paved the way for his seminal work Hellvisback (2016), which sold 25,000 units in its first week and went on to become platinum accredited, establishing Salmo as one of Italy's most influential rap artists. His winning streak continued with the albums Playlist (2018) and Flop (2021), both of which soared to the top of the Italian charts. The latter included collaborations with Noyz Narcos, Marracash, and Gué Pequeno, as well as the chart-topping lead single “Kumite.”