On the billboard of New Year’s Eve in Rome at the Circus Maximus there were three names expected: Mahmood, Tony Effe e Mara Sattei. Tony Effe was invited to retire in the wake of the internal controversies of the Roman PD and some associations that pointed the finger at his texts deemed sexist.
Mayor Gualtieri then sent an email to the organizers Vivo Concerti and Friends&Partners to confirm that to prevent “the event from becoming divisive” it would be better to avoid further controversies about the rapper and so the solution was to remove it from the poster and the end-of-year event. Then a joint note from the organizers and management spoke of “image damage” and considerable “media pressure” for the sudden decision taken by the Municipality.
Until the twist of these minutes. Mahmood will also not be at the New Year’s Eve concert at the Circus Maximus to protest against the exclusion of Tony Effe. The singer himself announces it on Instagram: “I waited until the last minute because I was hoping to read different news than Tony Effe’s exclusion from the New Year’s Eve in Rome. I believe it is a form of censorship which is why I also decide not to participate in the Capital’s New Year’s Eve. I firmly believe that any form of Art can be discussed and criticized, but there must be no censorship.”
Together with Mahmood too Mara Sattei decided not to show up: “Given the decisions taken regarding the New Year in Rome, I will also not be taking part in the event. I don’t think it’s right to prevent an artist from performing, depriving him of his freedom of expression.”
Giorgia: “Censorship is the beginning of a tunnel without light” – The artist and presenter of the latest successful edition of “X Factor” also spoke on the “Tony Effe case”: “Music is an expression of freedom of those who make it, but also of those who listen to it who can choose whether listen to it or not. Censorship, history shows, is never a solution but usually the beginning of a tunnel that never leads to light.”
Emma’s solidarity: “A bad gesture for music” – Emma Marrone, who duetted with him in 2023 with the hit “Taxi sulla luna” also intervened in the heated debate over Tony Effe’s exclusion from the concert. “I find it really a bad gesture to exclude Tony Effe from the New Year’s concert in Rome,” wrote the artist on Instagram. depriving a boy of performing in his city. He’s not a bad person and he hasn’t hurt anyone. But it is equally a bad gesture towards all music and art in general. A form of violent censorship that cannot be tolerated and justified on the threshold of 2025. I hug you Tony.”
Lazza furious: “I hate Italy because it’s only good if you find a culprit” – “I often try to mind my own business, but certain things make me feel less interested. – wrote Lazza on Instagram – Every time someone from rap is thrust into a mainstream situation, they always try to point them out for something or pass them off as an idiot. Geolier is no good, he is Neapolitan, and sings only in dialect. And Geolier put it in your ass, and I enjoy it. Tony Effe is misogynistic, he’s violent, and that’s not okay. And Tony will put it in your ass too. Stop censoring the work of others because you don’t consider it to be so and then look for excuses to prove yourself right, it’s you who doesn’t understand. Forgive the outburst. At Woodstock there were naked people, all stoned, but we also hide behind the ‘yeah, those were different times’. Not to mention that today many think of hosting a rapper with the idea of ’doing him a favor’ when in reality it is the exact opposite”. And then the quote from “Ouver2re (Piano Solo)”: “I hate Italy because it only feels good if you find a culprit”.
Noemi: “Art is a place of expression” – Noemi also spoke on the case: “I think that censoring artists is not the solution. Art must remain a place of expression even when it causes discussion.”
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