SNEAKERS76 Presents: SHABLO X PUMA MIRAGE MOX

 

With twenty years of career behind him it can be said that Shablo, born Pablo Miguel Lombroni Capalbo, has experienced first hand the birth and transformation of the Italian rap scene. From PMC to the birth of Roccia Music, everyone has passed under his hands, from Marracash and Guè Pequeno up to the partnership with Sfera Ebbasta. A path that has made it unique, a milestone that transcends music, reaching the streetwear world and sneaker culture, as evidenced by the recent collaboration with Puma. Shablo is in fact among the names chosen by the German brand for the launch of the new Puma Mirage Mox, a perfect fusion between the 80s look and modern elements, from bright colors to the different layers that make the sneaker unique thanks to a renewed silhouette. We met him to talk about the Italian scene, fashion and rappers as modern influencers in a project created in collaboration with Sneakers76.

You were born in Argentina to move to Italy after a few years then to go to work in Amsterdam. How much of all this is in your music and in your way of working?

Surely a lot, I have this migrant soul inherited from my family. Consider that they have been touring the world since 1800, they left Italy and then went to Brazil and Argentina, then to Switzerland and the United States. They moved a lot and being back in Italy was a bit like closing a circle. But it's actually part of family karma, but it's also being updated with the spirit of the times. Music in this historical period is becoming more and more global, now you can no longer see the market as something limited to your territory. Trying to go outside is no longer a dream, Famoso is proof of it and for this reason the present of music is already more global.

Starting right from Sfera. How long is Italy missing to be able to establish its artists on an international level without having to resort to featuring or pushes by other artists?

There are many factors, but it is above all a matter of priorities. We started with Sfera starting from Milan, then they met him in Italy and Europe, starting to go beyond the European borders. Now we are starting in the United States, but there it is as if it were an emerging one. This is why it is still a path to follow, we are starting it today and I don't know how long it will take. Of course the features help, but that's not the point. The featuring is just one of the pieces that one must go to cover within a strategy. But first of all the artist and his music counts, it must work and communicate in a certain way. You may not like it, but it is undeniable that Sfera has something that reaches people and this thing is perceived regardless of the country. Obviously the American market is the most difficult in the world, it will take time and a lot of patience, but it is important to have paved the way. Already now knowing that Famoso is the fourth most listened to album in the world on Spotify is not a detail. It is not entering the Top Global in 160th place.

In your opinion, what kind of support from his territory needs an artist who wants to try to destroy national borders? From institutions to the music industry, how could they help an artist to break out of boundaries?

The support of all the structures that work in the discography, from the artist's team to the record company and the publisher, is essential in the success of a project. Even if the artist comes out first. There is also a question of investments that can be made by record companies or by partners around the world, which certainly help build something more solid. But all this comes at a later time, first of all there must be a natural predisposition of the artist, a genuine talent, able to go beyond an investment. You can put money on whoever you want, but it doesn't necessarily work. If it were that simple we would be full of Italian artists around the world. At some point you take a leap into the void and you are in the hands of God, you don't know if it works or it doesn't work.

You mentioned Famoso, both the disco record and the docufilm. The docufilm recounts Sfera's journey and his life very well, but there is also another very interesting aspect that perhaps comes out a little less: your dual role as producer and manager. How do you keep both things in balance?

Let's say that it took me a few years of experience to achieve the right balance. It's a bit my secret, I found a balance. It may seem simple, but it took me 20 years. Although I was born as a producer and DJ, I have always been interested in the more organizational side. I've always worked a little behind and I've always been interested in those mechanisms. With Sfera I do a more managerial and strategic job. Of course we also do some sessions in the studio, but basically I do a different job with him than I do with other artists. It is a stimulating process that gives you the opportunity to experience things that would otherwise be very difficult.

Do you have a model for this type of role? Someone in the United States that you have observed

Actually no. I have always followed the artistic models of people I liked in terms of productions or artistic vision. I have always admired the American way of doing things, their market is where entertainment and hip-hop were born, they are the founding fathers of this music business in which the great challenge is to make music while also managing to get something out of it. In America all the great artists have also experimented as producers, great names who started out as artists and then became entrepreneurs. It is a mentality that has not existed in Italy for years. A little bit because of how the history of rap has evolved, which, originating from social centers, did not look kindly on approaching commercials and money. It was seen as selling out. In reality, the realization also passes through these things here. The more the genre grows and the more everything around it grows, new job opportunities arise that can give space to those who want to be part of this world. So it's important to be able to create a system where there are people working behind the scenes and making a market grow.

 

Speaking of behind-the-scenes work, one of the most important things in our era is also being able to build an adequate image of an artist. Something that is often seen only as a way to sell oneself, when instead there is often a strategy studied behind it. In your opinion, how difficult is it to relate to an industry such as fashion or even the world of sneakers?

Today the musical part is closely linked with the fashion one and the artists who have been able to understand this connection knowing how to manage it in the best way are those who know the rules of the game and have brought home results. Although music is an ethereal thing, it is now very linked to the image of an artist and it is essential to work in this sense as well. It is an aspect that for me is in the background, but you cannot underestimate it. Like it or not, it plays a fundamental role. The image is part of an artist's personality and an artist without personality will never be successful. Today this genre has certainly become mainstream, it attracts many brands and companies that want to invest. A process that has led rappers to be all effects of influencers, influence sales and for this we constantly work with different brands that pay us to promote products. The difference with the other influencers, who only work with the image, is that the rapper also has an artistic depth which, if combined with a strong image, can become a really powerful medium. In addition, it is important that today fashion is heavily inspired by the street, where that kind of music comes from, while before it was the opposite and rap was fascinated by mega brands that ignored those who came from rap. The same brands now choose many artists as testimonials. It is a rematch.

Where does your attention to the Neapolitan rap scene come from? I think about Geolier and the rest of the scene

The Neapolitan scene has existed for a very long time. In Naples they managed to create a universal and unique language well before rap, very tied to the territory with great names that have built a legacy. If I think of Italian music in the world, in the 50s and 60s it was Neapolitan music. Being Argentine I am particularly attached to Naples, there is a great connection. I have always been close to that world. In the past I had produced all of Clementino's records when 2 The Beat came out, then I worked with Luchè and many other things. Now we have recently signed with Samurai Jay, another guy from the same area as Geolier. I really like that way of doing things, I think that the idea of ​​creating oneself is very close to the world of hip-hop.

Last question, dry answer. How do you become a Shablo?

Living. Living twenty years, having patience, making mistakes and getting up. It's a long way. I started doing my first record in 1996 and I did the first official things in 2000 with 5th Dan. My luck was that I was able to experience all the transformation process that has brought rap to today. I have lived through all the moments, even the most difficult ones in which there was not even a market. I have survived all this and now I understand certain things that also allow me to get there before others. My advice is to do things for passion, not to be attracted only by the business side, that is only a consequence. But the most important thing is to love what you do, have a passion for what you do and everything else will come.