“Parlo solo di droga, ma mi danno del poeta”. A linguistic analysis of Kid Yugi’s rap

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze from a linguistic perspective the music of Kid Yugi, italian rapper from Massafra (province of Taranto, Puglia), who reached the top of the charts thanks to an original blend of themes typical of the trap subgenre (crimes, violence, drugdealing) with systematic intertextual references to literary, theatrical, and cinematic works. This contrast is even more enhanced by an assorted code-switching between italian, dialect, anglicisms from U.S. slang and exoticisms. The article examines Kid Yugi’s whole discography (The Globe, Quarto di Bue and I nomi del diavolo).