Sfera Ebbasta

Gionata Boschetti[1] (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɔːnata boˈsketti]; born 7 December 1992 in Sesto San Giovanni, Lombardy), better known by the pseudonym Sfera Ebbasta (pronounced [ˈsfɛːra ebˈbasta]), is an Italian rapper.

Sfera Ebbasta
Sfera Ebbasta in 2016
Born
Gionata Boschetti

(1992-12-07) 7 December 1992
Sesto San Giovanni, Lombardy, Italy
Other names
  • Sfera
Musical career
Genres


Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
Years active2011–present
Labels
  • BillionHeadz Music Group
Associated acts
Websitesferaebbasta.com

Sfera Ebbasta rose to prominence after the release of the XDVR album, recorded with the collaboration of the record producer Charlie Charles, which achieved commercial success in Italy. This success was replicated with releases Sfera Ebbasta (2016), Rockstar (2018), and its re-issue Popstar Edition (2018).[2]

Biography

First years (2011–2013)

Sfera was born in the Milanese town of Sesto San Giovanni, but grew up in the neighbourly Cinisello Balsamo,[3] where the rapper began his musical activity by uploading videos on YouTube between 2010 and 2012 without any success.[4] In this period he started getting into contact with producer Charlie Charles, during a Hip Hop TV party.[5] Thus, they formed the collective Billion Headz Money Gang, better known by the acronym BHMG. On 15 September 2013, he published Emergenza Mixtape Vol. 1.

XDVR (2014–2016)

Since November 2014, he has produced several pieces in collaboration with Charlie Charles and published them on YouTube with their videos. After the release of the song Panette he began to be contacted by some record labels.[6]

On 11 June 2015 he made his debut with the first studio album XDVR (standing for "per davvero", in English "for real"), made up by some of the singles published in the previous months, as well as other unpublished ones. Initially released as a free download,[7] the album was reissued in a reloaded version on November 23 through Roccia Music, an independent record label of Marracash and Shablo, and distributed in the national sales circuits; in addition to the songs already present in the original, the tracklist included the unreleased XDVRMX (with Marracash and Luchè), Ciny (referring to his hometown Cinisello, of which video clip was also shot)[8] and Trap Kings. The album received a good success in the underground musical scene and greatly increased the popularity of trap music in Italy, also receiving excellent feedback from the specialized critics;[9] however it was also the subject of numerous criticisms as various songs spoke of life in suburban neighborhoods (mainly inspired by the street reality of his city, Cinisello Balsamo),[10] including criminal activities and consumption of drugs such as codeine and marijuana.[11]

On 20 January 2016 the video of the unreleased track Blunt & Sprite was published on YouTube,[12] while during the same year Sfera Ebbasta featured in a track of the album Anarchie by the French rapper SCH, positively impressed by listening to the rapper's pieces during a stay in Italy: he also made the track Cartine Cartier, produced by Charlie Charles and DJ Kore, extracted as a promotional single of the album.[13]

Sfera Ebbasta (2016–2017)

On 9 September 2016 the rapper published his first solo studio album, the homonymous Sfera Ebbasta,[14] distributed by the record Universal (in collaboration with Def Jam) and anticipated by the singles BRNBQ (which received a golden record certificate for over 25,000 copies sold),[15] Cartine Cartier and Figli di papà, the latter a platinum-certified record for having sold over 50,000 copies.[16] In this album the rapper detached himself from the more gangsta themes of XDVR to open himself to wider topics.[17] Supported by a promotion also at a television level, participating in broadcasts such as Matrix Chiambretti on Canale 5[18] and the radio program Albertino Everyday, conducted by Albertino on Radio Deejay,[19] the album received great success in Italy, debuting at the top of the album charts, as well as entering the charts of various European countries;[20] the album was also certified as a gold record by FIMI for having sold over 25,000 copies.[21] Between October 2016 and March 2017, the rapper promoted the album through the Sfera Ebbasta Tour, performing in various cities of Italy.[22]

Rockstar (2017–present)

On 10 March 2017, Sfera Ebbasta released the single Dexter, produced by Charlie Charles and Sick Luke,[23] as well as taking part in Charlie Charles's single Bimbi along with rappers Izi, Rkomi, Tedua and Ghali. Subsequently, the rapper performed at the TIM MTV Awards 2017 and at the Wind Music Awards 2017, during which he presented a further unreleased song, Tran Tran, published on June 9 for digital download.

On September 22 of the same year Gué Pequeno released the single Lamborghini in his album entitled Gentleman, which featured the vocal participation of Sfera Ebbasta;[24] this single achieved good success in Italy, reaching the peak of Top Singoli, the official ranking for the most listened and sold singles in Italy.

On 3 January 2018 the rapper announced his third studio album Rockstar, produced again by Charlie Charles and released on the 19th of the same month.[25] The album was commercialized in Italian and international editions, the latter characterized by collaborations with various artists such as Tinie Tempah, Rich the Kid and Quavo; the album debuted at the top of the FIMI Album Ranking.[26] At the same time, all 11 tracks have conquered the top twelve positions of Top Single (with the sole exception of Ed Sheeran's Perfect single, in sixth place).[27] Also, thanks to the success of his album, the rapper became the first Italian artist to position himself among the first hundred of the world ranking compiled by Spotify.[2]

On 13 March 2018 the rapper, along with Charlie Charles, announced the establishment of the record label Billion Headz Music Group,[11] while on 4 May the unpublished single Peace & Love was released, which also involved the rapper Ghali.[28]

On 7 December 2018 the re-edition of Rockstar, subtitled Popstar Edition, is published, including a second disc containing some remixes and the unreleased tracks Popstar, Uh Ah Hey and Happy Birthday (the latter extracted as a single).[29]

On the night of 7 to 8 December 2018, Sfera Ebbasta was due to perform in a nightclub in Corinaldo, near Ancona; during the wait for his appearance, at around 1am, a panic induced stampede caused six deaths and dozens of injuries.[30][31][32]

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[33]		 BEL
(WA)
[34]		 SWI
[35]
XDVR (with Charlie Charles)
  • Released: 11 June 2015
  • Label: BHMG, Roccia Music
  • Formats: CD, download
 38——
Sfera Ebbasta 13135
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[36]
Rockstar
  • Released: 19 January 2018
  • Label: Def Jam, Universal Music Italy
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 1382
  • FIMI: 5× Platinum[36]

References
  1. "L'età e i veri nomi dei rapper e beatmaker italiani - Mondo Rap". Mondo Rap (in Italian). 23 December 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  2. Italia, Rolling Stone. "Che vi piaccia o meno, Sfera Ebbasta è il primo italiano nella Top 100 di Spotify". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. Lorenza Sebasiani (30 March 2018). "Sfera Ebbasta: "Sono il nuovo ragazzo della Via Gluck"". Vanity Fair (in Italian). Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. Italia, Rolling Stone. "Un bravo ragazzo in un brutto quartiere: intervista a Sfera Ebbasta". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. "Loro di Sfera Ebbasta non sanno niente". Noisey (in Italian). 10 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. Politanò, Matteo (13 October 2016). "Intervista a Sfera Ebbasta: "Il mio tour al via: da Ciny fino a... Hollywood Blvd" - Panorama". Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  7. "Sfera Ebbasta & Charlie Charles, il nuovo album "XDVR" in free download - Music Attitude - Tutta la Musica di cui hai davvero bisogno". www.musicattitude.it. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. "Sfera Ebbasta & Charlie Charles: il video di XDVRMX con Marracash e Luche. Oltre 50mila views in un giorno | Musica e Tv 2.0". Musica e Tv 2.0 (in Italian). 25 November 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  9. ""XDVR" non è solo un disco, ma una mentalità! - Barre Di Plutonio". 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  10. Giorno, Il (12 August 2015). "Sfera Ebbasta e Charlie Charles, la musica (t)rap che conquista Marracash arriva dai "quartieri" - Il Giorno". Il Giorno (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  11. "Sfera Ebbasta e Charlie Charles hanno fondato una loro etichetta". Rockit.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  12. "Videoclip | 'Blunt & Sprite' per Sfera Ebbasta e Charlie Charles | News Honiro". www.honiro.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  13. "SCH e Sfera Ebbasta presentano il singolo "Cartine Cartier"". www.rapburger.com (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  14. "Sfera Ebbasta firma per Def Jam e Universal". Rockit.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  15. "FIMI - Certificazioni - FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. "FIMI - Certificazioni - FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  17. "Sfera Ebbasta, esce il primo album ufficiale: "Abbiamo cambiato la scena rap italiana..." - Tgcom24". Tgcom24. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  18. "Sfera Ebbasta ospite da Chiambretti su canale 5 (video completo) - Mondo Rap". Mondo Rap (in Italian). 26 November 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  19. "Sfera Ebbasta: dalla dura realtà di Cinisello ai microfoni di Albertino Everyday | Radio Deejay". Radio Deejay (in Italian). 8 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  20. "Sfera Ebbasta, quel bravo ragazzo di periferia al numero uno in classifica". LaStampa.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  21. "Sfera Ebbasta è Disco D'Oro e Figli di Papà è Disco Di Platino". www.rapburger.com (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  22. FRA.NE. (7 October 2016). "Parte "Sfera Ebbasta tour": ecco tutte le date dei concerti - Il Giorno". Il Giorno (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  23. Politanò, Matteo (10 March 2017). "È uscito "Dexter", il nuovo singolo di Sfera Ebbasta - Panorama". Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  24. "Elettra Lamborghini SUPER nel nuovo video di Guè Pequeno e Sfera Ebbasta". News Mtv Italia. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  25. "Sfera Ebbasta, "Rockstar": il nuovo album in uscita il 19 gennaio - News Mtv Italia". News Mtv Italia. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  26. "FIMI - Classifiche - FIMI". fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  27. "Sfera Ebbasta monopolizza la hit parade". www.adnkronos.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  28. "Sfera, Ghali e Charlie Charles: la nuova onda della trap all'insegna di "Peace & Love" - Tgcom24". Tgcom24. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  29. "Sfera Ebbasta, esce "Rockstar - Pop Star Edition": ecco cosa c'è dentro". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). 6 December 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  30. "Six dead in Italy nightclub stampede". BBC News. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  31. "Six people killed in nightclub stampede in Italy". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  32. "6 dead, including 5 young teens, in stampede at overcrowded nightclub on Italy's coast". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  33. "Sfera Ebbasta discography". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  34. "Discographie Sfera Ebbasta". Ultratop.be (in French). Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  35. "Discographie Sfera Ebbasta". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  36. "Italian album certifications – Sfera Ebbasta" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 5 May 2020. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Sfera Ebbasta" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
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