This article is published in issue 17 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until 25 April 2023
That Wayne whether he left the gang is evident from one detail, or rather two: stopped wearing the several thousand euro watches and the oversized gold chains with pendants the size of walnuts. From the shirt under the double-breasted jacket, just a small necklace that rests on the written “Roma” tattooed. “On the contrary, it reads amor,” he says, as he makes himself comfortable on the Chesterfield sofa and drops his highly polished “but uncomfortable” shoes on the ottoman in the Milan offices of Warner, with which he has recently signed a contract.
To the century Umberto Violo, born in 1991, trap boy from Catania born with the Dark Polo Gangthe band that brought extreme rap to Italy, Wayne is definitely ready for the solo career after a rehearsal with the album Ginger juice Vol. 2. The single is released on April 21st Dirty Love, which has the sound of rebirth and is the story of a love outside the circuit: «It could seem like the classic story of a he and a she who doesn’t take off. Actually there is a boy who is attracted to a transgender girlhe is ashamed, he fears prejudice, and so he only meets her in the night, in the car”. Wayne when he talks takes you around at a fast pace in his thoughts that mix Italian and Englishlike the lyrics of the trap, for the sake of Fabio Rampelli, deputy of the Brothers of Italy who proposed to fine those who use unnecessary foreign words. «no politics, please. Of all the American things that aren’t good, the language is one of the few that I would save », he says behind the designer glasses, which he does not give up for the entire interview. «It’s shyness, and then I always have dark circles under my eyes and the agitated air of someone who has had a party, even if it’s not true».
So, did he really take his leave from the Dark Polo Gang?
“We didn’t fight. We are on very good terms.”
Is there nothing unresolved, unexpressed between you?
«No, and in fact over time I don’t exclude collaborations».
But in the meantime, she goes her own way.
«Last year, after closing the album, I understood that I had to shed my skin, because what I was doing no longer belonged to me. The only track that represented me was Dance floorwith Sangiovanni: well, I wanted to stay inside that emotion, that feeling».
Less trap, more pop?
“It’s a leap into the void upside down.”
It could get hurt.
“But standing still is worse, it’s stupid.”
He could lose some fans.
“I’m writing a song where I say, ‘Don’t betray me like I did the fans.’ I know well that in the world I come from mine can be considered a betrayal, and in a certain sense it is, but I think it is more serious to continue chasing a tired destiny».
To quote a hit by the Gang, Resin floors: he was making an effort, was he no longer himself?
“I had to get rid of the character.”
Was her lifestyle beginning to feel too tight?
«We Dark Boys (the gaze falls on the fingers, where he has tattooed these two words, ed) we were always together, day and night. People were impressed: “They live in symbiosis!”. It couldn’t last an eternity, it wasn’t sustainable.”
Perhaps, then, he wants to leave behind the bad boy image?
«We were good bad boys: we knew how to balance and we did folklore. I was the sweetest.”
Tony Effe was recently involved in a fight. And the Dark Side addictions were there for all to see.
“The choices of the individual are not the choices of the group.”
Just Dark Side was the first to say goodbye.
“He and I got back in touch after not seeing each other for some time. I’m glad he found his way, which is the harder rap ».
Dark Side has also become a dad. Would you like children?
“Certain. I hope to have it with the person I’m in love with at that moment, because the right-forever doesn’t exist. It’s not pessimism: I’m tired of this society that never lets you make mistakes.”
NOT(T)E OF LOVE The cover of Wayne’s new single Dirty Love. It comes out on April 21st. After the album Ginger juice Vol. 2, thus continues the trapper’s solo experience. Theme of the hit: the hidden love between a transgender boy and girl.
Is he in love right now?
“I was, but unrequited. I’m single now.”
He is said to be a heartbreaker.
«I also got it tattooed here (points to the broken heart under the left eye, ed)».
How many hearts has he broken?
“Many. But then karma punished me.’
Even some ex punished her.
“Here we are”.
The model Chiara Scelsi used very harsh words towards her: “You have to cleanse your soul”.
«It is difficult for great loves to end well. Anyway, she apologized, she dropped all charges and now we have a good relationship, we write from time to time. And I am someone who forgives after a while: I don’t like catching you on the street with ringworm».
What happened to the ring that Chiara gave her back?
“I didn’t throw it away, it’s in the drawer.”
Along with the watches and chains you no longer sport?
«I need to feel light-hearted, not to be exposed: with those trinkets you are the center of attention and if you want to go around peacefully at four in the morning you must have a bouncer behind you. That’s enough, thanks”.
The highest amount you have spent on a jewel?
“I don’t feel like saying it, I’m ashamed. I messed up a lot. And it was also a losing investment: who could ever buy that stuff back (laughs, ed)?».
Is the era of ostentation at any cost over?
«When you start you have a great desire to appear, to shine; over time you have the need to be. I’m not making anything up: Kanye West, who I’m certainly not comparing myself to, has moved on from the logo everywhere to the absolute minimum».
Has the era of sexist and misogynistic texts also ended, fortunately? You sang: “Put a leash on your girlfriend”…
«In the trap world it’s a bit boring and it’s going further. In the dembow variant, on the other hand, there is being sexually driven, by both women and men. I think of the Dominican rapper Tokischa, for example».
On the other hand, the texts dedicated to mothers do not seem to end.
“Some rappers don’t have a father figure and so the maternal figure becomes the point of reference, the center of everything, the reason to push and give something back to her”.
Is that the same for her?
“My parents divorced when I was little. When I was 15 my mother remarried, she had a daughter and with her new husband she moved to China, because they offered him a job at the Beijing embassy. They asked me to go with them, but I had already taken the path of music, I was rock. For the first time I stayed with my father. Then I managed to be independent, have my own house, which became the headquarters of the Dark Polo Gang. Uh, if we had fun… We crashed discos and parties, we led the occupations at school ».
suit and shirt, Etro. Eyeglasses, Marc Jacobs. Jewels, Damiani. Photo Walter Coppola
Was it hard to break into the trap?
“They thought we were clowns. Today is super cool; it is accepted and acceptable that the pieces talk about drugs, money, sex. Fashion has also contributed to clearing the genre».
Did your distant mom and close dad support you?
“Always. They’re both super cool: my father did a thousand trades, opened clubs, was director of our company, which we then closed. My mother moved from Catania to Rome, she worked for ten years in a dry cleaner before China. It was she who insisted that I enroll in Marketing and Communication at the IED: “I’m willing to pay with my savings”. You were right. Today I am the graduated trapper, which seems a rarity ».
Do you deny something?
“Nothing”.
Doesn’t he even have a remorse?
«I have few tattoos to be a true trapper. I started well, but at one point I felt pain and stopped. My favorite is the face of Lisa from the Simpsons with the pirate bandana over one eye: smart and rebellious (pulls off his shirt and shows it, ed)”.
Why did he reset his Instagram profile?
«In the meantime, I am following a stubborn direction contrary to that of the masses. I rode the Stories with the Dark Polo Gang when nobody was spinning and now they bore me, I find them weak, not very original. On IG I zap like with TV and I avoid it on principle: I won’t post much. TikTok is demanding, a job: I think I will concentrate the version there memes of myself”.
Tell the truth: are you afraid of this new beginning?
“The anxiety is total. I’m also thinking about the first live alone, where if anything I’m wrong there wouldn’t be another one to back me up. But I have my good reasons for such obstinacy.’
And maybe next year Sanremo?
«Why not?”.
Styling Marco de Lucia. Grooming Elisa Rampi
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Source: Vanity Fair

I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.