What happened to Tony Effe?

In recent days, there has been much discussion about the case involving Tony Effe and the City of Rome. A few days ago, the trapper had been invited by the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, as one of the headliners for the evening that will take place at the Circus Maximus to celebrate the arrival of 2025. Along with Tony Effe, the Councillor for Major Events Alessandro Onorato also announced the presence of Mahmood and Mara Sattei, three «super guests» invited to «ensure the artists of the moment for many young girls and boys who, regardless of how much money they have in their pockets, can experience this great moment of celebration at the Circus Maximus», as stated in a declaration reported by Today. Over the weekend, however, Mayor Gualtieri reversed his decision regarding Tony Effe. First came the somewhat absurd request for the trapper to decline the invitation, followed by the decision to cancel his performance. «Once it became clear that this choice would divide the city and offend the sensitivity of many, we deemed it appropriate to request a step back because for us, the New Year's concert must unite the city, not divide it», Gualtieri shared, as reported by Adnkronos.

But what controversy arose after the announcement of the rapper's presence at the Roman New Year's concert? Tony Effe's performance was contested by several political factions, from a wing of the Democratic Party to Brothers of Italy, as well as Action and Noi Moderati, but not only that: the association Differenza Donna also opposed it, calling it «a reckless choice to organize a concert – where the target audience will be young girls and boys – featuring a singer like Tony Effe, the author of sexist, misogynistic, and violent lyrics», as reported on Ansa. Even though it was the content of Tony Effe's lyrics that sparked the uproar, the controversy did not subside once the invitation was withdrawn. After Gualtieri’s change of direction, defenders of the right to expression spoke out. In an article by fanpage, feminist writer Giulia Blasi explains in five points why censoring Tony Effe would be a mistake: «Art must be free from any moral consideration», she asserts, arguing that the singer, as an artist, has the right to be repetitive, disgusting, and boring. Censoring him for misogyny and sexism, Blasi writes, would mean hiding «the problem because we lack the tools to address it. [...] Braghettone-style censorship is not educational: it is paternalistic.»

A similar story happened exactly one year ago, involving Emis Killa and the town of Ladispoli. Mayor Alessandro Grando had invited the rapper from Vimercate to the town’s New Year’s Eve concert, only to cancel the performance after similar criticisms to those raised these days. It is curious that both rappers will compete at the Sanremo Festival 2025 and even more curious that no one protested against Carlo Conti's artistic choices. Meanwhile, some are celebrating Gualtieri’s decision, like Federico Mollicone, Chairman of the Chamber's Culture Commission, who told Adnkronos that «it is a good thing that Tony Effe’s participation was canceled». According to Roma Today, the amusement park Cinecittà World announced that for their New Year's Eve party, their doors are open to the trapper «in the name of freedom of expression» and specified that part of the evening's proceeds will be donated «to associations supporting women victims of violence». 

Tony Effe, for his part, did not initially respond to the choice of the Municipality of Rome. The only comment on the matter was shared via Instagram with a story from when the waters were just beginning to churn: the trapper said he was «honoured to sing at the Circus Maximus [and to] thank the municipality for this opportunity». Tony Effe took the opportunity to emphasise how much he loves and respects «all women» and then closed with «Rome see you on New Year's Eve». Yesterday, however, Roma Today reported that for Tony Effe's management, Pegaso, Gualtieri's decision had caused «evidently damaged the image» of the trapper, «having, moreover, only learned what was happening from the headlines. Pegaso, while reserving any further reflection, adds that it is undeniable that this affair has exposed Tony Effe to heavy media pressure, risking compromising the image and career of one of the most relevant artists of this 2024, since he is an artist who, with his music, has been a strong motive of aggregation for so many young people we have met during this year».