At the stroke of midnight which marked the transition from 23 May 2024 to Friday 24, the artistic life – and not only – of a man from Bitonno known by name as Adriano Barone may have undergone the sweetest of metamorphoses.
Just like in dreamlike fairy tales, and an amazing story with a happy ending is what we all wish him too, starting from the sliding door of his recent magical night…
H/B (pronounced “eich-bi” in English, the protagonist himself is keen to underline) has always loved and made music, but at the same time he preferred to keep this overwhelming love within himself, in the most intimate treasure chest of his soul until, last Monday at 2:00 pm, he decided to publish this emotional, all-encompassing post on Instagram:
“I’ve kept you inside for years.
I kept you hidden from anyone even though you were dear and precious to me.
Because for me you have never been a trend, you have never been just another way to seek the attention of other people’s eyes.
I felt you inside me at all times, you were there and you are always there, everywhere, inside me.
No one has ever understood me like you, no one has ever been as constant as you, with you I have never felt alone.
Keeping you there and protecting you from the superficiality of others has been law for me all this time.
You are the only one who made me feel alive in every moment, you are the only one who made the most secret thoughts take shape, which I couldn’t express simply by talking about it to someone who would not have understood me, never like you.
How many nights have you spent writing in these 14 years; from the first verses, how many words, how many things to say.
But those words, those refined melodies, that art, could no longer remain hidden in my head. You have become an obsession, a fixed thought and now it is right that it is done, that all this comes to life.
My dear music, the moment we have always dreamed of has arrived.
I don’t look for consensus, I do it for myself and for those who will see themselves in my lyrics.
Music unites, it allows us to embrace emotions and I will share mine, let this journey begin.”
A declaration of love that anyone would like to hear dedicated at least once in their life and for the Adriano-Musica liaison that day has finally arrived. Yet the beat and the lyrics had been thought of, or rather elaborated, already four years ago by its restless author…
The first official piece published by H/B, complete with cover and “explanatory” video, is titled IT’S NOT SO (sorry for the delay in the information, but the romantic nuances of the story took over for a moment, ed.); this work also involved the collaboration of the important videomaker Domenico Lamanna and, above all, saw the light in one fell swoop on Spotify and YouTube.
The hip hop song “with latin vibes” tells, in extreme summary, of a passionate relationship with obsessive-possessive implications in which up and down continuously alternate, moments in which this couple is happy and others characterized by arguments and misunderstandings, until it leads to an almost “toxic” feeling . In the text it emerges that the love bond is not everything in a sentimental story, that there is a need for balance and if this is broken frequently there is a risk of “suffocation”: Tell me if this is the last time we leave / And we talk about the same things about the same things / I can’t take it anymore / The roses are not enough / I love yous are not enough, the messages are not enough / Turn off the lamp / That we do it under the sheets / As if they were covering us from all this history / Which makes us nervous, which makes us worse / But without it I’m worse like drugs to those kids outside / Don’t pretend that you don’t understand me / Don’t make it a burden, you don’t take the risks / Then if you do this what are you complaining about / Anyone would run away from where it’s cramped / Silence while I drive / You who look to the right / We console ourselves as if / This war wasn’t ours.
This is one of the key passages of the piece.
But who is Adriano Barone? What existential paths led this twenty-six year old thoroughbred from Bitonto to the decision to enter the world of mainstream music on an equal footing?
“As a good Capricorn, I have always been a very introverted and reserved type. Since I was a child, my life has always been based on music and football. I grew up in Olimpia Bitonto, then moved to Bari and I also had a year’s experience in US Bitonto in Eccellenza. I have always had this passion for writing, which I have maintained alongside my everyday life and have never abandoned it. It allowed me to give vent to my thoughts, I felt that music could be my best friend, the only one capable of understanding me and filling the gaps; I would say she was my psychologist, my secret diary. Precisely for this reason my lyrics are very intimate, I have lived very strong personal experiences, both sentimental and family and music allows you to have an outlet, as if you were talking to yourself. It’s a difficult feeling to explain, but when faced with problems I found more comfort in writing than in talking to someone about them. I approached rap when I was very young, the moment in which I discovered this culture thanks to my brother remained imprinted in my soul, I was about 5 years old and Eminem’s film ‘8Mile’ had recently come out: I would say it was a love at first sight. I immediately felt part of the rap/hip hop world because it has a familiar, direct language and even those who were on the other side of the globe talked about problems that you could experience by going down to your house. I have worked a lot on myself in recent years, I have become aware of who I really am and I have decided to make this passion of mine public. Even though I am 26 years old, I think it is the right time to crown my personal and artistic journey, welcoming this new journey that I started years ago, but which I only now feel ready to be shared with an audience”.
Finally, an appeal-hope launched to all of us by Adriano: “I would like my city to support me, Bitonto is full of prejudices and it is our duty to also show the beautiful side of this city. There are many artists here, in every field, especially in the musical one and together, with our work, we could really give value to a city seen too often with negative eyes”.
He started doing it, now it’s our turn…
