Album review
Ari Selva & Vaynex
Tayo OdutolaSep 15, 2026 · 4 min read
Camera Di Pressione
Sample track from SpotifyListen to the full album on Spotify →
Italian rapper Ari Selva is not new to us, and we have covered his previous releases. His penchant for classic boom-bap and unorthodox rap is what makes him unique in the field. He doesn’t try to impress anyone with over-bloated cuts or crispy, pop-influenced records, and he just sticks to a formula that works time over time: quality and substance over everything else. His latest release, entitled Camera Di Pressione, is an 8-track collaborative project with Swiss producer Vaynex
that explores the dark side of the world surrounding the emcee. Armed with his expressive style that blends vivid poetic license with a somewhat nonchalant energy, Selva paints a picture of life filled with tension, resolution and the unresolved issues that lie in between it all.
The first track, “Siamo In Diretta” translates to “We Are Live” in Italian and serves as Selva’s introduction. The track plays out like a ring fight, with the rapper narrating the entire event with raw passion and gusto. Against a scenic backdrop comprising punchy drums, ear-gripping sound design and cinematic strings, Selva welcomes listeners into this world with the perfect opening salvo filled with hypnotic imagery like
“The Gs of the Metaverse have taken over the front row
Sal: live reporting in rhyme
An orchestra of violins, clarinets and ocarina
The soundtrack to the Cryocaine epidemic“
This is followed by “Niente Che Mi Tenga” (Nothing Holding Me), where Selva brings out the big guns, lyrically speaking. As the title says, this is an unrestrained showcase of lyricism paired with gripping beats, and the result is pure harmony. “Lo Scarafaggio” highlights Ari Selva’s use of graphic collages in his storytelling. The title translates to “The cockroach” in Italian, and the dark, menacing soundscape helps elevate the urgency, but the icing on the cake is the way Selva delivers his bars in an almost nonchalant and conversational manner that reinforces the not-so-subtle threat in lines like
“You put your cigarette out on my arm, backed me into a corner/Told me I was worthless—you’d find me the Noose if I wanted to do it—and all of this/While stammering, never one slap back—the cockroach“
“Enclave(L’Ora DiAria)” is the only track with a feature courtesy of DJ Crazyfish and M-Skills. It’s a brilliant lyrical display that blends unfiltered street imagery with religious references. Against a sombre and brooding downtempo groove with dark textures, the rapper proceeds with a no-holds-barred approach.
“I run until I can feel my spleen/Until I can no longer feel my dick/Selva doesn’t rap—he prophesies/You write bars—I write the Bible“
He continues on a verbal run, throwing darts at the opposition while reminding the naysayers that he is here to stay, and finishes it with
“These idiots shout, “Barabbas!”/They don’t believe what they’ve witnessed/Until the man dies and somebody says Guys, this one was sent by the Most High” to solidify his stance. The track closes out with an impressive scratching solo filled with classic rap samples and turntable techniques. “Sulla Punta Della Lingua” (On the tip of my tongue) is Selva’s take on the parallels between reality and make-believe. He understands the power of storytelling and embellishments, but he adds a caveat with lines like
“Reality lacks the timing of a sitcom
And people lack thick black outlines
You could say it the way you would in a TV drama
Or write it inside a speech bubble, like in a comic“
The final track, “La Siberica Scilla,” is filled with life lessons and cold-related references. The chorus
“Life is a call girl/With the eyes of a shark and the mercy of a crocodile/Yeah—I fight among the blue flowers shining/At the foot of the oak, like Siberian squill” captures the stark reality we all live in and finds Selva in his element as he rolls with the punches without complaining.
Other notable cuts include “La Veglia” and “Piromani.” The former is built on an anthemic boom-bap beat that is both cinematic and enthralling, while the latter has a classic contemporary sound fused with underground rap aesthetics. On both tracks, Selva takes listeners deep into this dark dystopian world he has built and shows how every move can be detrimental or fruitful. He also displays copious amounts of patience with bars like
“I wait for you like a thief waiting to be caught
Like someone who fears a definite answer
Like a dog waiting to run outside
I wait for you the way I waited for my friends at sixteen“
Overall, the project is raw, unfiltered and edgy and highlights he rapper’s engaging story telling using rap as a platform.
Stream on all DSPs here.
Keep up with Ari Selva | Linktree: Instagram
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