Giostra literally means "carousel" or "merry-go-round". It's an interesting word because it evokes a sense of childhood fun and a cyclical, repetitive motion.
In Fabri Fibra's song, "Sulla Giostra" (On the Carousel), the word is used metaphorically to represent the music industry or the pursuit of fame and success. Everyone wants a "posto fisso sulla giostra" (a fixed spot on the carousel), implying a desire for stability and recognition in a fast-paced, often superficial world. It's a clever way to describe the endless cycle of trying to stay relevant and popular.
Fabri Fibra uses one image for the whole song: fame is a fairground ride, and everyone wants a permanent seat on it. There is a queue outside the club, the people with the right connections walk straight in, the touts make their money off the crowd, and the very top of the scene sits shut away in the VIP room. Everyone else waits their turn on the carousel.
The verses pull the curtain back on what that ride actually costs. He spends the whole week writing rhymes until Wednesday feels like Saturday. He cannot leave the house without being asked for a selfie or handed someone's record to listen to. New rappers appear and disappear inside two months, and the moment anything works, everyone copies it. The advice he gives is blunt and a little tired: put the money in your pocket, because people are going to talk either way.
Neffa's chorus keeps the ride turning while Fibra counts what it takes to stay on it. By the end the tone tips from observation into something closer to a challenge. The carousel has started, the whole crowd is already here for it, and the question left hanging is whether you are getting on.
The title, sulla giostra, literally means "on the carousel". In everyday Italian a giostra is the roundabout at a funfair, and figuring it out is most of the song: bright, loud, going in circles, and over as soon as you step off.
Fabri Fibra, born Fabrizio Tarducci in 1976 in Senigallia, Italy, is one of the most influential voices in Italian rap. He started out in the underground scene in the 1990s, teaming up with DJ Lato in the duo Uomini di Mare before launching his own label, Teste Mobili Records, in 2000.
He went solo in 2002 with the album Turbe giovanili, but it was 2004's Mr. Simpatia that truly put him on the map and led to a major deal with Universal two years later. His breakthrough into the mainstream came with Controcultura in 2010, a double-platinum record built on hit singles like "Vip in Trip" and "Tranne Te." Guerra e Pace followed in 2013 and shot straight to number one.
Known for his sharp, outspoken lyrics, Fabri Fibra built his reputation as a "conscious rapper," tackling social and political issues alongside stories from his own life. With more than 2.3 million certified sales, he remains one of the defining figures of Italian hip hop.