Rap rhymes are combined with the melodies of a symphony orchestra? Can the music of the city where hip-hop comes from fit into Thessaloniki Music Hall? These questions – and some more important ones – rapper 12th Pithikos and the Thessaloniki Municipality Symphony Orchestra aim to answer tomorrow Saturday at an unprecedented, by Greek standards, sold-out concert organized by Red Bull Symphonic. » as part of the 57th Dimitrios.

“I could not imagine such a result. It all starts with the amazing work of Lakis Tsimkas in the orchestration, who manages not to sound alien. The cooperation started with a conversation, since I have been playing live instruments for quite a long time (violin, cello, trumpet, etc.), so the band and I made the backbone of the tracks and rehearsed for months. But when a symphony orchestra was added to it, everything changed. I personally cried when I first heard this. On the other hand, it’s like I’ve already drunk the gallons,” the Thessaloniki rapper known as Akis Tsinidis tells me with a laugh.

SOTH conductor Michalis Trahalios, for his part, adds the following: “Listening to the works on the 12th, you find melodic parts inside, they are just played on a synthesizer or in other electronic versions. In fact, they were “translated” to the instruments of the orchestra, and the final result appeared. Obviously, hip-hop has a different communication code, it is based mainly on lyrics and rhythm. On the other hand, musicians of all genres basically manage energy. It’s absolutely the same here, everything else is small problems that we have to deal with.”

With the Thessaloniki Municipality Symphony Orchestra, rapper 12os Pithikos collaborates in an innovative musical collaboration.

As 12th Monkey himself told me, the tracks that will be played at the concert in some way tell his own story: from Kalamaria Park, where he grew up, to his 9 record deals and over 20 million (!) views on Youtube. who put together the track “There were things”. However, despite the respect he inspires in the scene, old and new, the 38-year-old rapper shows no trace of arrogance — instead, he points out to me how close-knit the hip-hop community is and how happy he is. was with the destruction caused by the summer concert of “compatriot” LEX in Nea Smyrni. As for the nickname, it obviously comes from Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys.

“Sometimes I feel like Bruce Willis in a movie trying to save a world that can’t be saved. It’s not that I can save the world, but I believe that I managed to change something, starting with narrow social circles, which then expanded. However, there are times when I get frustrated, because there are many more bad ones, and I say: “We made a hole in the water.” But at least I sleep well at night,” he tells us.

Regarding the popularity of Greek rap in recent years, he explains it this way: “After the crisis, the youth saw a different society than the one we encountered in adolescence. Harder, harder, don’t get a job or work for leftovers. All this pushed them to us. Bad lie, rap is the only music in Greece, with a few exceptions, that addresses social issues at the moment. An outlet for those who want to hear about them, as well as speak out and feel that they are not alone.”

Verse 12 is bold, explosive, like most representatives of the genre, it comes from the marginal, speaks about it and rages against everything that limits human freedom. However, I point out to him that some of his early lyrics might be considered sexist or homophobic today. “Obviously, there is also a very fine line here. I am a child who grew up on the street. In those years, we talked like that on the street, I didn’t even imagine that I was offending someone. I personally don’t want to unintentionally make anyone uncomfortable. If I want to offend him, I will immediately offend him and accept the consequences. Of course, in our time, whatever you say, someone will be offended. Despite all this, now I like to be careful with what I say in songs.”