It takes a special artist to use their fame and success to make a cultural change in their region. Take Italian hip-hop star Marracash, for example. Getting his start in the underground hip-hop scene in Milan, his career has gone from strength to strength. With his latest releases being more introspective than previous records, the artist has come to be known as the Italian ‘King of Rap’. Following a hugely successful arena tour in 2022, the cogs started turning for Marrageddon Festival. Taking place across two locations at the end of September 2023, this two-stop festival welcomed 85,000 and 55,000 attendees to Milan and Naples, respectively, and featured some of the country’s best-known artists, with each evening capped off with a stunning headline performance from Marracash himself.
Drafted in to provide the visual lead to the festival was Ombra Design. Despite being based in London, the company is headed up by Italian natives Lorenzo De Pascalis and Giulia De Paoli. The duo jumped on a call with TPi to talk about the festivals and what it meant to bring such an epic production to their home country.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Andrea Bianchera and Nicola Braga
