Leopardi, Trap, and the Bias of Conscious Music

There is a widespread prejudice, almost a knee-jerk reaction, that plagues modern music. A sharp line is drawn by purists: on one side, “Conscious Rap,” seen as noble and socially useful; on the other, the new urban wave, often labeled as superficial, guilty of not addressing the “great themes.”

Yet, looking beyond the surface and the labels, this dichotomy has roots far deeper than music. It is not a question of beats or autotune; it is the same philosophical crossroads once traversed by Giacomo Leopardi.

Conscious Rap and the Illusion of Historical Pessimism Link to heading

The rap that claims to be the voice of the masses, pointing the finger at the system, perfectly mirrors the first phase of Leopardi’s thought: Historical Pessimism.

In this view, malaise has an external culprit: society, context, corruption, and the “progress” that has distanced man from original happiness. The “conscious rapper” takes on this burden: they become a tribune, denouncing the social context, seeking visible enemies. It is a comfortable position, in a way. It allows the listener (and the critic) to feel on the right side, morally superior. But there is a risk: speaking on behalf of a collective malaise can eventually become a pose. One risks recounting a pain that is no longer lived firsthand, turning denunciation into rhetoric.

Madame: The Arrival at Cosmic Pessimism Link to heading

On the other side, there is a different approach, often mistaken for disengagement, but which is actually disillusionment. Artists like Madame represent the evolution toward Cosmic Pessimism.

Here, society is no longer the scapegoat. Just as in the mature Leopardi, the fault does not lie with the “system,” but with Nature itself. Madame sings of impossible loves, of relationships that could save us but fail—not because of external circumstances, but due to the very nature of the human soul, which is built on lack and longing.

Speaking about how we love today, recounting neuroses, emptiness, and emotional dependencies, does not mean ignoring the world. It means accepting that suffering is an intrinsic condition of existence. Nature (or Fate, or Love) is often a stepmother: it deceives us into thinking we can be complete, only to leave us alone.

The Pain of the Individual becomes Universal Link to heading

Those who criticize current music for “only talking about itself” miss a fundamental point: universality always passes through the particular. Historical pessimism seeks culprits; cosmic pessimism seeks truth.

Paradoxically, the artist who has the courage to look inward and dissect their own singular pain is more powerful than the one who merely describes the world’s pain from a pulpit. Recounting individual malaise, without political filters, is the most honest way to reach everyone.

Because in the end, stripped of social superstructures, only man remains, naked before his nature. And there, as Madame sings, synthesizing the concept better than any treatise:

“La musica mi insegna che io, io sono come gli altri”

“Music teaches me that I, I am just like the others.”