Bello FiGo

Bello FiGo, born Paul Yeboah in Kumasi, is a rapper and YouTuber who became an internet phenomenon in Italy with deliberately rough songs that poke fun at racism, sexism and Italian politics.

From Kumasi to Parma

He moved with his family to Parma, Italy, in 2004 and began posting self-produced music videos on YouTube in 2007. He first used the name Gucci Boy, and says he switched to Bello FiGo after the fashion house sent him a letter.

Trash rap and politics

His style is known in Italy as trash rap: low-budget, surreal and often grammatically broken on purpose. Non pago affitto, a parody of D4L's Laffy Taffy, had passed 30 million views by 2021. From 2016 songs such as Sono bello come profugo and Referendum Costituzionale turned the joke on stereotypes about immigrants and on politicians, and Rolling Stone Italy called him the country's most politicised artist.

That attention had a cost. Between late 2016 and early 2017 he faced threats from far-right groups, and several concerts, including shows in Brescia, Legnano and Rome, were cancelled over security fears. In 2019 the University of Pisa threatened legal action over a video shot in its lecture rooms.

He later signed with Warner Music Italy.