El Matador: From Social Phenomenon to Musical Inspiration

Dylan Potenza, known as El Matador, is 21 years old, from Ciampino, and after participating in the talent show "New Scene", he has become a real social phenomenon. "I have no more problems since I became El Matador" is the most loved line by the young. But what are the problems that becoming El Matador has helped you overcome? "Alcoholism in the first place and then problems with girlfriends. All the girlfriends I've had have cheated on me. I can't explain why." When did you start making music? "I was young and I started making my first songs based on the beats of other rappers, like Fedez for example. Then I decided to get serious and start working in a recording studio." Fedez: "I did not cheat on Chiara Ferragni", who is the "very famous" girl the rapper referred to on Belve. Has anyone tried to stop you? "Sure, most people. Here in Rome it works like this. Anyone who tries to do something new is looked down upon." What school did you attend? "I went to a scientific high school. I never thought about going to university but I enrolled in a music marketing school. They kicked me out because of my music. They said my content incited violence." You have many fans, many of whom are very young and your content is very explicit. Don't you feel a certain sense of responsibility? "No, I believe that music is like cinema, an art. In which you can do everything. The education of the kids does not depend on my music." Don't you even think that you might have an influence on them? "Well, maybe minimal." We know you have a special relationship with your mom? "Yes, she had me very young at 20. We grew up together and for a couple of years she raised me alone. My father, the man who raised me, was even younger than her. He was 19 when I was 4. He took on a family at that age. At 19, I couldn't even find the bathroom in my house. My mother and I lived in Switzerland until I was 6. My grandparents had emigrated there for work. Then we came to Ciampino." So, you also speak German? "Yes, I was born in Bern. I tried to do "El Matador" in German and it's not bad at all. What is the message you want to convey to your young fans? "I want to tell them to give up substances and to always look for a dream, a goal to achieve. As I did."