Aelle

Aelle Magazine (Italy): The original and absolute bible of Italian Hip-Hop Founded in Genoa in 1991 by Claudio "Sid" Brignole and joined by Paola Zukar, Aelle (or Aelle Hip Hop Magazine) is historically the very first media to have documented and structured street culture in Italy. Born in a handcrafted manner as a photocopied fanzine on a typewriter, it evolved until its distribution in newsstands for a total of 53 mythical issues until 2001. Much more than a simple collection of photos, Aelle (which is pronounced in the Italian way to mean AL or Alleanza Latina) encompassed with fervor the four elements of Hip-Hop. While the magazine gradually gave a major place to the golden age of Italian and American rap, its graffiti and writing section remained legendary. In the absence of the Internet, each issue served as an indispensable bridge to connect the crews of Milan, Rome or Bologna, publishing wild lettering, heavily painted train cars and collaborations with global icons like Phase 2. It is a precious and highly collectible patrimonial archive for understanding the roots of the Italian urban scene.