Rhymin' and Rappin' in Italian

In Italian Rappers Try to Hang On the International Herald Tribune reports on the Italian rap scene:

"These days, mainstream Italian rap is getting a lot of attention [even though] by American standards, where rap is a multimillion-dollar industry, Italy's homegrown edition has a tiny market, falling far short even of other European countries like Germany, and especially France, where hip-hop sales are second only to the United States. But low demand hasn't stopped the nation's aspiring rappers from turning to small independent labels to have their voices heard and hope for at least modest sales."