Tommy Vercetti

Tommy Vercetti is a house producer and DJ from the United Kingdom, born in 1993. The name is also used here for a Swiss rapper from Bern, born in 1981 and active in Swiss hip-hop, with a career centred on freestyles, battle rap and mixtapes.

Rap career

As a rapper, he first attracts attention in 2001 through a former crew that also includes Francis Man and DJ QuestionMark, both later associated with Round Table Knights. In 2003 he takes second place in the national Ultimative Battle at the Bierhübeli in Bern. He also builds a long-standing friendship with Dezmond Dez through music, and the two become closely linked as collaborators.

His early releases help shape his reputation in Swiss rap. Cheftape 1 appears in April 2003 as a tape of raps over other artists’ instrumentals, followed by Cheftape 2 in November of the same year. These releases are described as influential for introducing a new approach to rapping in Switzerland, using intelligent wordplay, humorous punchlines and a focus on flow. The style quickly becomes recognised first in Bern and then in other cities, and later influences younger rappers.

Mixtapes and releases

In June 2004 he completes the unreleased mixtape Controverce, which includes the track Briefe an die Mutter. The video for that song is made by Tom Hänni, a friend and studio partner, and receives recognition including the Nachwuchspreis of Schweizer Fernsehen.

After finishing his diploma work, he releases Flug zum Tod in May 2005. Another mixtape, StrassenLampenBlind, follows in April 2006. Between these releases he gives numerous concerts, takes part in freestyle battles and appears as a guest on other records.

Style and themes

Vercetti is known for battle rap and freestyle performances that combine dense language, wit, imagery and storytelling. His writing places emphasis on concise expression, rhetorical craft and originality. He also presents himself as politically left-leaning, well to the left of the SP, and frames rap as a form that works through vocabulary, flow and argument rather than simple moral judgement.

Background

He is born and raised in Bern. A stay in Cuba in 2003, linked to his graphic design studies, shapes his personal life as well as his artistic development, including meeting his future wife there.