Songs of the Criminal Life
Reviving the Ballads of Calabria's Original Mafia

Listen to Sylvia Poggioli's report.

Cover to La Musica Della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita Pias America ISBN: PIASA 8 Songs from the CD heard in this report:  Sangu chima sangu ("Blood Cries for Blood"       English lyrics  I cunfirenti ("The Traitors")       English lyrics  Omertá ("The Code of Silence")       English lyrics

"The current Mafia bosses are very pleased that this music circulates in the local market. It can only help with new recruits." Musician Valentino Santagati

'Ndrangheta, Then and Now The word 'Ndrangheta may be of Greek origin, and may mean "society of men." The group was first formed as an organization to protect the poor from a distant, oppressive government that imposed taxes and a seven-year military service on young men. The lyrics of Il Canto di Malavita reflect what music historian Mimmo Siclari describes as the Robin Hood values of an 'Ndrangheta that no longer exists. Over the past three decades, a new generation of more ruthless Mafiosi has taken over the Calabrian underworld, reaping huge profits from the international drug trade. Italian officials believe the group now controls much of the world drug trade. "Today's world is selfishness -- money, drugs, filth. It has nothing to do with my world, with the world I'm trying to revive through these songs," Siclari tells NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

"Get ready to die, your time has come
My life-blood demands vengeance
Your hand is now tainted
And I avow you'll never shoot again
Blood cries for blood."
-- from "Blood Cries for Blood" (Sangu Chiama Sangu)

Oct. 2, 2002 -- The success of the HBO series The Sopranos punctuates America's fascination with the Mafia -- or at least, with the Mafia mystique. Now, from the Calabria region of Italy -- home of the 'Ndrangheta, the most secretive and elusive of the Italian Mafias -- comes a CD collection of songs that glorify their violent code of honor.

The CD, Il Canto di Malavita (or "Songs of the Criminal Life"), is a compilation of old tunes first sung by some of the original Mafiosi of southern Italy. Despite the graphic nature of the lyrics, or perhaps because of them, the CD is very popular in northern Europe, selling more than 60,000 copies.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli traveled to the provincial capital of Reggio Calabria, and found a city of odd contradictions. Devout Roman Catholics crowd the streets during the feast day of the city's patron saint, pushing to kiss a painting of the Madonna as the procession makes its way to the cathedral.

But the festivities reach their peak in front of the cathedral, where men challenge each other in a dance called the tarantella. "It's a symbolic trial of honor," Poggioli says. "A simulated form of male competition. It's an opportunity to assess status and prestige -- and it's a reassertion of the values of the 'Ndrangheta underworld."

Amateur music historian Mimmo Siclari collected the lyrics to the songs over decades of travel in the rugged Calabrian Mountains. The songs are part of a long oral tradition, and were usually sung at festivals marking the entry of a new member into the 'Ndrangheta, a member's release from prison or a successful vendetta.

The melodies originate from archaic Mediterranean traditions, and are often played using archaic instruments -- the lyre, tambourine and zampogna, a primitive goatskin bagpipe. Many of the lyrics were composed in prison, and handed down over the generations.

Many Italians and Italian-Americans decry the CD, saying it glorifies the old stereotype of the Italian gangster. But Francesco Sbano, who produced the songs on the CD, says Calabrians shouldn't be ashamed of their 'Ndrangheta heritage.

"This CD is a document of the past," he tells Poggioli, "part of the true history of Calabria."

In Depth

• NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports on the popularity of narco-corridos -- songs on Mexican radio that celebrate drug runners and, sometimes, the murder of policemen.

Browse more NPR stories on the Mafia.

Other Resources

• Translated lyrics, a history of the CD project and other music cuts are available on the Web site for the La Musica Della Mafia album, www.malavita.com.

• The CD is distributed by Pias America.

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