Neffa
Giovanni Pellino (born 7 October 1967), best known as Neffa, is an Italian singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the Italian hip hop scene.
Also recorded as Giovanni Pellino
Neffa

Iaconianni family · Fotoguru.it · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Neffa
- Birth Name
- Giovanni Pellino
- Born
- 7 October 1967
- Birthplace
- Scafati, Italy
- Occupation
- * Singer
- Full name
- Giovanni Pellino.
- Nationality
- Italy
- Fields
- pop music · funk · rhythm and blues · adult contemporary music · blue-eyed soul · hip-hop soul
- Honours
- Ciak d'oro - best soundtrack · Nastro d'argento for best original song
- Languages
- Italian
Reference Check
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 135638801 · wikidata · Q1974203 · wikipedia · Neffa
In this article
Biography
Biography
The recorded working language is Italian. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are pop music, funk, rhythm and blues and adult contemporary music. Residence is recorded at Bologna. Distinctions recorded are Ciak d'oro - best soundtrack and Nastro d'argento for best original song.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Neffa • Birth Name — Giovanni Pellino • Born — 7 October 1967 • Birthplace — Scafati, Italy • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • rapper • record producer
Life and career
Life and career
Born in Scafati, at a young age Pellino moved to Bologna with his family. In the late 1980s he adopted the stage name Jeff Pellino and was a drummer in several rock and punk bands, notably Negazione. In 1991, he joined the hip hop ensemble Isola Posse All Stars and adopted the stage name "Neffa" in honour of Paraguayan footballer Gustavo Neffa, at the time playing with U.S. Cremonese. After the album SXM with the rap group Sangue Misto, in 1996 Neffa started his solo career, with the successful album I messaggeri della dopa which was led by the single "Aspettando il sole". In the following albums he spanned various styles including funk, pop, soul, jazz and R&B, achieving major success in 2001 with the summer hit "La mia signorina" and the accompanying album Arrivi e partenze. The same year he was nominated as best Italian act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2004 he entered the main competition at the 54th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, placing ninth with the song "Le ore piccole". In 2007 Neffa composed the musical score of Ferzan Özpetek's Saturn in Opposition, for which he won a Globo d'oro for best score and a Nastro d'Argento and a Ciak d'oro for best original song ("Passione"). In 2010 he started the musical project Due di Picche with the rapper J-Ax. In 2016 he returned to compete at the 66th annual Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Sogni e nostalgia".
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Neffa was recorded at birth as Giovanni Pellino. He also worked under the name Neffa. The authorities additionally record the heading Giovanni Pellino. His recorded language was Italian.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Bologna
Named but not plotted · 1
Scafati.
Birth place
Discography
• Neffa & i messaggeri della dopa (1996) • 107 elementi (1998) • Arrivi e partenze (2001) • I molteplici mondi di Giovanni, il cantante Neffa (2003) • Alla fine della notte (2006) • Sognando contromano (2009) • Molto calmo (2013) • Resistenza (2015) • AmarAmmore (2021) • Canerandagio (2025)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1974203: Neffa
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Neffa”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 135638801, Neffa.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Neffa, revision 1370996423 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Eddy Anselmi. Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics, 2009. 2009. 978-8863462296.
- 2.Enrico Deregibus. Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana. Giunti Editore, 2010. 8 October 2010. 978-8809756250.
- 3.Sebastiano Vernazza. Gustavo, il paraguaiano che ha dato il nome a Neffa. La Gazzetta dello Sport. 12 January 2007.
- 4.MTV European Music Award nominees. Curlio.com. 27 September 2001.
- 5.Felice Liperi. In concerto per l' Ecofest la 'passione' di Neffa. La Repubblica. 28 September 2007.
- 6.Sanremo 2016, Neffa tra 'Sogni e nostalgia'. Il Resto del Carlino. 7 February 2016.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 135638801, Neffa.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1974203: NeffaWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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