Mi like mi coffee very importante,” he sings early in the song, later rapping: “Mi like to fly privati with twenty-four carati, also mi casa very grandioso.
Some Italians were infuriated in response to the lyrics, with far-right League senator Gian Marco Centinaio featuring Cash on a flyer along with the statement “whoever insults Italy must stay out of Eurovision.” The politician also raged on Instagram: “This singer should come to Italy to see how good people work before writing such stupid songs full of stereotypes.”.
While Codacons and the far-right leader seemed to think that the average Italian should be insulted by the song, many Italians online disagreed completely, and said they thought Estonia’s Eurovision entry was hilarious.
Codacons, an Italian organisation representing consumer and civil rights, also released a lengthy statement exploring whether “it's appropriate to allow a song that offends a country and an entire community” to be in Eurovision.
“Indignation has been expressed by numerous citizens [over a song] whose lyrics contain stereotypes about Italy and Italians - the usual cliches of coffee and spaghetti, but above all the mafia and the ostentation of luxury, which conveys a message of a population tied to organised crime.”.
