The Italian drill riser Kouman turns two quiet years into a punchy, slang-heavy return built for late-night replays and hungry playlists.

‘Underdogs‘ hits like somebody walking back into the room after everyone assumed he had left the building. Kouman does not waste the moment with a soft reset.

The Bologna-born artist, now shaped by years in London, makes his return feel charged, impatient, and slightly dangerous in the way drill often feels when the bass starts carrying the attitude before the voice fully arrives.

The single is listed on Apple Music as Kouman’s latest one-track release. Kouman’s angle is clear: he wants Italian drill to sound less borrowed and more lived-in.

He is an Italian pioneer of Brooklyn drill, with Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow named as influences, and the public discography backs up the connection through the earlier single I Feel Like Sheff.

That background matters, but ‘Underdogs’ is not trying to write a résumé. It wants motion. It wants shoulders squared, phone cameras up, and a hook people can repeat after one spin.

The beat gives him the right floor to work with. Jerk drums push the track forward in short, snapping bursts, while Passu’s guitar adds a sharp flavour that keeps the record from feeling too boxed in.

Kouman’s delivery is compact and confident, leaning into Italian lines, English rap slang, and street-coded phrasing with the ease of someone who has spent time around multiple scenes and taken notes.

His flow does not over-explain. It makes its point, steps aside, then comes back with the same glare.

The lyrics are adult, gritty, and packed with status signals. Musixmatch presents the lyrics as artist-verified and highlights themes of struggle, resilience, drug culture, and identity.

The repeated “Siamo gli underdogs” gives the song its spine. Around it, Kouman stacks images of selling, changing spots, purple drink, LaMelo Ball in Charlotte, and Raoul Bova-level swagger.

It is boast-heavy writing, but the best part is the friction: he is claiming power while still holding onto the outsider tag. That is where the title earns its replay value.

For the listener, ‘Underdogs’ feels built like a short-form clip that grew teeth. You can picture the hard cuts: night bus windows, a basement studio, a basketball highlight, a crowd shouting the hook back with their phones in the air.

It fits the current drill moment where regional accents travel fast through playlists and TikTok edits, but Kouman’s Italian wording gives the record a personal stamp.

Even the rougher lines add to the character, though the track could hit harder with a second section that shifts the emotional pressure instead of staying mostly in flex mode.

Still, the energy works. The single has playlist pull for fans of Italian rap, European drill, UK drill influence, and Brooklyn drill rhythm. It also gives curators a clean comeback story: two years away, London recording sessions, a forthcoming EP, and an artist speaking like patience made him sharper rather than quieter.

Kouman’s quote, “Don’t rush greatness,” fits the mood, but Underdogs does not sound patient. It sounds like the moment after patience runs out.

That makes the track exciting. ‘Underdogs’ is not polished to the point of losing its bite, and that bite is the sell.

If Kouman’s next EP expands this hunger with stronger hooks, clearer storytelling, and the same bilingual charge, he could push Italian drill into a louder conversation.

For now, press play and let the comeback stare back.