Francesco "Kento" Carlo (Reggio Calabria, 1976) is an Italian musician, activist, and writer. He first engaged with music in the early 1990s, driven by a natural attraction to rap. In 1995, he moved to Rome and joined the group Gli Inquilini, with whom he produced four albums between 2003 and 2007. In 2007, he released the album Solo l'Amore, a collaborative project with the rap/reggae collective Kalafro Sound Power. Two years later, he released his first solo work, Sacco o Vanzetti, claiming the legacy of conscious, political rap; followed in 2011 by Resistenza sonora, featuring the title track of the same name, once again in collaboration with Kalafro. In 2014, he traveled to Palestine, launched his own blog on Il Fatto Quotidiano, and began researching the relationship between rap and poetry by joining LIPS (Italian Poetry Slam League); his album Radici was released that same year. In 2016, he published the album Da Sud and the book Resistenza Rap. In 2020, he released Te lo dico in rap—the first Italian children's book dedicated to Hip-Hop culture—followed in 2021 by the book Barre. Rap, Sogni e segreti in un carcere minorile and a new studio album, Neanche per sbaglio. For over ten years, he has conducted rap and poetry writing workshops in juvenile detention centers, rehabilitation communities, and schools. Between 2025 and 2026, he staged his first theatrical play (La cella di fronte), alongside releasing new musical productions—including the track Kombat Rap and the single Ragazzo dei '90—and publishing the books Il nonno, il rapper e altri ribelli. Storie al confine tra giustizia e legalità (Piemme, 2025) and Con una pistola alla tempia (Terre di mezzo Editore, 2026).