9.05.2013

Latin American Hip Hop

After careful consideration, I have decided to invalidate all the answers for Ricky Martin.  As much as I appreciate his work in the 80s boy band Menudo, his music is just too pop.  It certainly lacks an association with "the street" and the politics of race, violence, and poverty that we might associate with the genre.  

On that score, one could make a slightly stronger case for Shakira.  Enrique Iglesias is a tough sell, though he does apparently have his own hip hop channel on Spotify.  Pitbull certainly counts, though I'm not a huge fan.  Admitedly, I'm not all that familiar with Juanes' work, and though it seems like pop at first glance, I will think about it more carefully.

I ask this question about Latin American Hip Hop, because it speaks to the globalization of American culture.  For sure, in many instances, hip hop is a commercial product exported to a worldwide audience to generate American record sales.  But hip hop has a more revolutionary and global side.  A few examples.

Ana Tijoux (Chile)

Control Machete (Mexico)

Noise Mob (Korea)

Ikonoklasta (Angola)



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