Identidades in English No 4, December 2014 | Page 73

to color or social class; janitors and doctors comingled more often in their personal lives as
equals - unlike what we see in the United States.
Exceptions to this were specific poor neighborhoods, like Cerro, with large numbers of Afro Cubans, in contrast to better-off residential areas,
like Vedado, that had more white Cubans. Yes,
people still associated with one another, but the
demographics of the neighborhoods made it more
likely to see more, darker-skinned or lighter
skinned Cubans, depending on the place.
Cuban Rap & Hip Hop Today
Fast-forward to 2014: Cuban rap and hip-hop has
fully emerged and taken on an identity of its own.
There are now a variety of Cuban rap and hip hop
artists, and thematically, they cover the gamut of
the genre. From booty-shaking and the sexually
explicit, to socially conscious and alternative
(think De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest), Cuban hip hop has a personality all its own. While
commercialization - aided by state sponsorship has definitely grabbed a hold of Cuban hip hop
music, groups and individuals such as Krudas Cubensi, Anónimo Consejo, Hermanos de Causa,
Escuadrón Patriota, and David D Omni remain
on the front lines of an underground non-commercial Cuban rap / hip hop movement. Their
steady resistance to co-optation by the state has
allowed the underground movement to maintain
its negritude and social consciousness: rapping
about police bias and societal bias against darker
skinned Cubans, with lyrics that explore their
blackness and their position in Cuban society,
these artists are giving voice to their current circumstances - in their own words.
On September 18, 2014, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the latter two of these new-generation Cuban rappers, brought to Pittsburgh by La
Plataforma de Integración Cubana and hosted by
City of Asylum. For me, these artists exemplified
the growth of Cuban rap and hip hop music. The
first thing I noticed was their deadlocked hairstyle.

A quick review of current Cuban rap artists reveals that most rappers - underground as well as
state funded - fully embrace Afrocentric hairstyles: dreads and twists to afros and puffs.
Unlike years ago, popular Cuban rappers are not
producing in isolation. In fact, the visit of these
two rappers seemed reminiscent of other moments of cultural mingling and sharing in the cultural expression of black consciousness. When
asked, Escuadrón described how he became involved in the hip-hop scene. He spoke of accidentally coming across one of the rap concerts
featuring artists like Anónimo Consejo, describing how the lyrics appealed to him on a deep level
and how his imagination caught fire. Yet unlike
the Cuban rappers of the past, his primary influences were the first vanguard of Cuban rappers; it
was only as his interest in this musical genre grew
that he became aware of American artists. Specifically, he cited Public Enemy, Tupac, and the Notorious Big; although he did not understand their
lyrics, Escuadrón said that F