Contemporary Chicano Hip Hop
By
Pancho McFarland
Chicanos and Chicanas began participating in and creating hip hop early in the 1980s. Tough Chicano adolescent and pre-adolescent boys in Pueblo, Colorado (where I lived), and in other Chicano communities began to meet in popular locations in their barrios. Someone had a boom-box and the latest hip hop music. We listened to the music and lyrics. Many rapped along. Circles were created; ciphers, they called them in the East. In other circles, a boy would take the center of the circle and begin a series of rhythmic movements including toprocking, uprocking, ticking, popping and locking. Some placed their hands on the ground including acrobatics in their performance.
In Los Angeles a large hip hop scene developed. Chicano radio and club deejays promoted hip hop while Chicano crews began to "battle" each other as well as Black rap and b-boy crews. As a rap music industry developed in L.A. shows like Uncle Jam’s Army, which included Kid Frost, the first nationally-known Chicano emcee, brought thousands of youth of color together. Throughout the 1980s hip hop became an important part of Chicano youth culture in L.A. and other places in Aztlán (Greater Mexico), and the Midwest.
In 1990 Kid Frost’s album, Hispanic Causing Panic, became a Chicano favorite throughout the country. After Frost’s success many record companies recorded and released albums made by Chicano emcees including Lighter Shade of Brown, ALT and Proper Dos. 1991 saw the release of Cypress Hill’s first album. B-Real, Sen Dog and DJ Muggs, formed a multiracial/multiethnic group whose influence is felt throughout Chicano hip hop, hip hop culture throughout the U.S. and hip hop internationally. Cypress Hill’s lyrics reflected the tough Chicano, Black and Latino streets of L.A. Both B-Real and Sen Dog deftly wove tales of the barrio to the unique music created by DJ Muggs. Muggs created a musical foundation of funky electronic drums and rhythmic samples from pre-recorded music. He laid a musical mosaic consisting of multiple layers of beats, sounds and noise, and bits of melodies, guitar and piano riffs from recordings of a variety of different types of music. His music reflected the streets and served as the soundtrack to B-Real and Sen Dog’s urban tales.
Cypress Hill’s influence on Chicano hip hop was enormous. So, too, was a raw gangsta style and perspective. Artists from Low Profile Records (San diego), Darkroom Familia (San Francisco), Sawed Off Records and many others all over the country threw out hip hop culture. Their rap was infused with gang values and gang style. They, like Ice-T and NWA, before them, focused their creative energies on the rawest street part of hip hop. Their stories were a mix of guns, sex, drug using and selling and crime. Rarely do the Chicano gangsta rappers speak about hip hop culture, love or romance. They, not unlike Hollywood movie producers, classic novelists and the evening news, write and speak about violence in the most graphic of terms.
A third influence on contemporary Chicano hip hop includes styles, music, poetry, actions, values, and machismo of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Chicano rappers borrow the cultural nationalist rhetoric of the movement and its representatives and leaders such as Corky Gonzalez, Reies Lopez Tijerina, Cesar Chavez and Sal Castro. Chicano hip hop utilizes the symbols and language of indigenism, Chicano Power, rebellion against White authority, and religion, especially Catholicism but also indigenous religion and spirituality. They also use Mexican National symbols of greatness and resistance including references and discussions of Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Los Ninos Heroes, and Adelita.
Street Hop
Hip Hop culture, Cypress Hill, gangsta style, and Chicano Movement traditions spawned contemporary Chicano hip hop. While there are hundreds of artists creating music and hip hop culture in dozens of different ways, I believe the most significant movement in Chicano hip hop is what some are referring to as street hop. Street hop emcees, not all of whom would agree with my labeling, tell barrio tales but focus on a radical response to State and capitalist oppression that creates the problems of poverty that plague barrios. The artists from Dead Silence Records, Realizm Rekords, and Sick Symphonies are the most notable of those developing a street hop style. Chicano street hop artists are part of a larger network of politically-minded, militant political and cultural analysts and activists that includes emcess and artists of a diverse array of young people of varying ethnicities, nationalities, and races. Groups and solo artists like Immortal Technique, dead prez, Rebel Diaz, Brother Ali and Nejma Shea have developed their own street hop styles that involve questioning and critiquing power and presenting alternatives to the dominant mode of life in the United States.
Dead Silence Records is the creation of Kemo the Blaxican. Kemo has released three solo cds including his latest, Upside of Struggle (2010) on his label. Kemo was one third of the popular Chicano group, Delinquent Habits mentored by Sen Dog. Along with fellow emcee, Huero Loco, and dj/producer, OG Styles, Kemo created a new sound that used heavy funk beats, well-arranged R and B and Funk samples, and Latino and Mexican musics. Delinquent Habits gained popularity as a group of tough Chicano kids who would rather party and have fun than fight. Their unique music and fun and thoughtful lyrics and style attracted a large following. Kemo left the band to create Dead Silence and promote emcees who were developing the unique sounds and stories of street hop. His song, "Oh No", on Not So Rich and Famous (2007) "disses" his fellow bandmates talking about their artistic differences and telling us that since he left the band, Delinquent Habits lacks creativity and skill. On the song, he claims that he brought a unique style that made D.H. popular.
Kemo shows off his style with his musical production, vocal delivery and intelligent lyrics on his albums and numerous appearances on other emcees’ recordings. "You Ain’t the Type" (2007) exemplifies his style. It is made up of funky hip hop beats including highly syncopated drum tracks, the boom-boom bap rhythm of hip hop, a pulsating high hat, various bass and snare drum patterns. His music includes a repeated Spanish guitar phrase. His poetry speaks about conditions in his barrio, his experiences living in tough Chicano streets, and his tough Mexican and Black identity. Kemo, like other street poets, speaks about a range of life topics. He not only speaks about violence, but about the devastating effects of it on his community. He expresses a bond with his Chicano, black, and working-class people. He speaks about community and personal triumphs and tragedies. His latest release, Upside of Struggle, continues his unique style of music and storytelling.
Artists on Dead Silence include Sicko Soldado (originally from New Mexico), Jehuniko (now living in Houston, TX), and Mostro. Sicko Soldado’s "Double Life" from his compact disc, Sicko Soldado (2008) is indicative of the Dead Silence street hop style. The music relies on relentless beats and interesting and ingenious instrumentation. The lyrics come from Sicko’s perspective; a young Chicano who is forced to make difficult decisions about how to achieve his goal of lifting his family up. He wants to do it legally and be "legit" but illegal opportunities in the barrio are plentiful while legal, culturally-acceptable opportunities are few. Sicko Soldado repeatedly asks throughout the song: "What’s it all about, this life that I lead? What’s it all about? Is it all money?/ I try to be legit but my life is sick/tempted to get that money quick/stuck in the struggle I can not quit/living in a world I can not fix/ anything I do I run the risk/what kind of life is this?
Jehuniko, formerly of the group, Almas Intocables (Lady Binx and Ikuestion), has also created a unique street hop sound. Jehuniko’s music and lyrics on his compact discs, Cold in the Hot Sun, and La Pura Vida and his Spiritual Warfare mixtapes series are "hard" but not simply gangsta. It includes thoughtful analyses of society, culture, religion, politics and economics. He speaks often of his indigenous heritage as a person of Mexican descent in the U.S. He promotes the radical resistance politics of people in impoverished situations throughout the world and offers solutions and new ways of living nurtured in hip hop and street hop as well as in the indigenous cultures and movements in the U.S. and Latin America. Jehuniko’s music expresses an appreciation for people who have struggled before him and their traditions that empower and sustain him. Throughout his recorded music Jehuniko reveals his indigenous identity and spirituality. On "Gracias al Creador," a collaboration with Spanish-speaking Rastafarian, Ras Huba, the artists give thanks to the creator and their ancestors. He raps: "Todos los dias me doy Gracia/a dios/por mis ancestros/gracias a ellos/diligente adelante voy/todos los dias doy gracia a dios/hoy amenezco, camino y crezco."
Hip Hop culture, Cypress Hill, gangsta style, and Chicano Movement traditions spawned contemporary Chicano hip hop. While there are hundreds of artists creating music and hip hop culture in dozens of different ways, I believe the most significant movement in Chicano hip hop is what some are referring to as street hop. Street hop emcees, not all of whom would agree with my labeling, tell barrio tales but focus on a radical response to State and capitalist oppression that creates the problems of poverty that plague barrios. The artists from Dead Silence Records, Realizm Rekords, and Sick Symphonies are the most notable of those developing a street hop style. Chicano street hop artists are part of a larger network of politically-minded, militant political and cultural analysts and activists that includes emcess and artists of a diverse array of young people of varying ethnicities, nationalities, and races. Groups and solo artists like Immortal Technique, dead prez, Rebel Diaz, Brother Ali and Nejma Shea have developed their own street hop styles that involve questioning and critiquing power and presenting alternatives to the dominant mode of life in the United States.
Dead Silence Records is the creation of Kemo the Blaxican. Kemo has released three solo cds including his latest, Upside of Struggle (2010) on his label. Kemo was one third of the popular Chicano group, Delinquent Habits mentored by Sen Dog. Along with fellow emcee, Huero Loco, and dj/producer, OG Styles, Kemo created a new sound that used heavy funk beats, well-arranged R and B and Funk samples, and Latino and Mexican musics. Delinquent Habits gained popularity as a group of tough Chicano kids who would rather party and have fun than fight. Their unique music and fun and thoughtful lyrics and style attracted a large following. Kemo left the band to create Dead Silence and promote emcees who were developing the unique sounds and stories of street hop. His song, "Oh No", on Not So Rich and Famous (2007) "disses" his fellow bandmates talking about their artistic differences and telling us that since he left the band, Delinquent Habits lacks creativity and skill. On the song, he claims that he brought a unique style that made D.H. popular.
Kemo shows off his style with his musical production, vocal delivery and intelligent lyrics on his albums and numerous appearances on other emcees’ recordings. "You Ain’t the Type" (2007) exemplifies his style. It is made up of funky hip hop beats including highly syncopated drum tracks, the boom-boom bap rhythm of hip hop, a pulsating high hat, various bass and snare drum patterns. His music includes a repeated Spanish guitar phrase. His poetry speaks about conditions in his barrio, his experiences living in tough Chicano streets, and his tough Mexican and Black identity. Kemo, like other street poets, speaks about a range of life topics. He not only speaks about violence, but about the devastating effects of it on his community. He expresses a bond with his Chicano, black, and working-class people. He speaks about community and personal triumphs and tragedies. His latest release, Upside of Struggle, continues his unique style of music and storytelling.
Artists on Dead Silence include Sicko Soldado (originally from New Mexico), Jehuniko (now living in Houston, TX), and Mostro. Sicko Soldado’s "Double Life" from his compact disc, Sicko Soldado (2008) is indicative of the Dead Silence street hop style. The music relies on relentless beats and interesting and ingenious instrumentation. The lyrics come from Sicko’s perspective; a young Chicano who is forced to make difficult decisions about how to achieve his goal of lifting his family up. He wants to do it legally and be "legit" but illegal opportunities in the barrio are plentiful while legal, culturally-acceptable opportunities are few. Sicko Soldado repeatedly asks throughout the song: "What’s it all about, this life that I lead? What’s it all about? Is it all money?/ I try to be legit but my life is sick/tempted to get that money quick/stuck in the struggle I can not quit/living in a world I can not fix/ anything I do I run the risk/what kind of life is this?
Jehuniko, formerly of the group, Almas Intocables (Lady Binx and Ikuestion), has also created a unique street hop sound. Jehuniko’s music and lyrics on his compact discs, Cold in the Hot Sun, and La Pura Vida and his Spiritual Warfare mixtapes series are "hard" but not simply gangsta. It includes thoughtful analyses of society, culture, religion, politics and economics. He speaks often of his indigenous heritage as a person of Mexican descent in the U.S. He promotes the radical resistance politics of people in impoverished situations throughout the world and offers solutions and new ways of living nurtured in hip hop and street hop as well as in the indigenous cultures and movements in the U.S. and Latin America. Jehuniko’s music expresses an appreciation for people who have struggled before him and their traditions that empower and sustain him. Throughout his recorded music Jehuniko reveals his indigenous identity and spirituality. On "Gracias al Creador," a collaboration with Spanish-speaking Rastafarian, Ras Huba, the artists give thanks to the creator and their ancestors. He raps: "Todos los dias me doy Gracia/a dios/por mis ancestros/gracias a ellos/diligente adelante voy/todos los dias doy gracia a dios/hoy amenezco, camino y crezco."
Psycho Realm is another unique group of emcees and musicians whose lyrics and music analyze, describe, decry and celebrate the streets. Sick Jacken is perhaps the most important emcee and theorist of street hop. He and his brother, Duke, formed Psycho Realm. B-Real became aware of them early in the 1990s and appeared as part of the group for their first major release, The Psycho Realm, in 1997. Psycho Realm formed Sick Symphonies records which has released A war Story Book I and II, Sick Symphonies Presents Sickside Stories (a collaboration between Psycho Realm and Street Platoon),
Sick Symphonies Presents DJ FM Street Mixes Vol.1 (2007), Psycho Realm presents LA to Santa Ana Vol.1 (2010), Sick Jacken & Cynic - The Terror Tapes Vol. 1 (2006), Street Platoon’s The Steel Storm (2001), and Sick Symphonies Presents Flycat. In addition, Sick Jack has appeared with artists from across the underground street hop scene. An example of his work with other artists is Stray Bullets (2009); a collection of his appearances on other artists’ recordings. Jack, Duke, Cynic and others examine "the sickside"; the difficult, dangerous, crazy, poverty-stricken barrios. They describe their barrios in some songs. In others, they theorize about the causes of problems in the barrio. This usually includes an examination of the capitalist economic order, authoritarian political structures, and the racist social order. They, like other street hop artists, distinguish themselves with their attention to the psychological and mental consequences of poverty and racism. Jack and Sick Symphonies develops a theory of "sick" and want to teach this to all kids living in the sickside. Sick is a condition that enables the young Chican@, Latin@ or other street kid to survive and live a free and moral life in the sickside environments created by capitalism and racism. It is a state in which an impoverished youth can critically analyze his/her circumstances and conclude that structural conditions create an unjust world. It instills racial and class pride and offers youth a social change and social justice mind-set. Jack wants to spread the sickside mindset as a means to help create major societal changes. On "The Sickside" with B-Real from Stray Bullets he raps: "If all hoods are the same let me tell you about mine/all these young kids doing street level crime/some on the run and some doing time/we gotta turn these kids to a sickside mind."
They Psycho Realm has from their first release, Unreleased spoken about solutions to their problems and imagine a different world than the one we currently inhabit. Their song, "First Day of Freedom" on A War Story Book II examines the first days after a successful revolutionary struggle won by the working peoples of the world. Duke chants the chorus: "The time has come for some freedom/end of the revolution/we won/if we don’t get what we want we fight on." They dream of a post-revolutionary society in which they work hard at "Making life better/preventing Lost Cities from turning into gardens of stone." They want to improve their communities ("Lost Cities") and prevent them from becoming places of violence where death is ever-present ("gardens of stone"). Growing up "in the mix" of Los Angeles’ rough Pico-Union neighborhood and extensive study of U.S. and global politics has led Psycho Realm to develop an uncompromising critique of power. They examine the truths found in conspiracy theories such as the Illuminati or the role of the Catholic Church in world politics. They question hypocritical and immoral behaviors of governments including the enormous budget for military technology that unleashes violence across the globe. On "Reason to Fight" from Sickside Stories Jacken, Cynic and FrankBlack the emcees question imperial warfare and ask young people to question the reasons for fighting. Jack raps on the first verse: "They say the vote is just a smoke screen of hope/You’re acting like we got control over who gets chosen/I think it’s a joke/the President’s on dope sniffing coke/he’s just a puppet, a patsy, taking orders from a cult of the masked team/we’re dancing with the devil so we can’t ever trust/they got us by the balls/just take control of yourself/ you know that change is a must/the initials of the U.S. is us/before you join the military see what the war is about/we got a lot of dirt to clean in our house." In this verse Jacken questions the claim to democracy. Instead, he says that the people have no choice in who becomes our leaders. The powerful ("cult of the masked team") are the ones who run the country not a democratically elected President. He claims that if we don’t question our government we are not free. Crow says on the second verse that "the President committed treason/it’s the reason why we stand and fight… the government lied, soldiers died…no thank you for this war/oil what we’re fighting for/it’s the rich against the poor." He blames the rulers of our society for the unnecessary deaths of troops in a war to make the rich richer through the theft of Middle Eastern oil.
Krazy Race and Realizm Rekords are another important force in the street hop scene. Realizm, co-owned by Krazy Race and Brian "Big Joker" Alvarez, has released compacts discs from Thief Sicario (Honor Among Thieves, 2010 and Education of a Felon, 2007), the World is Ours, 1-3 compilation series of critical and banging street hop emcees, Mic Mc’s compact disc, On Campus, and Krazy Race’s releases, The Movement: Strength in Numbers, New World Games, and The Chronicles of Krazy Race. Soon Realizm will release a 20-song compilation of female street hop artists. Krazy Race has been an emcee since the early 1990s. He has earned respect and an enormous following in the underground, independent hip hop world especially on the West Coast. His song, "Dedicated," appeared on the 2001 compilation, The Ollin Project. The song became an independent hit appearing in movies (including Pass The Mic, a documentary on Chican@s in hip hop) and on at least one video game soundtrack. Krazy Race dedicates the song to people of Mexican descent who "in 1521 we were slaughtered by the thousands/in 2001 we’re still living in project housing." He shows his pride in his people saying that he is of the "bean-eating population/founders of cultivation/people of the sun/mighty brown nation." Krazy Race examines numerous issues related to life in the streets as a Mexican/Chicano. Songs like "City of Angels," "Hole in his Soul," and "Operation Lockdown" from his New World Games, "Generations" and "Day of the Dead" from The Movement and "Pride" and "Street Life" from Chronicles of a Krazy Race speak to the struggles of his people. Like Psycho Realm and other street hop musicians, Krazy Race has a disdain for the powers that cause violence and poverty in his community and around the globe. He critiques U.S. politics in a number of songs including "Illuminati" from his first release. He raps: "In the Illuminati/not only do they run the White House but the world’s entire global body/Who owns that oil in Saudi/Who was the force behind John Gotti?/…In the Illuminati drop Bush not bombs is the slogan of my party/Seems like everybody is blind to the facts/Ask your congressman about the Patriot Act where your civil rights disappear like that/Look at the bigger picture on a worldwide map." The song claims that powerful groups such as the Illuminati run the world including owning oil in Saudi Arabia and the United States Italian mob families run by John Gotti. He, like numerous street hop artists and activists, challenges the logic of the so-called Patriot Act created by the United States Congress in the months after the "terrorist" attacks of September 11. The Patriot Act has been criticized as a means to erode the civil rights of citizens and create a surveillance and police state ala Foucault’s panoptican. Krazy Race uses the anti-war chant "drop Bush not bombs" to verbally resist the military-industrial complex that leads to the unending "war against terror." Similarly in "Fact or Fiction" he asks "Is Iraq really a threat to us or the corporate main frame?" He claims that the war is fought to benefit the corporate elite since Iraq and its people are no threat to the average U.S. citizen.
Krazy Race is not merely a protest artist, though. He speaks to the hopes and dreams of people especially Mexicans and other people of color. His work reveals emotions other than anger, hatred and despair common to much of the corporate rap music so popular today. In "Hole in His Soul" Krazy Race paints a picture of a boy who must navigate the dangerous waters of inner-city Los Angeles. The trials he must go through leaves a hole in his soul. He speaks about his family without whom he would not be the man he is in "Generations" and about his ancestors on the reggae-influenced song, "Day of the Dead." On "My Seed" he pens a love song to his son, Dominic Miles. The music includes a sweet acoustic guitar figure played throughout and a funky slowed-down drum track. He claims that his son is "a whole nother reason for life again." He offers advice to his son including respecting and loving his mother and his Mexican/Chicana/o culture.
Krazy Race is also a businessman who has been around hip hop culture for more than twenty years. One of his best moves as an artist and businessman was to sign Thief Sicario to Realizm Rekords. Since 2007 Thief has created a buzz in the independent and underground hip hop world with his graphic street lyrics and tales of crime and resistance. Much of Thief’s work describes the experiences that lead to a criminal lifestyle including autobiographical information. Thief speaks of his personal experiences as a street hustler who is schooled to the ways of "Amerika" by the streets and prison. His perspective on "Amerika" comes from that of the most disempowered and marginalized of its citizens. Instead of "America, the beautiful," he sees Amerika, the hypocritical. Instead of the myths of American democracy, he sees totalitarianism, racism and poverty. On his underground hit, "Amerika," Thief challenges our taken-for-granted notions about the United States. He sees contradiction rather than honesty. He bears witness to U.S. criminality while honoring those who have been victimized by our racist, capitalist system yet have survived to make lives for themselves and their children. Like Krazy Race, Thief Sicario supports the underdog especially the Mexican people from which he comes. In songs such as "A Dedication to La Raza" and "Fifth Sun Eclipse" Thief celebrates the unique and important cultures of the Mexican people who are indigenous to the Americas even though we are led to believe that they are foreigners or immigrants. Over a very funky bass line he raps in the chorus "Que viva la Raza/Joaquin Murrieta, Che Guevara, Villa Y Zapata." He lists these important revolutionary He then goes on to describe all the different types of raza or Mexicans and numerous aspects of our culture. On "Fifth Sun Eclipse," an allusion to the end of the Mayan/Aztec era ("the return of the feathered serpent") he claims to be the voice of the oppressed across the globe who live in horrible living conditions ("malnourished sleeping on dirt huts") due to corporate greed and political oppression ("government crooks over life value profit"). He wants us to "leave all the gang shit to where it all been/organizations in armed struggle/thumping for something bigger than blocks/… This is the plot against the new Babylonia." He calls on street youth to stop selling drugs that only benefit the wealthy. Instead they should use their energies to form militant organizations that resist the oppression caused by the fascist imperial power or Babylon.
Realizm Rekords, Dead Silence and Sick Symphonies record music that goes beyond the much-maligned so-called gangsta rap that dominated hip hop in the 1990s and remains an important force in corporate rap music. They are, as African American hip hop duo, dead prez, says, "revolutionary but gangsta." That is, they come from the streets and have a mentality and sound influenced by gang culture and yet create music that moves beyond the typical gang activity of drug deals and drive-bys. Their music presents a critique not of gangs and gang activity but of the racist, capitalist order that creates the barrio conditions leading to gangs. They and numerous others reflect on their experiences and explain to their audiences the emotions and thoughts that result from coming up as second-class citizens in the U.S. But, they don’t stop there. They use the knowledge and wisdom of their ancestral cultures, especially that of indigenous people, to create, survive and prosper.
"Like the Indigenous": The MesoAmerican Diaspora in Hip Hop
Chican@s are part of the MesoAmerican diaspora. Chican@s’ ancestors and contemporaries throughout the Americas are part of a larger indigenous civilization that existed hundreds of years prior to the European invasion and colonization beginning in the late 15th century.
Mexican indigenous peoples including Mayan groups, Mexica/Aztec peoples, and northern Mexican nations have been travelling and trading for a few thousand years. After Spanish and U.S. colonization of their lands and their resultant impoverishment, Mexican and other MesoAmerican peoples were landless and forced to migrate to cities including many who returned to the Mexico’s former Northern states in today’s United States Southwest. MesoAmerican people in the United States are a diasporic people who have adapted their culture to fit in their new circumstances, adopted cultural traits from many different peoples and created new traditions in order to perpetuate themselves and survive under ongoing colonial conditions.
In the 1960s Chican@s began to consciously recover their indigenous culture. Symbols, religious/spiritual ideals, music, art, literature, and histories of Meso American people, especially the Aztecs and Maya, became part of the expressive culture and identities of Chican@s. The very adoption of the Aztec-derived term, "Chicano," signaled a renewed racial consciousness during this period. The indigenous and Chican@ pride of the Chican@ Movement has been transmitted to subsequent generations who express this indigenous consciousness in their art and culture. Indigeneity (having, speaking from, and examining one’s indigenous identity) is common in Chicano hip hop, especially in its music and graffiti. Grafitti design concepts reflect Chican@ diasporan roots. White American education, Black American aesthetic, Chican@/Mexican symbolism, concepts, and names are all assimilated by graf writers. Writers use spray paint and markers to create unique pieces of "aerosol art" that reflect the realities of being a person of Mexican descent in the 21st century. The indigenous origins of Chican@s is reflected in the work of groups and artists such as Aztlan Underground, Los Nativos, El Vuh, Olmeca, Tolteca, Cihuatl Ce and Kiawitl. Aztlán Underground was among the first groups of Chican@ musicians to fuse hip hop and rock with native sensibilities. Their unique sound on Decolonize and Subverse is raucous and scary (at least to those in power). They do not mix words as they challenge colonialism of Native lands, the ongoing Native genocide in the U.S. and throughout the Americas, and the spiritual destruction of indigenous peoples. They reverse the commonly held notion that Mexican peoples are foreign to the U.S. saying on "Lyrical Drive-by" that "the wetback’s Uncle Sam/stealin and killin from the red man." Like many activists and artists since the 1960s, Aztlan Underground sees the U.S. as indigenous land stolen by the United States government. Instead of accepting their fate as second and third class citizens, Aztlan Underground suggests fighting back. They rap: "we got our AK huntin/a lil blam, blam, blam to Uncle Sam/cuz that colonizer straight jacked our land." They fight against oppressive colonizing forces ("Uncle Sam") with automatic weapons ("AK"). Aztlan Underground’s music reflects the militant position of the many Chican@ indigenous emcees previously mentioned.
El Vuh (Zero, E-Rise and Victor E) have released two compact discs; Jaguar Prophecies and Elvuhlution. Throughout their music they claim that European colonialism and the current European-derived culture in the U.S. is responsible for the problems plaguing indigenous peoples (including Chican@s). On their song, "Heavy," they argue: "We have been kept from our ancient wisdom/torn away from our roots/that’s why we have drug dealers, gang bangers and prostitutes/identity lost/spiritual death is the cost/modern day holocaust/since 1492/but no one is making a big deal about it like they did for the Jew/you see, Hitler’s roots go back to Columbus/the first chance they got they started killing us/to this very day the killings are continuous." If not for the genocide and oppression that begins with the arrival of Columbus and his armies to conquer the Americas (or Anahuac as the Mexica called it), Chican@s would not be suffering from "urban problems" like gangs and drugs. The loss of spiritual wisdom that accompanied the conquest leaves Chican@s vulnerable and without an identity. El Vuh likens the conquest of indigenous lands and people to the Jewish holocaust and argue that the ideas motivating the holocaust can be traced back to Columbus. In order to overcome the problems in Chican@ America, El Vuh suggests that we look back to native spirituality and wisdom. They rap on "Heavy": "enter the circle and find your true identity/not a fantasy brought over by a foreign mentality." They suggest we begin spiritual practices like praying in a circle to "the four directions, Mother Earth and Father sky" and to Aztec and Mayan gods "Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Ometeoh."
Los Nativos are emblematic of the indigenous strain in Chican@ hip hop. Felipe Cuauhtli and Chilam Bilam from the St. Paul/Minneapolis area are signed to the Rhymesayers label. Rhymesayers consists of a number of Midwest emcees known throughout the independent and underground hip hop scene. They include Eyedea and Abilities, Mf Doom and Brother Ali. The label is very diverse in terms of ethnicity and style. Each of their groups and individual artists have their own unique styles and ideas. Los Nativos are part of a larger contingent of Chican@ emcees from the Midwestern part of the country (see below). Their full-length compact disc, Dia de los Muertos (2003) and ep, Red Star Fist (2004), include hip hop beats with indigenous feeling. Their iconic songs such as "Like the Indigenous" and "Sonido Indigena" reflect native pride and celebrate Chican@ culture. In addition to the Los Nativos’ sounds, Cuauhtli and Chilam Balam express their indigeneity through artwork for Dia de los Muertos which evokes the ancient Mexican ritual celebration of dia de los muertos honoring our ancestors and affirming our understanding of the cycle of death and life. The liner notes to the cd explain that dia de los muertos is "a traditional Mexica holiday to celebrate, honor, and remember those who have gone before us." The inside back cover of the cd depicts three calacas (skeletons) playing music. Two hold microphones either rapping or singing suggesting their fealty to a hip hop background. One emcee is at a mixer or synthesizer (another staple of hip hop iconography). The other who wears an enormous feathered Mexica-style headdress plays congas. The third calaca strums a four-stringed guitar-like instrument. The illustration recalls the famous lithographs of Mexican artist, José Guadalupe Posada. Like Posada’s, these calacas are active and full of energy; full of rhythm and full of life. For many Mexicans the calaca and dia de los muertos represent our belief that death is not a finite end but a significant point in the cycle of life and death. As such it is a potent symbol of ancient Mexica indigeneity and contemporary Mexican-ness. In addition, the outside back cover includes a Tara Gatewood photo of Los Nativos in their hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul. This photo illustration of their urban, Midwestern indigenousness depicts the artists’ roots in hip hop. Both artists stare defiantly into the camera. Cuauhtli wears the hip hop fashion staple, "hoodie." Los Nativos are natives/indigenous, urban, Mexican American/Chican@, working class and hip hop. They not only rap about indigenous resistance to racism and colonialism but also engage in social change activism. They work with the young to turn their lives around and point them in a more positive direction. They do this using the knowledge and wisdom found in their ancestral indigenous Mexican culture.
An important female indigenous emcee is Kiawitl. Formerly of Almas Intocables, Kiawitl was formerly known as Lady Binx. However, as she delved further into her people’s indigenous past she needed to rename herself as a way to decolonize her mind. She claimed a new name in order cleanse herself of European-imposed identity and beliefs. Lady Binx (Kiawitl) presents indigenous womanhood as warrior at the same time that she promotes a spiritual relationship to the Creator on her verse for the El Vuh song, "Triumph." She raps: "Revolution comes in stones and forms of violence/on these oppressors/ bullets turning screams into silence/there can be no submission to Bush’s evil opposition/just listen to your heartbeat/and hear the Creator’s wisdom." Here Binx sees revolution and struggle against governments as violent and spiritual. She expresses her opposition to the former presidency of George W. Bush. At the same time that the oppressor is defeated, it remains important to maintain contact with the Creator.
Like indigenous activists over the past fifty years throughout the Americas, indigenous emcees focus their music on two things: reconnection with their indigenous culture and resistance to racist oppression. Most, not only rap about resistance, but also engage in social change activities such as mentoring youth and playing fundraising shows.
MidWest Mexicanos
Mexicans began migrating to the Midwest in large numbers during the 1920s. Chicago was a central location but so too was Minneapolis, Detroit, and Milwaukee. They came to work the fields and to work in the steel mills of Chicago and the auto factories of Michigan. Many migrant farmworkers stayed and made the Midwest home. As Mexicano communities developed throughout the region more immigrants during the last part of the 20th century began to call Chicago (which is now home to more than a million Latin@s) and other places home. Included among these migrants are the parents and grandparents of Chican@ emcees and groups like Kinto Sol, Los Marijuanos, Juan Zarate, Big Quarters and Latino Saint.
Perhaps the most well-known group from the Midwest is Kinto Sol; a group of three brothers from Guanajuato, Mexico. They have created an important fan base with the unique musical production of DJ Payback Garcia. Emcees Skribe and El Chivo discuss the life of the urban Midwest Mexicano. They speak to street life, Mexican tradition and Mexican pride. Their song, "Raza Es Raza," for example describes the various types of Mexicans one finds in the U.S. An unnamed speaker complains that Kinto Sol is always playing songs for the homies (urban street youth like Kinto Sol members). He asks why they don’t do songs about paisas (recent Mexican immigrants). Kinto Sol’s albums include Del Norte al Sur, Hecho en Mexico, La Sangre Nunca Muere, Hijos del Maiz and Carcel de Suenos. Their newest Ultimo Suspiro is set to be released in October, 2010. In addition to the group’s recordings, members of Kinto Sol have worked on many other musical projects. Most notably, DJ Payback has developed a series of mixtapes with numerous Chicano emcees. So far Payback has collaborated with other artists to record three compact discs in the Hecho en Aztlan series and Aztec Souls series, among many others. Artists including Kemo, Krazy Race, Mr. Shadow, Psycho Realm, Crooked Stilo, Knightowl, Juan Gotti, Conejo, Royal T, 2Mex, Capone and Lil Rob have lent their talents to Payback’s unique musical style to create enjoyable and interesting music. El Chivo has released four cds of his own; Watchate con Los Topes and Si Ladran No Mueren, Cicatrices and En Mis Venas.
Kinto Sol has collaborated on Virus Records. An important emcee on the label is Chicago-based, Juan Zarate. His first compact disc, El Sacrificio, demonstrates what the best of Chicano hip hop can be. Zarate combines great rapping skill with lyrical ability as his heartfelt lyrics provide the listener with a range of emotions from sorrow and sadness to pride. On "La Carta" Zarate tells the story of a mother of a soldier fighting in the war in Iraq. The first verse consists of Zarate reading a letter from the soldier to his mother. He misses home writing that it has been a long time since he has hugged her and had one of her meals. The soldier is obviously frightened by the war as he writes that he doesn’t want to be there and mentions how his fellow soldier died from an explosion. Even though people are dying he tells his mother not to worry. Zarate’s voice drips with emotions that cause the listener to feel the soldier’s pain. The second verse opens with "que cruel es la vida/grita el rostro de Dona Maria/se cae de rodillas." Dona Maria, the mother of Carlitos, the U.S. soldier in Iraq, has just learned that he has died. With great attention to detail, Zarate describes how a mother has to endure the most tragic of events, the death of her son. The repetitive and haunting piano chords combine well with the slow, simple beat and Zarate’s emotional voice to create a moving masterpiece that informs listeners of the impact of war on Mexican/Chican@ communities. In the end, the three-minute song serves as an anti-war protest song. With Mexicanos/Chican@s continuing to die in disproportionate numbers in the U.S.’s dirty wars in the Middle East it is important that artists such as Zarate help us understand the true cost of imperial warfare. Like the Chican@ protestors of the Chicano Moratorium during the Vietnam War and the numerous artists and poets who lent their voices of protests through word and visual art, Chican@ emcees including Zarate continue the legacy of Chican@ resistance to injustice.
Chican@ hip hop is not all about resistance to racism, poverty, warfare and colonialism. Sometimes they just want to have fun. The Chicago-based group, Los Marijuanos, are indicative of this strand in Chican@ hip hop. As their name suggests, these guys use marijuana on a daily basis. On "I Got the Flame" from their first compact disc, Puro Pleito, singer/emcee, Pony Boy sings, "It’s the P-O-N-Y B-O-Y/Don’t you know that I love to get high/I smoke marijuana each and every day." They believe in the fun and freedom that can come with marijuana use. In fact, they believe in it so much that they have become advocates for its use and have appeared at many events dedicated to the promotion of marijuana and work to legalize it. On their official website they write "Los Marijuanos are modern day hemp freedom fighters. Preaching the legalization vibe everywhere they go their music can be defined as "good get high music" by their legions of fans worldwide. Their music is for the patients, the growers, the caregivers, hemp believers, as well as the smokers and the tokers." Their compact discs include Donde esta Mi Feria?, Por Vida, The Smoke Out and Trippin on Tricombs.
Just the Beginning
The preceding discussion barely touched on the thousands of Chican@s involved in hip hop culture. Hundreds of emcees and rap groups release compact discs on the underground/independent and corporate rap labels every year. Since the 1990s Chican@ emcees have been creating some of the most provocative and innovative music in hip hop. Along with the artists mentioned above groups and individuals such as Malverde, Shysti, Mr. Shadow, Sir Dyno, O.T.W., Brown Town Looters/Pueblo Café, Akwid, Mexiclanos, Ms. Krazie, JV, Los Tumbados, Rhyme Asylum, Toker, Capone, South Park Mexican, Baby Bash, Grimm, 5th Battalion, and Global City continue to draw fans from all over the world. Due to their marginalization in hip hop, since hip hop and rap are seen as Black things, they have been free to create unique music not circumscribed by corporate music elites who force rappers to create music that will turn a profit. Corporate music leaders care not about music, art, culture or social justice and bow to the altar of the almighty dollar. As a result, what we call hip hop music today is a watered down version of one of the most important cultural and musical movements of the past one hundred years. The voice of the kids on the block in the barrio and the ghetto has been appropriated by the profit motive. Today what passes for hip hop is pop music made by minstrels who sell Black and Latino misbehavior, misdeeds, and misanthropy for diamonds, rims and mansions. Unfortunately, many of our youth believe the hype and learn the immoral values expressed in corporate rap. For these reasons we need street hop. We need the music of the aforementioned Chican@ emcees that speaks to the trials, tribulations and triumphs occurring in our barrios. We need music that touches our minds and our spirits and transcends the commonplace. We need inspiration.
Mexicans began migrating to the Midwest in large numbers during the 1920s. Chicago was a central location but so too was Minneapolis, Detroit, and Milwaukee. They came to work the fields and to work in the steel mills of Chicago and the auto factories of Michigan. Many migrant farmworkers stayed and made the Midwest home. As Mexicano communities developed throughout the region more immigrants during the last part of the 20th century began to call Chicago (which is now home to more than a million Latin@s) and other places home. Included among these migrants are the parents and grandparents of Chican@ emcees and groups like Kinto Sol, Los Marijuanos, Juan Zarate, Big Quarters and Latino Saint.
Perhaps the most well-known group from the Midwest is Kinto Sol; a group of three brothers from Guanajuato, Mexico. They have created an important fan base with the unique musical production of DJ Payback Garcia. Emcees Skribe and El Chivo discuss the life of the urban Midwest Mexicano. They speak to street life, Mexican tradition and Mexican pride. Their song, "Raza Es Raza," for example describes the various types of Mexicans one finds in the U.S. An unnamed speaker complains that Kinto Sol is always playing songs for the homies (urban street youth like Kinto Sol members). He asks why they don’t do songs about paisas (recent Mexican immigrants). Kinto Sol’s albums include Del Norte al Sur, Hecho en Mexico, La Sangre Nunca Muere, Hijos del Maiz and Carcel de Suenos. Their newest Ultimo Suspiro is set to be released in October, 2010. In addition to the group’s recordings, members of Kinto Sol have worked on many other musical projects. Most notably, DJ Payback has developed a series of mixtapes with numerous Chicano emcees. So far Payback has collaborated with other artists to record three compact discs in the Hecho en Aztlan series and Aztec Souls series, among many others. Artists including Kemo, Krazy Race, Mr. Shadow, Psycho Realm, Crooked Stilo, Knightowl, Juan Gotti, Conejo, Royal T, 2Mex, Capone and Lil Rob have lent their talents to Payback’s unique musical style to create enjoyable and interesting music. El Chivo has released four cds of his own; Watchate con Los Topes and Si Ladran No Mueren, Cicatrices and En Mis Venas.
Kinto Sol has collaborated on Virus Records. An important emcee on the label is Chicago-based, Juan Zarate. His first compact disc, El Sacrificio, demonstrates what the best of Chicano hip hop can be. Zarate combines great rapping skill with lyrical ability as his heartfelt lyrics provide the listener with a range of emotions from sorrow and sadness to pride. On "La Carta" Zarate tells the story of a mother of a soldier fighting in the war in Iraq. The first verse consists of Zarate reading a letter from the soldier to his mother. He misses home writing that it has been a long time since he has hugged her and had one of her meals. The soldier is obviously frightened by the war as he writes that he doesn’t want to be there and mentions how his fellow soldier died from an explosion. Even though people are dying he tells his mother not to worry. Zarate’s voice drips with emotions that cause the listener to feel the soldier’s pain. The second verse opens with "que cruel es la vida/grita el rostro de Dona Maria/se cae de rodillas." Dona Maria, the mother of Carlitos, the U.S. soldier in Iraq, has just learned that he has died. With great attention to detail, Zarate describes how a mother has to endure the most tragic of events, the death of her son. The repetitive and haunting piano chords combine well with the slow, simple beat and Zarate’s emotional voice to create a moving masterpiece that informs listeners of the impact of war on Mexican/Chican@ communities. In the end, the three-minute song serves as an anti-war protest song. With Mexicanos/Chican@s continuing to die in disproportionate numbers in the U.S.’s dirty wars in the Middle East it is important that artists such as Zarate help us understand the true cost of imperial warfare. Like the Chican@ protestors of the Chicano Moratorium during the Vietnam War and the numerous artists and poets who lent their voices of protests through word and visual art, Chican@ emcees including Zarate continue the legacy of Chican@ resistance to injustice.
Chican@ hip hop is not all about resistance to racism, poverty, warfare and colonialism. Sometimes they just want to have fun. The Chicago-based group, Los Marijuanos, are indicative of this strand in Chican@ hip hop. As their name suggests, these guys use marijuana on a daily basis. On "I Got the Flame" from their first compact disc, Puro Pleito, singer/emcee, Pony Boy sings, "It’s the P-O-N-Y B-O-Y/Don’t you know that I love to get high/I smoke marijuana each and every day." They believe in the fun and freedom that can come with marijuana use. In fact, they believe in it so much that they have become advocates for its use and have appeared at many events dedicated to the promotion of marijuana and work to legalize it. On their official website they write "Los Marijuanos are modern day hemp freedom fighters. Preaching the legalization vibe everywhere they go their music can be defined as "good get high music" by their legions of fans worldwide. Their music is for the patients, the growers, the caregivers, hemp believers, as well as the smokers and the tokers." Their compact discs include Donde esta Mi Feria?, Por Vida, The Smoke Out and Trippin on Tricombs.
Just the Beginning
The preceding discussion barely touched on the thousands of Chican@s involved in hip hop culture. Hundreds of emcees and rap groups release compact discs on the underground/independent and corporate rap labels every year. Since the 1990s Chican@ emcees have been creating some of the most provocative and innovative music in hip hop. Along with the artists mentioned above groups and individuals such as Malverde, Shysti, Mr. Shadow, Sir Dyno, O.T.W., Brown Town Looters/Pueblo Café, Akwid, Mexiclanos, Ms. Krazie, JV, Los Tumbados, Rhyme Asylum, Toker, Capone, South Park Mexican, Baby Bash, Grimm, 5th Battalion, and Global City continue to draw fans from all over the world. Due to their marginalization in hip hop, since hip hop and rap are seen as Black things, they have been free to create unique music not circumscribed by corporate music elites who force rappers to create music that will turn a profit. Corporate music leaders care not about music, art, culture or social justice and bow to the altar of the almighty dollar. As a result, what we call hip hop music today is a watered down version of one of the most important cultural and musical movements of the past one hundred years. The voice of the kids on the block in the barrio and the ghetto has been appropriated by the profit motive. Today what passes for hip hop is pop music made by minstrels who sell Black and Latino misbehavior, misdeeds, and misanthropy for diamonds, rims and mansions. Unfortunately, many of our youth believe the hype and learn the immoral values expressed in corporate rap. For these reasons we need street hop. We need the music of the aforementioned Chican@ emcees that speaks to the trials, tribulations and triumphs occurring in our barrios. We need music that touches our minds and our spirits and transcends the commonplace. We need inspiration.
* Texto publicado en la Revista Paralelo Sur, 2012.
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