“Rap is War” Los Aldeanos and the Politics of Music

8/11/2019 Rap is War Los Aldeanos and the Politics of Music

1/23

TRANS 17 (2013)ARTCULOS/ ARTICLES

Rap is war: Los A !"a#os a#! $%" &o i$i's o *si'S*+,"rsio# i# Co#$"-porar. C*+a

Nora Gmez Torres (City University, London)R"s*-"#El estudio del hip hop cubano permite e aminar hasta !u"punto la m#sica puede convertirse en una prctica deoposici$n pol%tica en las sociedades socialistas& 'l tiempo!ue la pol%tica racial del hip cubano ha provocado estrate iasestatales de asimilaci$n y control he em$nico, el lado mscontestatario de este movimiento se ha desplazado de laspol%ticas raciales hacia pol%ticas de con rontaci$n msabiertas hacia el estado como lo e*empli ica el caso de Los'ldeanos& Este art%culo analiza las letras y las intervencionesp#blicas de este rupo de rap e ilustra c$mo estos raperosrearticulan el ima inario de la +evoluci$n Cubana paraproponer una pol%tica de con rontaci$n radical !ue construyeuna identidad revolucionaria- subversiva& .u m#sica puedeinterpretarse como una orma de prctica pol%tica en unconte to donde la asociaci$n pol%tica u otras ormas demovilizaci$n c%vica estn restrin idas& En #ltima instancia, elcaso de Los 'ldeanos permite ilustrar las comple*asrelaciones entre m#sica, estado y pol%tica en el socialismo&

A+s$ra'$Cuban hip/hop provides a ood case to e amine the e tent to0hich music can articulate opposition in socialist societies& 'ship/hop1s racial politics became a concern to the state and asite or he emonic control and assimilation, 2 su est that theresistant ed e o hip/hop as a cultural orm has shi ted romracial politics to a politics o con rontation best illustrated bythe rap roup Los 'ldeanos& 2 analyse their lyrics and publicinterventions to illustrate ho0 these rappers rearticulate theCuban +evolution1s rame0or3 to propose a radical politics ocon rontation that mobilizes a subversive revolutionary-identity constructed as a political a ent& 2 ar ue that theirmusic can be interpreted as a orm o politics in a conte t0here political association or other orms o public mobilizationare restricted& Ultimately, their case reveals the compleinterplay o music, state and politics in socialism&

&a a+ras ' a,"Cuba, hip/hop, m#sica y pol%tica, revoluci$n, controlestatal, Los 'ldeanos

". wor!sCuba, hip/hop, music politics, revolution, state control,Los 'ldeanos

"'%a !" r"'"p'i #: octubre 4564"'%a !" a'"p$a'i #: mayo 4567"'%a !" p*+ i'a'i #: *ulio 4567

R"'"i,"! 8 9ctober 4564A''"p$a#'" a$" 8 :ay 4567R" "as" a$" 8 ;uly 4567

Los art%culos publicados en TRANS R",is$a Tra#s'* $*ra !" 4si'a estn (si no se indica lo contrario) ba*o una licencia+econocimiento/NoComercial/.in9braa de Creative Commons& ?uede copiarlos, distribuirlos y comunicarlosp#blicamente siempre !ue cite su autor y mencione en un lu ar visible !ue ha sido tomado de T+'N. a re ando la direcci$n U+Ly@o un enlace a este sitio8 000&sibetrans&com@trans& No utilice los contenidos de esta revista para ines comerciales y no ha a conellos obra derivada& La licencia completa se puede consultar en http8@@creativecommons&or @licenses@by/nc/nd@4&=@es@deed&es

'll the materials in TRANS Tra#s'* $*ra *si' R",i"w are published under a Creative Commons licence ('ttribution/NonCommercial/No


2/23

4 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

Rap is ar: Los A !"a#os a#! $%" &o i$i's o *si'S*+,"rsio# i# Co#$"-porar. C*+a 1Nora Gmez (City University, London )

I#$ro!*'$io#No one is protectin us or sponsorin us to sin 0hat 0e sin (B) hat 0e do is 0hat0e eel& e thin3 somebody has to do it and 0e are doin it& ?ersonally, 0e can1t standit any lon er& This bliss ul idea they built or us is ull o aps, lies and more lies and0hen you build a castle o lies, it 0ill collapse at some point& e can1t bear it anylon er& e aren1t scared to spea3 out& e are not 3illin anyone or plantin bombs or

osterin terrorism& e are ma3in music and tellin the truth, period& 2 0e have somany ans 0ho believe in 0hat 0e say, then 0e are not tal3in bullshit (El Di, intervie0in ?edrero, 4565)& 4

hen el Di, one o the members o the rap roup Los 'ldeanos spo3e aboutcontroversial matters li3e this on the bi screen o the Cuban Cinemateca(other0ise 3no0n as Chaplin cinema), in the premier o the documentaryRevolution , people started clappin and shoutin & ' ter di erent attempts tocensor the documentary, produced independently by :ay3ell ?edrero, it 0as alast minute inclusion in the pro ramme o the estival F Muestra o youn

ilmma3ers or anized by the Cuban ilm 2nstitute (2C'2C in .panish) in :arch4565&Revolution 0as screened only once but simultaneously at the Chaplin,and 47 and 64 cinemas& 't the Chaplin screenin 2 attended, state 0or3ers,older citizens and members o the Communist ?arty 0ere present tocounteract possible disruptions o order& Aet, many members o the audiencesan and clapped in an unprecedented esture o collective de iance& 7

Los 'ldeanos FThe villa ers , comprised o the t0o rappers 'ldo +oberto+odr% uez Da!uero (a&3&a& 'ldo) and Dian 9scar +odr% uez Gal (a&3&a& El Di), is1 ' version o this article 0as presented at the Centre or the .tudy o +ace and Ethnicity,Columbia University, in .eptember 44, 4566& 2t is based on a chapter rom my ?h< thesisentitled Living in transition: popular music and social change in contemporary Cuba,


3/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion 7

an under round rap roup that openly criticizes the Cuban overnment& Theyhave produced more than 45 demos independently and have had an activepresence in the under round hip/hop scene since 4557, but their music doesnot it the traditional scheme o blac3- and revolutionary- hip/hop&

Cuban hip/hop has been read as a response o blac3 youth to socialchan e and crisis in the last t0o decades, and as a space to play out ne0blac3 identities (Garo alo and ?acini, 4555M ?erry, 455 M ernandes, 4557,455 M est/


4/23

TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

(n&d&8J)& also stresses the identi ication o rappers 0ith the ideolo y o the+evolution& or Geo Da3er the Cuban +evolution and hip/hop are li3e t0obranches o the same tree, their shared roots ma3in the !uestion oappropriation or co/optation philosophically redundant- (4566b8 J)& hilethese readin s mi ht be applied to state/sponsored roups such as 9bsesi$nand


5/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion =

ar ue that their music en a es 0ith the revolutionary ima inary but throu hthe dislocation o the Cuban +evolution as the primary point o re erence othe revolutionary rame0or3& The radical politics o con rontation o Los'ldeanos mobilizes a subversive revolutionary- identity and presents it as apotential ne0 political a ent in the Cuban conte t&

hilst most popular music produced in the last t0o decades in Cuba its ;ohn .cottSs (6JJ5) concept o hidden transcriptRconveyin coded, dis uisedcriticisms a ainst the state and the dominant elitesR, the music o Los'ldeanos embodies such rare moments o political electricity- 0hen thehidden transcript o subordinated roups reaches the public arena in an open

orm and is spo3en directly and publicly in the teeth o po0er- (.cott, 6JJ58ii)&

Los 'ldeanos provide the best case to e amine the e tent to 0hichcontemporary Cuban popular music has challen ed dominant state ideolo yand embodyin emer ent values and structures o eelin ( illiams, 6JJ5) thatillustrate the on oin process o cultural transition in the country& Ultimately,their case reveals the comple interplay o music and politics in socialism& K

Rap is war 6: Los A !"a#os a#! $%" po i$i's o 'o# ro#$a$io# The three pillars or strate ies in their discourses are8 6) the public le itimationo their voice as representative o the peopleM 4) the construction o socialanta onismRvia the deconstruction o state ideolo y and the presentation othe historical leadership as ille itimateRand 7) the reappropriation orevolutionary ideolo y to promote action throu h con rontation& No0, 2 turn to

analyse these strate ies, their articulation and outcomes in the music o Los'ldeanos&

Embodyin the voice o the people- is a very re!uent claim in Los'ldeanos1 son s, assertin a enuine type o (political) representation, 0hich isbased, primarily, on shared li e e periences that can breach the ap bet0een

communication- (455=865)&8 The dual economy, the increasin ine!ualities, the risin unemployment and cuts to the socialsecurity system are all eatures that point to a neoliberal post/socialist transition in Cuba&Io0ever, i the role o central plannin and the political system are considered, Cuba can stillbe characterized as a state/socialist society&9 Los 'ldeanos, El rap es uerra- (+ap is 0ar), !l Atropello" Las 4 :usas@+eal P5& 455J&


6/23

TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

everyday li e and o icial discourse to voice ordinary people1s concerns andopinions&

'lthou h they re er to racial discrimination, especially rom policeharassment, their a enda is not speci ically about racial politics& They upholdan all/encompassin and barrio/rooted de inition o the people- they claim torepresent, as their trac3 entitled Los 'ldeanos- reveals8 2 am the people, 2am the barrio, 2 am the street, 2 am 0hite, 2 am blac3-& 65 :oreover, they claimto raise their voices on behal o di erent sub*ects across the politicalspectrum o opinions8 or those 0ho removed their blind olds, or those 0hodo not believe but live stubbornly, or those 0ho believed but 0ere betrayedand those 0ho are here stru lin rather than tal3in shit every0here else-& 66

Duildin political le itimacy also entails actively re*ectin Ralbeit notdeconstructin Rthe ar uments and labels deployed by the Cuban overnmentto counteract dissidence& Ience, they deny receivin money rom orei na ents or to be connected in any 0ay to the internal dissident roupsR mostlydiscredited or un3no0n in the islandR as 0ell as re*ectin the opposition basedin :iami, 0hich is perceived as antinational and opportunistic& 64 or e ample, in

the documentary Revolution El Di asserts that or him tal3in shit- in :iamidoes not entail any merit, the heat is here (B) 2 thin3 that my cause is herenot there- (in ?edrero, 4565)& Ie airs a similar vie0 in Qiva Cuba Libre- (Lonlive ree Cuba), 0hich is his an ry response a ter bein denied permission,t0ice, to travel to and to participate in the Latin 'merican rap competition#attle of the coc$s sponsored by +ed Dull& hile he criticizes emi rationpolicies, he also su ests that le itimate political opposition could only e ist

0ithin the country& Dy endorsin an e clusionary island/based opposition, theyindirectly rea irm the split bet0een nation and diaspora@e ile that is central inthe political pro*ect o the Cuban stateRan issue 2 0ill o bac3 later in the te t8

2 already have a lar e collection o invitation letters 67&2 3no0 there are la0s,

10 Los 'ldeanos, Los 'ldeanos-, !l Atropello & Las 4 :usas@+eal P5& 455J&11 2bid&12 Los 'ldeanos, ' modo de aclaraci$n- (Clari yin statement), %iva Cuba Libre & Las 4:usas@+eal P5& 455J&13 De ore ;anuary 4567, people 0antin to travel abroad had to present to the immi rationauthorities a certi ied invitation letter rom a person resident in the country he or she 0anted tovisit& The price to certi y this document in the Cuban consulates abroad 0as 455 CUC, around44= dollars&


7/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion P

but sorry, they don1t control emi ration,you are eedin the shar3s&

Thin s are 0orsenin and they1re orcin me to a ree&2 0on1t ive in their matters&


8/23

K TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

ace a bloc3a e o identityRin this case, the Cuban social sub*ects cannot ullyattain their revolutionary or socialist identityRand they construct an Henemy10ho is deemed responsible or this H ailure1- (Io0arth, 4555865=)& hilemusicians durin the nineties channelled their bloc3a e o identity mostlythrou h disenchantment (Gmez, 4564), Los 'ldeanos create an enemy that isnot imperialism or any other e ternal a ent, as the dominant discoursesu ests, but the po0er ul elites themselves&

.uch discourse emphasizes the opposition bet0een the people and rulers&2n recent albums, the re ime is labelled a dictatorshipR- ue o- ( ire), LaNaran*a se pic$- (The oran e is rotten)Rand a military autocracyR


9/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion J

+odr% uez& The son challen es the political use o the term in the currentcampai n or the release o The Cuban ive- 45 to su est that ordinaryCubansRba3ers, bus drivers, doctors, teachers, 0ar veterans, even )ineterasor emale prostitutes Rare the real heroes in their stru le or survival8

Ieroes are those 0ho ou ht in 'n ola a 0hile bac3and 0ere a0arded medals althou h they came bac3 mutilated&Iero is the youn Cuban irl 0ho loo3s at hersel in the mirrorand sees her body on top o an older one&.he has ambitions and the crude convictionthat no0adays decency doesn1t pay or illusions&Ieroes are the teachers, 0ho s0eat their shirts,educatin enerations or a miserable salary (B)Ieroes are the Cubans un airly *ailed in Cuban territory,the brothers 0ho lose their brothers at sea

0hile strivin or the 0ellbein or their amilies and homes (B)Ieroes are those 0ho i ht, shed blood and ma3e a deed&'re 0e heroes No 0ayV Ieroes are the eleven million people& 46

hile Los 'ldeanos represent the current situation as un*ust andunbearable, they also mobilize the revolutionary ima inary to de ine

stru le- as the path o action that could achieve a social chan e that is notconvenient to the overnment-& 44 Given that the he emony o the currentsystem is revealed in the impossibility or people to conceive alternativepolitical actions rather than acceptance, emi ration or 0aitin or an e ternalintervention (Gmez, 4564), their discourses insist in the plausibility ochan e8

atherland or death, 0e 0ill prevail1& That is you have tau ht to us&

e donSt believe you anymore, the deceit has ended&:uch time o silence and ear&Get o the sta e& +evolution is to chan e 0hat must be chan ed&Enou h 0ith the 0orn out story about a past that 0as 0orst&2 re0 up 0ith their lies and 2 3no0 that somethin better e ists&

The pain 0ill endM chan e 0ill be unstoppable&?eace and love or my people, lon live ree CubaV 47

2ronically, they use a concept o +evolution irst aired by idel Castro in apublic speech in 4555, to su est the ur ent need o chan e& 4 Their proposal

45 These are ive Cubans imprisoned in U.', under char es o espiona e, 0ho received harshsentences in a :iami court& The Cuban overnment has launched a massive propa andacampai n both 0ithin the country and abroad to advocate or their release on the basis thatthe trial 0as un air and that they 0ere antiterrorists i htersR heroes-R, not spies&21 Los 'ldeanos, I"roe-, Los *aballeros" Las 4 :usas@+eal P5, 455J&22 Los 'ldeanos, El rap es uerra-, !l Atropello" Las 4 :usas@+eal P5, 455J&23 Los 'ldeanos, Qiva Cuba Libre-, %iva Cuba Libre" Las 4 :usas@+eal P5, 455J&4 +evoluci$n es sentido del momento hist$ricoM es cambiar todo lo !ue debe ser cambiadoM es


10/23

65 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

o a ne0 revolutionary identity is based on symbolically decentrin anddisentan lin the +evolution rom the historical leadership, and itsreattachment to the people- ( chan e is necessary, it is not impossible, thepeople are the revolution, there is no essential leader-)& 4=

2n the political reli ion o the Cuban socialist re imeRa term that both


11/23


manigua , machete , grillete )4P to call or a ne0 liberation8

'nd 0e 3no0 0ell 0hat 0e lac3&e 3no0 0ell 0hat 0e have in e cess&

'nd in so many years o revolutionary 0or3, dude,0e have realized that 0hat 0e have in e cess are you all&2 set mysel reeM no one can stop me no0,the street is my redeemin battle round (B)Let the machetes stri3e&Cubans, et rid o your shac3les& Lon Live ree CubaV4K

2 political a ents emer e 0hen discourses are ruptured and ne0 orms oidenti ications appear (Io0arth, 45558646), the discourses o Los 'ldeanosmi ht have si ni icance or the constitution o ne0 political sub*ectivities incontemporary Cuba& Not0ithstandin , the politics o con rontation embodied intheir music responds to 0hat Laclau and :ou e label a strate y o opposi/tion- in 0hich the ne ation o a political order is not lin3ed to a viable pro*ect

or the reconstruction o society and thus, such strate y is condemned tomar inality- (6JK=86KJ)& The e clusive oppositional character o Los 'ldeanos1discourses limits the possibility that ne0 sub*ect identi ications, such as thesubversive revolutionary, could provide the basis or an or anized pro*ect o

social reconstruction (Laclau and :ou e, 6JK=)& 2n their rap, positive re er/ences to a uture society are rather va ue, i not absent& 2n this 0ay, the he e/mony o the Cuban re ime is still able to i ate the limits o social a ency& Aet,at the ace o such open opposition, ho0 has the state dealt 0ith Los'ldeanos

T%" i-i$s o -*si' s*+,"rsio# i# C*+a

.cholars have e amined ho0 popular musicReither throu h eelin s o aliena/tion or vocal criticismRconveyed a criti!ue o socialism in the .oviet Union andother Eastern European countries (Cushman, 6JJ6, 6JJ=M ic3e, 6JJ4M.zemere, 6JJ4M +amet, 6JJ )& 'ccordin to 'nna .zemere in socialist Iun/

ary, roc3 contributed underminin the past social order by creatin , throu h

4P Qiva Cuba Libre (Live to ree Cuba) 0as the cry o the Cuban troops (3no0n as mambises )durin the independence 0ars a ainst .pain& Manigua means orest, the primary battle ield insuch con licts& ocar a deg+ello 0as the order to attac3& -eg+ello comes rom degollar , to cutyour head o , in this case, 0ith a machete , so the 0ord1s choices also meant to threaten the.panish soldiers& inally, grillete means etter, an allusion to slavery&28 Los 'ldeanos, Qiva Cuba Libre-, %iva Cuba Libre" Las 4 :usas@+eal P5& 455J&


12/23

64 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

the music, an alternative social and cultural space 0here the dramatization o asevere cultural and moral crisis prevalent in contemporary Iun arian society0as possible- (6JJ48J7)& .imilarly, in ?eter ic3e1s analysis o roc3 in the polit/ical disinte ration o East Germany, he concluded that musicians can play avery e ective role in radically chan in the political and cultural environmento 0hich they are part- ( ic3e, 6JJ486J )& 2n the German


13/23


cess 0hereby the cultural practicesB0hich threaten to disrupt the status.uo/ are attended to and trans ormed throu h direct intervention by elites0ith the end o de usin their social trans ormative po0er- (Cushman,6JJ=86J)& 's ernandes (455 ) has already noticed in Cuban hip/hop, this is acomple process in 0hich musicians themselves, and despite their reluctanceto intervention, actively en a e in ne otiations 0ith o icials in search or statesupport and le itimation& 2t is necessary to underline here that the state con/trols all per ormin venues, the media and all cultural institutions, as 0ell as

rantin 0or3 and travel permissionsM there ore, some 3ind o en a ement0ith the state and its various institutions is almost unavoidable&

2n his article Cuba +ebeli$n-, Da3er ar ues that Los 'ldeanos build theirame on the trope o censorship- althou h they have been iven radio, TQ,

and ma*or concert opportunities- (4566a87)& To support his thesis thatcensorship is rare- in the musical ield (4566a8P), he claims that the vastma*ority o under round musicians do not ace the 3ind o repressione perienced by political activists and that sanctions have been su icientlyin re!uent and 0ea3 in nature- so they inspire little ear in artists- (Da3er,

4566a8 )& 'lthou h Da3er complains about the lac3 o nuances in theportrayal o under round musicians stru lin a ainst Hthe re ime1 (45668K)-,his o0n account o Los 'ldeanos tends to minimize state e orts to control thecultural sphere& .ince his analysis simpli ies the comple dynamics o po0erand the construction o he emony in socialism, in 0hat ollo0s, 2 0ill use t0oma*or events in these rappers1 careerRtheir concert at the cinema 'capulcoand their trip to :iami in 4565Rto complicate the understandin o music

politics and its limits in socialist Cuba&2n the case o Los 'ldeanos, their increasin popularity prevents open re/

pressive measures, an option that has never been the pre erred strate y todeal 0ith artists and intellectuals in Cuba, 0ho are considered 3ey actors orthe reproduction o a pro*ect o po0er- (


14/23

6 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

'ccordin to 'ldo +odr% uez Da!uero, a ter their trip to :iami in November4565, they have been banned rom all artistic venues on the island& 75 De ore,they mana ed to appear in semi/in ormal i s and small clubs at times, albeitcon rontin many di iculties that many times 0ere themselves the e pres/sions o so t- censorship& or e ample, 2 tried to see los 'ldeanos at +ioCristal, an open/air par3 in the outs3irts o Iavana in :arch 4565& 'lthou hthis could be considered an under round- placeRin terms o its peripheral

eo raphical and cultural statusR and thus, less sub*ect to control, it is still astate venue and so, the concert did not occur because the person 0ith the 3eyto unloc3 the audio system never appeared& .imilarly, 0hen the amous sin er/son 0riter ?ablo :ilan"s invited Los 'ldeanos to his concert at the 'nti/imperi/alist Tribune in 455KRa uni!ue event only possible due to ?ablo1s le endary-status in the Cuban cultural ieldR, their microphones 0ere turned do0n& 76 2naddition to direct measures such as bannin musicians rom the media or spe/ci ic venues, censorship ta3es on these di use, indirect orms& hile orei nspectators may thin3 that ?aranoia eeds the search or evidence o overn/ment conspiracy, ma3in the true e tent o censorship hard to measure-

(Da3er, 45668J), any attempt to measure- the true e tent o censorship-must ta3e into account that the stateRits institutions and unctionaries at vari/ous levelsRoperates in subtle 0ays, precisely, to obscure the 0or3 o po0er&

Io0ever, there are other controllin strate ies to be considered here&'lthou h in terms o production, Los 'ldeanos are independentR they ma3etheir music at the home studio Real 0etenta R, 74 the state still controls theaccess to le itimate- venues or cultural per ormances such as theatres and

clubs& hereas the con rontational nature o their discourse may su est thatthere is no room or state co/optation or assimilation, ultimately, they positionthemselves as musicians, rappers, not politicians, and such an identity isal0ays vulnerable to the promise o publicity& Thus, in an unprecedented event30 2ntervie0 0ith 'ldo Da!uero, 4 :arch 4564& They aced a similar prohibition in 455J&31 2ntervie0 0ith 'ldo Da!uero& 'ldo also re erred to this episode in the intervie0 0ith Garc%a

reyre (455J)&32 :ost hip/hop and re aeton have been produced in home/based studios and distributed bystreet sellers because Cuban record companies have paid little attention to these enres&'ccordin to 'ldo, they release their records and ive them to people, 0ith no pro its& Theycould only sell them or a couple o years at small commercial clubs, a act reported by Da3er(4564)& 2ronically, since they are not currently allo0ed to per orm in Cuba, their economy no0depends on concerts abroad&


15/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion 6=

and under intense police surveillance, they 0ere allo0ed to per orm in 'pril4565, at the 'capulco cinema&

?robably, the 1ermanos 0ai 'ssociation F'I. in .panish , 77 the onlyinstitutional a iliation o Los 'ldeanos, played a 3ey role in convincinauthorities to allo0 the concert and to try ne0 strate ies o assimilation& The

ormer :inister o Culture, 'bel ?rieto, has ac3no0led ed the role o the 'I.in bein al0ays attentive to those livin zones o creation that ori inate anddevelop outside the institutional rame0or3- (in +ubio 4566)& 't the sametime, the chance to have a concert on a proper- sta e came 0ith a price& 2nan intervie0 0ith 'ldo, he con irmed that in the last minute they 0ere as3edby o icials o the Cuban .tate .ecurity not to sin their most subversiveson s, i they 0anted to per orm at all& 7

Ience, the outcomes o this concert are unclear& 2t could be perceived asa irst step in the process o incorporation and assimilation o Los 'ldeanos,0ho sel /censored under pressure in order to per orm in public& To many in theaudience, this came 0ith disappointment since their popularity heavily relieson such critical statements& 9thers simply understood that there are son s

that cannot be sun in public-& 2n eneral, the audience also behaved 0ithsel /imposed discipline, especially because o the impressive police and:2N2NT7= deployment&7

Conversely, i ta3en into account all their allusions on sta e about thee ort done to ma3e the event happen, it is probable that Los 'ldeanos sa0 itas a victory over the authorities, 0ho did not have any other choice than toreco nize their e istence and popularity, and rant them a public space to

per orm& The state 0ould never have allo0ed such rebellious musicians toper orm in a moment o reater he emonyR or e ample in the 6JJ5s& 2n thisreadin , the public per ormance o Los 'ldeanos is another symptom o the0ea3enin state and the ro0in po0er o critical cultural practices incontemporary Cuba&

33 The 'ssociation Iermanos .aiz roups youn artists, and 0riters, musiciansRand rappersRinthe country&34 2ntervie0 0ith 'ldo Da!uero, 4 :arch 4564&35 :inistry o 2nterior ' airs, the e!uivalent to Iomeland .ecurity&36 ?ersonal observation, 47 'pril 4565&


16/23

6 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

hen as3ed about the disappointment o some members o the audienceat the concert, 'ldo admitted they accepted the pressures, as it 0as a ta3e itor leave it- situation, and replied8

e are human bein s (B) 2t is easy to say 2 0anted more- but i 2 o to *ail, it is me0ho stays or three or our days& 'nd you 0anted more, but you o to the politicalparade at the +evolution .!uare and you also have to do somethin & 2 do, but 2 have tota3e care o my amily too&7P

The presentation o Los 'ldeanos in :iami in 4565 urther illustrates thechallen es involved in enactin a coherent political identity in a socialistsociety& ?robably because o a combination o sel /censorship and their criticalopinions about the politics o the :iami e ile, they 0ere compelled to declareat their arrival in the U&.& that they 0ere not political- but artists- (+ubio,4565)& 2n the Cuban conte t, these statements are important to de end artists1positions as di erent rom the political dissident movement and to elidesanctions 0hile challen in the boundaries o po0er& :usicians do thisconsciously, and durin our conversation, 'ldo elaborates on the politicalcharacter o his rap8 2 do hip/hop in a country in 0hich everythin , since youare born, is related to politics (B), so it is impossible to ma3e rap in a countryli3e this and detach mysel rom politics-& 7K

Io0ever, other aspects o their public discourse are more problematic& The nationalist rhetoric that appears in their music also ma3es themvulnerable to state co/optation& hile other youn musicians rom the pop/roc3 and alternative scenes have embraced a diasporic and transnationalsense o Cuban identity (Dor es Triana, 4564M Thomas, 455=M Gmez, orth&),Los 'ldeanos consider that only island/based Cubans should have a say innational politics& Ience, even be ore their trip to :iami, they held the limited:anichean vision o the Cuban community in :iami that has circulated ordecades in o icial discourse in Cuba& These vie0s 0ere rein orced 0henencounterin the hostility o e tremist e iles upon their arrival in the city8

37 2ntervie0 0ith 'ldo Da!uero, 4 :arch 4564&38 2ntervie0 0ith 'ldo Da!uero, 4 :arch 4564&


17/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion 6P

2t 0as very di icult& 2 thin3 they Fthe Cuban authorities did it on purpose, because:iami is e actly li3e here FCuba but 0ith Co3e& They treated me as i 2 0ere apolitician or a member o :2N2NT (B) 2t 0as crazy, people 0ere harassin us and

spea3in o Castro, Castro-&&&.uddenly, there 0ere old people holdin posters readin.alsa 0ith blood-& 2 don1t play salsaM 2 haven1t 3illed anybodyM 2 didn1t separate those

people1s amilies& They even bro3e our C


18/23

6K TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

0ei ht in the Auma FU. , you have ne0 clothes1 (B) The Cuban resentsanother person1s prosperity-& 6

The case o Los 'ldeanos demonstrates ho0 di icult is to avoid themanipulation o music, and arts in eneral, in state/socialist societies&Ultimately, it illustrates ho0 authority is contested at the mar ins and there is

a continuin probin on the part o the rulers and the sub*ects to ind out0hat they can et a0ay 0ith, to test and discover the limits o obedience anddisobedience- (:oore, 6JPK86K)&

Co#' *sio#s2n a conte t in 0hich political opposition is prosecuted, the music o Los'ldeanos emer es as a concrete social site- that stands as a orm o politicsitsel (Lipsitz, 6JJ 867P), embodyin resistance, envisionin chan e, andmobilizin a ne0 political identity8 the subversive revolutionary& Their radicalanta onistic sub*ectivity su ests that the state ideolo y has lost much o itshe emonic orce to constitute itsel as a totalizin horizon- (Laclau and:ou e, 6JK=) de inin the limits o Cuban society& urthermore, sho0in ho0

the +evolution is itsel an empty si ni ier- (Laclau and :ou e, 6JK=) that canbe e ectively used in an oppositional discourse, is one o the most note0orthypolitical outcomes o their music& 2n this scenario, the Cuban hip/hop motto arevolution 0ithin the +evolution- ac!uires a ne0 and destabilizin potential& 'tthe same time, the impossibility or musicians to trespass the last line bet0een

artistic- and political- practice throu h political mobilization and or anizationma3es them more vulnerable to co/optation and trivialization, and clearly

illustrates the boundaries o music politics in the Cuban conte t&

41 2bid&


19/23

Rap is war: Los Aldeanos and the politics of music subversion 6J

8I8LIO9RA A

Da3er, G& 455J& The politics o dancin 8 +e aet$n and +ap in Iavana, Cuba-&2nReggaeton, eds& +a!uel& O& +ivera, ayne :arshall and


20/23

45 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

airclou h, Norman& 6JJ4& -iscourse and 0ocial Change & Cambrid e8 ?olity?ress&

WWWWWW& 4557& Analysing discourse" e7tual analysis for social research & Londonand Ne0 Aor38 +outled e&

ernandes, .u*atha& 4557& ear o a blac3 nation8 local rappers, transnationalcrossin s and state po0er in contemporary Cuba-& Anthropological 8uarterly,P ( ), =P=/ 5K&

WWWWWW& 455 &Cuba represents9 Cuban arts, state power, and the ma$ing ofnew revolutionary cultures &


21/23


and the poetics of place & Ne0 Aor38 Qerso&

:cGui an, ;im& 455=& The cultural public sphere-& !uropean 5ournal of Cultural0tudies, K( ), 4P/ 7&

:oore, Darrin ton& 6JPK& n)ustice: he 0ocial #ases of ;bedience and Revolt &Ne0Aor38 ?antheon Doo3s&

:orales, Esteban& 455P& -esaf4os de la problemar la aldea-&!l blog de %ladia http8@@vladia&blo cip&cu@4565@66@66@los/aldeanos/en/miami/motivos/para/e tranar/la/aldea F'ccess8 November 64, 4565 &

WWWWWW& 4566& 'bel ?rieto8 Tenemos !ue ormar en Cuba un receptor cr%tico dela cultura-& Cubadebate http8@@000&cubadebate&cu@noticias@4566@64@5=@abel/prieto/tenemos/!ue/ ormar/en/cuba/un/receptor/critico/de/la/culturaF'ccess8;uly 4J, 4564 &

.cott, ;ohn& 6JJ5& -omination and the Arts of Resistance: 1idden ranscripts &Ne0 Aor3 and London8 Aale University ?ress&

.treet, ;ohn& 455 & The pop star as politician8 rom Dela onte to Dono, rom

creativity to conscience-& 2n he resisting muse: popular music and social protest, ed& 2an& ?eddie, J/ & 'sh ate8 'ldershot and Durlin ton&


22/23

44 TRANS 17 (2013) ISSN: 1567 0101

.zemere, 'nna& 6JJ4& The politics o mar inality& ' roc3 musical subculture in

.ocialist Iun ary in the early 6JK5s-& 2n Roc$in=the boat: mass music > massmovements, ed& +ebee& Garo alo, J7/66 & Doston8 .outh End ?ress&

Thomas, .usan& 455=& Cosmopolitan, 2nternational, Transnational8 LocatinCuban :usic&- 2n


23/23


Nora 9 -"; Torr"s

9btained her ?h< in .ociolo y at City University, London, 0ith a thesis entitledLivin in transition8 popular music and social chan e in contemporary Cuba-&

.he 0as 'ssistant ?ro essor at the .chool o Communication, University oIavana, rom 4556 to 455J& Ier article Iearin the chan e8 re aeton andemer ent values in contemporary Cuba- appeared in volume 77 o LAMR" E/mail8 n torres6JPK\ mail&com

Ci$a r"'o-"#!a!a

Gmez Torres, Nora& 4567& H+ap is 0ar18 Los 'ldeanos and the politics o musicsubversion in contemporary Cuba-8 RA30&Revista ranscultural deM2sica ranscultural Music Review 6P F echa de consulta8 dd@mm@aa

“Rap is War” Los Aldeanos and the Politics of Music

Documents