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Hip Hop En Tu Idioma | DE-BUG San Jose, California
DJ Vex One, Jerome, Sekreto, Mextape, Sadick de Kasta Ache, Danny, DJ Creature
Hip Hop En Tu Idioma | DE-BUG San Jose, California
Written by Daniel for BrownPride.com
Hip Hop en Español (Hip Hop in Spanish) is a movement coming from all over the place, and when I say all over the place, I really mean all over the place. Today you can find Spanish Hip Hop acts coming out from just about anywhere from across the globe. Ranging from a wide line up, starting with the Cuban group Orishas based out of France to La Mala Rodriguez in Cadiz, Spain. From England we also find Spanish acts like Cultura Londres to Frost in Argentina in South America to our very own Long Beach-based Sinful aka El Pecador. This international phenomenon has been alive in San Jose for well over 10 years, but on March 1, 2008 it was organized in a fashion unlike ever before. Thus “Hip Hop En Tu Idioma” was born.
Hip Hop en Español has been growing for decades. Since the early 90's, Latinos in the United States and Latin America started to show interest in Hip Hop culture and they started to produce groups that looked and sounded like Run DMC, the Fresh Prince and N.W.A. One of the major differences between Hip Hop music coming from Latin America and the Latino acts from the United States was the lack of Hip Hop producers and beat makers. The acts from Latin America's first few generations of groups were counting more on a live band than on turntables, drum machines and synthesizers. The outcome actually gave more flavors to the music equation, and it gave Hip Hop en Español its own identity.
What grew out of this period was Hip Hop en Español, and it is more then the replication of Hip Hop from the United States. Hip Hop in Latin America is now a mixture of ancient culture, Latino tradition and modern urban life. The stories that are told through the lyrics and beats are appealing to kids from the favelas of Brazil to the homies in the slums of Peru, the ghettos in Argentina and the barrios in Mexico. The by-product has been a cross-national unity among Latinos who see coming together as a necessity to build their movement.
Unlike Hip Hop in the America, born in the 70's, Hip Hop en Español was born in a time when the music and culture had no borders. The Internet, myspace, and just plain migration are some of the tools that have made the Hip Hop en Español movement an international phenomenon. Hip Hop may be dead, according to Nas, but Spanish language Hip Hop came to resurrect it in a unique way.
On March 1st, 2008 at the De-Bug Community Center just off of downtown, Hip Hop En Español broke into San Jose. On this day, the Bronx culture had a second breath of life all thanks to some locals and international performances. The night was full of surprises and the presence from the community was felt. Dubbed as "Hip Hop En Tu Idioma," the show was a first in a series of concerts that is trying to build Hip Hop en Español, and make San Jose its epicenter.
Kalizay
Milbocas
"All ages" were the key words for the roughly 100 parents and youths who showed up. The show kicked off with a strong performance by one of the pioneers of Hip Hop in Spanish in the Bay Area -- Mex Tape who was accompanied by his DJ, Vex One the DJ of the night. The performers were all strong and brought to San Jose to show the different faces of the Latin American Hip Hop experience. One performer, Kalizay, a Salvadorian from the East Bay even rapped in English, Spanish and French. Her up-coming Reggaeton single, "Chiko Bay Bee" is a track about the sensation of desire through the dance. Mil Bocas, also from San Jose, was one of the highlights of the night. He is a walking definition of a modern day Latino Rapper full of hope and coolness about himself. La Patriota give our minds some food for thoughts with her beautiful poetry and her tales of a simple life mixed with teachings from ancient times full of history. Line after line, the power of the words took over the room, and she really hit the nail with her last poem when she recited the "Soy Bonita" poem regarding the Latinas worldwide.
Sekreto on stage at DEBUG San Jose, CA
The headliner, Sekreto, from Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico, started his set with his most recent hit song "Nos Conecta" accompanied by one of the greatest and finest emcee's from out of Peru, G.R.A.M.O. "El Hip Hop nos une el Hip Hop "nos conecta", nos lleva de viaje y nos trae de vuelta" this song speaks about the connection through Hip Hop among Latinos and how hectic the lifestyle of a Spanish MC in the making can be. He kept rocking the mic track after track with songs like "Vida Sin Rap," it's more than a song he likes to perform. It’s a lifestyle that he likes to explain to the fans with simple lines and a clear example of how Hip Hop is necessary in our everyday lives. Sekreto's right hand man Sadick showed up and dropped some knowledge on the microphone with his lyrics by giving the simple message that you are important, so you need to take care of yourself. As Sekreto's set came to an end, and he thank everybody and put call out for everyone to support this Hip Hop en Español movement -- which by looking at the evening, knows no race, borders or linguistic barriers.
G.R.A.M.O., Mex Tape, Sekreto
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