LATINOS RHYME WITH THE TIMES NEW GENERATION FLAVORS HIP-HOP WITH ITS OWN SENSIBILITIES AND HERITAGE.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer Like the aroma of the steaming menudo Menudo can refer to:
Rolas had affection for his parents' country music. But like many kids raised in the era of N.W.A.'s ``Straight Outta Compton,'' he couldn't ignore the profane, angry voices seething seethe intr.v. seethed, seeth·ing, seethes 1. To churn and foam as if boiling. 2. a. To be in a state of turmoil or ferment: over heavy bass lines and rattling his windows, trying to get in. Those voices eventually did get in. They also got into his head and now account for one of the main roots nourishing the fast-growing Latin hip-hop movement that the 31-year-old recording artist is helping to pioneer. ``All of that influenced me to do what I do,'' explains Rolas, a husky rapper who flavors his bilingual street rhymes in the vaguely Teutonic rhythms of the old country, which mingle Mexican melodies with German oompah oom·pah also oom·pah-pah n. A rhythmic sound made by a tuba or other brass instrument. [Imitative . . But Rolas' songs reflect a departure from the gun totin' gangster lifestyle, saturated in violence and testosterone, which has characterized rap since N.W.A. and Public Enemy came on the scene. ``A lot of people think hip-hop is thugs and fights and guns,'' says Rolas, an arresting figure in his red jersey and shaved head on which his all-black sunglasses are obliquely parked. ``That's not all it is.'' Reflection of the real Latin hip-hop does have its hustlers, including the Cuban-American rapper Armando ``Pitbull'' Perez, whose face has blanketed L.A. in L.A. In is a compilation of studio recording by Various Artists. It was originally released in 1979 as an LP by Rhino Records. Track listing Side One The Kats recent weeks. But Rolas' ammo comes from watching his Mexican immigrant father work hard to provide a better life for him and his five brothers and sisters. In fact, his lyrics speak to some of L.A.'s more recent immigrants. Of course drinking with his homies This article is about a toy series. For the slang usage, see Homie. Homies are a series of 2-inch figurines loosely based upon Chicano (Mexican American) characters in the life of artist David Gonzales. , betrayal and admiration for voluptuous women also play a role in the music that he's been turning out since 2003, when he released his Fonovisa debut, ``Nuestra Vida.'' Rolas' next album, ``Tatuajes,'' is due in October, some 14 years after the first Latino rappers hit. There was east L.A.'s Kid Frost, known for the brown-pride anthem, ``La Raza La Ra·za n. Mexicans or Mexican Americans considered as a group, sometimes extending to all Spanish-speaking people of the Americas. [American Spanish, the people.] ,'' and the Cuban exile The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century. Mellow Man Ace, whose ``Mentirosa'' also got plenty of attention at Top 40. At the same time, Ecuadorean rapper Gerardo scored big with his boastful ``Rico Suave Rico Suave may refer to:
The current wave of Latin hip-hop artists are less pop and more interested in evolving the style. On the West Coast, urban regional has exploded thanks to Akwid, the L.A. norteno-rap duo of brothers Sergio and Francisco Gomez
Francisco Gomez (born January 25, 1979 in Watsonville, California) is an American soccer player, who is currently the . Akwid is nominated for two awards at Wednesday's Latin Grammys, including best new artist and best urban music album, the latter of which is represented by a handful of hip-hop artists. The competition includes Control Machete Control Machete is a Mexican hip hop group from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Its members are Fermin IV (listed as Fermin IV Caballero Elizondo in credits), Patricio "Pato" Chapa Elizalde, and Toy Kenobi (Toy Hernández). , DJ Kane, Juan Gotti and Vico C - acts from Mexico and the U.S. Global verses With more artists signing to labels every day, Latin hip-hop is growing. It is now a global phenomenon, encompassing different musical territories, including the tropical hip-shakers of the Reggaeton movement - another favorite among hip-hoppers and even Latin Grammy brass. ``One of the things that I adore about Reggaeton is how you're able to blend blood, culture, feeling into something that is very different,'' says Gabriel Abaroa, president of the Latin Recording Academy. ``You do something that, in a certain way, you take from another country but in which you put your own roots, your own elements, and it becomes very beautiful.'' Hip-hop is increasingly employing the vocabulary of the Latin world - narrating over standard hip-hop beats in dialects from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caribbean, from South America to Mexico - as well as its instrumentation in some cases. ``It's a different perspective listening to a band with an accordion. ... Snoop ain't doing that,'' says Flavio Morales, music director for KJLA-TV (channels 33 and 57), which runs LATV, a 24-hour bilingual pop culture network for Latino teens. The accordion was especially noticeable on a recent Sunday, when the San Pedro-based hip-hop duo Mexiclan took the stage at the West L.A. studios of LATV. Backed by a rhythm section and accordion player, frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. Marco Munoz, whose long kinky kink·y adj. kink·i·er, kink·i·est 1. Tightly twisted or curled: kinky hair. 2. hair was pulled back in a ponytail, dropped rhymes in cadences reminiscent of Snoop Dogg. ``Yeah-yeah,'' he barked with his whole body as the cameras rolled, taping the live set for the televised special ``El Otro Lado del Hip-Hop,'' which airs 9 p.m. Thursday on ``The Best of LATV,'' and 10 p.m. Friday on ``The Hip-Hop Show,'' on KJLA. Not so negative During its segment, the Univision recording act performed ``Stupid y Creido,'' a song that pairs cumbia cum·bi·a n. 1. A Latin-American dance originating among African slave populations on Colombia's Atlantic coast and characterized by short sliding steps. 2. Music for this dance. rhythms to rap lyrics that poke fun at macho pride and posturing. ``We talk about stuff you can trip on a little bit ... feel-good music,'' Munoz said before going on stage. Added his guayabera gua·ya·ber·a n. A light open-necked cotton shirt, often with large pockets and pleats down the front, that is typically worn outside the pants. [American Spanish.] shirt-wearing partner, Sem ``Leon'' Vargas: ``We're not talking negativity, shootings ... because we live in it, we live in the projects and we see it everyday, and we're tired of it.'' That sentiment was expressed by many of the artists roaming the halls of LATV, including Don Abusivo. In his music, the 24-year-old Lincoln Heights native waxes comical about hate and his failure to keep a relationship. He also talks about experiences, like the struggle of trying to feed his two daughters. ``I'm not going to pick up the pen and write about something that in no way reflects my life,'' he says, speaking matter-of-factly. Like many of his peers, Abusivo grew up listening to rap from an early age. He remembers being sent home from school because his cousin had written N.W.A. lyrics on his folder. By age 12, he began writing his own rap lines after hearing a song by the Spanish-language rapper El Pecador, now his labelmate at Universal Latino. ``He really caught my attention,'' Abusivo says, recalling the first time he heard El Pecador. ``I never heard somebody in Spanish rapping, like, real MC-underground-style. Everybody that was out at that time was either trying to be a gangster or put out that image.'' ``I totally renounce what all these rappers glorify, like money, materialism,'' he says. ``I just throw it all out the window and say, 'I don't have the cars, I don't have the women, I don't have the money, but I have the talent.' '' For any rapper, ``dope'' rhymes and beats are as important as staying true to the hip-hop culture. ``It's interesting how Latinos have always been part of hip-hop since the beginning,'' says Toy of the Latin Grammy-nominated group Control Machete. ``You had Nuyorican break-dancers and graffiti artists ... Latino disc jockeys and producers ... and now we're the artists, too.'' Sandra Barrera, (818) 713-3728 sandra.barrera(at)dailynews.com Latin Grammys in the house Los Angeles will be rolling out the bienvenido mat for the Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards were launched in 2000 with a telecast aired on CBS. It was the first primarily Spanish language prime-time program carried on an American network television. . Come Wednesday, the most coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. prize in the Portuguese- and Spanish- speaking worlds of music returns to Los Angeles from Miami, where the awards were held for the first time last year. Topping the list are producer Tom Capone and the Mexican art-rocker Emmanuel del Real (of Cafe Tacuba fame) with five nods apiece. Alvaro Alencar, Maria Rita, Alejandro Sanz and Bebo Valdes all received four nominations. Performers include Carlos Santana with Los Lonely Boys, Robi Rosa, Cafe Tacuba with Incubus incubus (ĭng`ky  bəs), lascivious male demon said to possess mortal women as they sleep and to be responsible for the birth of demons, witches, and deformed children. , Paquito D'Rivera, Ozomatli, Marco Antonio Solis and Paulina Rubio. Presenters in 43 categories include Daisy Fuentes, Constance Marie, Jason Ritter and Amber Tamblyn. George Lopez hosts. The Latin Grammys air from the Shrine Auditorium at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . CAPTION(S): 6 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) MEXICLAN (2 -- cover -- color) DON ABUSIVO (3 -- cover -- color) DAVID ROLAS (4) David Rolas brings his Mexican-American family's experiences to the often-hard world of hip-hop. (5 -- 6) Above, Mexiclan's Sem ``Leon'' Vargas, left, and Marco Munoz aren't afraid to poke fun at to make a butt of; to ridicule. See also: Poke macho Latino culture. At left, Toy of Control Machete thinks it's high time for Latinos to be behind the mic. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Box: Latin Grammys in the house (see text) |
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