05-21-19 Latinoamérica and Querido FBI

The Bomfim article emphasizes that Calle 13 blends rap rock, reggaeton, cumbia and other genres together. All of these genres are fundamental for the creation of Calle 13's music.  

I actually didn’t know that “RAP” means rhythm and poetry until reading the article. I also had not thought about that the way lyrics are delivered is purposeful and meant to be in “a direct, fast and blunt way…” (Bomfim 71).

Calle 13’s music can be compared “to the movement Nueva Canción Lationamericana”; Residente affirms this and “has stated that he was inspired by the Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa when he wrote the song [Latioamérica]” (Bomfim 72).

Cultural memory is represented through the different instruments that are used in the song; these folk instruments pay homage to older traditions. The lyrics tell a cultural memory of the people facing challenges and exploitation that many can relate to. 

Lationamérica: 

In the second verse Resident explains that he has been shaped by what his father has taught them and that the one who does not love his country, doesn’t love his mother. His father has helped with his identity and must have taught him values that he holds close to his heart. His appeals to everyone by creating a united front when saying that those who don’t love the country, do not love their mother. The chorus list things that cannot be bought like the wind, sun, clouds, joy and his pains. Not being able to be “bought” shows the tenacity that the groups has and is also an aspect of their identity. There is a humbleness to his identity seen in verse 6: “Aquí se comparte lo mío es tuyo”. In verse 5, Resident says that he will not blink when he sees someone so that they will not forget his name. I think this has to do with memory on a smaller communicative level. His name is a small detail for someone and if he blinks and does not stand tall, then his name won’t carry any weight. The video goes in between Spanish and another language that I did not recognize. The folk instruments are also heard from the very start of the song. There is always a drum with a steady beat and a shaker in the background. The video show the whole community and people from different ages. The video also goes in between showing a modern birth in a hospital and a baby being held on a mountain wrapped in a traditional blanket. 

Querido FBI: 

The song brings out a collective front by naming “compatriotas” which includes a long list of people. Calle 13 make it clear that he objects to senseless killing such as 9/11. When I first saw September 11th I immediately thought of the Allende being overthrown while the video shows a side by side of President Bush and the Twin Towers.  Drums are also used in the song and shows people uniting by lifting their fists up to into the air.This song deals most with the issue of identity. This song was released in response to Ojeda Ríos being killed. His was a Puerto Rican seeking independence for Puerto Rico and was silenced by the FBI. The song is ultimately calling out and condemning the actions of the FBI. Ríos wanted Puerto Rico to have the identity of independence and this was shut down quickly. 

Lupe Fiasco’s song “The show goes on” has cultural, political, and social elements that appear in the lyrics.

The songs talks about marginalized people and asks the audience if they have ever “had the feeling that [they were] being had” and says that they have been treated like slaves. Fiasco also says that he just laughs at society trying to put him down and this this is how his father raised him. Fiasco was raised with values of being there for your community and embracing your culture; he says that “if you are [his] homeboy you never have to pay [him]”. Fiasco even says that he is rapping “for these ghettos girls and boys” and from “Africa to New York”, Haiti to “Oackland out to Auckland Gaza Strip to Detroit”. Fiasco also says that “hip-pop only destroy[s]”.