Negra cubana tenía que ser blog [¡Gracias!] just shared a spectacular song by Supercrónica Obsesión, one of the most recognized rap groups in Cuba. As Sandra Abd’Allah-Alvarez Ramírez writes, this video is fresh out of the oven. The song—“Tú con tu ballet” is from their album entitled El Disco Negro de Obsesión, which received a Cubadisco Award in 2011. The song deals with race relations in an exceptionally witty way, using racist phrases that are often repeated, sometimes inadvertently (“I’m not racist; my best friend is black;” “I’ll pass on the rumba; it’s backward…”) in Cuban everyday life and beyond. I love its mix of rap with traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Here is a little information on Supercrónica Obsesión, written by Abd’Allah-Alvarez Ramírez on 8 April 2014. These are excerpts of her post “Supercrónica Obsesión: cuando la música y el activismo van de la mano” (Supercrónica Obsesión: When Music and Activism Go Hand in Hand) [also see our previous posts Defending Rap in Cuba, Cuban Rap “Straight Outta Havana”, and Obsesión – the conscience of Cuban hip-hop.]:

The group Supercrónica Obsesión was founded on June 25, 1996. Attracted by the warm and renovating influences of rap, its members Alexey Rodríguez (aka “el tipo este”) and Magia López quickly formed the ranks of the vanguard that were protagonists in the process of appropriation and definition of gender in Cuban culture. Since then and still today, its members are loyal and proud representatives of the African heritage present beyond their roots, through their aesthetics and the art that they deliver day to day.

[. . .] Obsesión’s music reflects an interesting balance between gender issues and a stylistic and musical diversity that moves through many elements, from jazz, Cuban music, and a range of currents of African origin present in Cuba and Latin America, to the creation of very different texts, where the message—always in the form of a chronicle—proposes changes in behavior and stereotypical attitudes.

During their long career, Obsesión has combined good art, humor, and a refreshing intention, with activism, community work, and the struggle to build a better world.

Listen to “Tú con tu ballet” here:

For full description of Supercrónica Obsesión, go to http://negracubanateniaqueser.com/2014/04/08/supercronica-obsesion-cuando-la-musica-y-el-activismo-van-de-la-mano/

For her original post on the video, see http://negracubanateniaqueser.com/2015/07/07/obsesion-estrena-el-videoclip-de-tu-con-tu-ballet/