Hip-hop in Colombia - Essay Example

What began as a music practice common among the economically underprivileged groups like the Latinos and the African-Americans transcended into an art form, without national boundaries in a very short time. Hip-hop in Columbia is not only viewed as a simple music form but as a media to express powerful feelings by the youth. The hip-hop music has international reach and the Columbian artists are using it efficiently to underline their plight to the world community through rapping. Hip-Hop appeared in Columbia by late 1980s shortly after the art form had established itself as a distinguished sub-culture in the US.

Los Generales R&R, an Afro-Columbian group is reported to be one of the first groups to entertain Columbian music lovers already mesmerized by MC Hammer and NWA. Los Generales broke up shortly after releasing their first CD. But, they were followed by groups like Gotas de Rap and La Etina in the early 1990s paving way for steady growth of Columbian hip-hop. Both the groups were known for expressing their social concerns through their lyrics, and adapting a very independent style which served as an inspiration for the development of later Columbian hip-hop style.

Their experimentation was followed by Asilo 38 band which released famous albums like La Hoguera and La Descarga, by experimenting with new controversial sound. This gave way to Puerto Rican Reggaeton style music in Columbia for a short period. Hip-Hop revived its former glory again from 2006 through the contribution of groups like ChocQuibTown. Though there are several famous hip-groups, this paper will explore about five famous groups, Ghettos Clan, Flaco Flow y Melanina, Choc Quib Town, Carbono and Voodo SoulJhas.

Hip-Hop in Columbia is not just a regurgitation of US subculture. Columbian hip-hop has distinct African sounds, usage of local anecdotes, and several autochthonous music forms. Folklore based lyrics mixed with ethnic