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ABSTRACT: The hip-hop group Orishas provides an incisive example of the new terms of Cuban cultural production in the post-Cold War diaspora. They began their dizzy ride on the wave of global fascination with Cuban culture with the debut album A lo cubano (1999), in which they compromised with international market forces while attempting to maintain their cubanía, their own sense of Cubanness. This first release is remarkable for its commercial success not only abroad but also at home. While the music, lyrics, and videos associated with the album revel in cultural symbols only fully appreciated by Cubans who survived the worst years of the Special Period, they also commodify Afro-Cuban culture, making it palatable to a range of international listening publics.
keywords: Cuban music, hip-hop, commodification of culture, Cuban diaspora, Cuban special period
resumen: El grupo hip-hop Orishas ofrece un ejemplo tajante de las nuevas normas de la comercialización de la cultura cubana en la diáspora después de la Guerra Fría. Empezaron su vuelta vertiginosa alrededor de la fascinación global por la cultura cubana con su disco inicial A lo cubano (1999), con el cual se comprometieron con las fuerzas del mercado internacional y, a la misma vez, intentaban aferrarse a su cubanía. Esta primera obra se destaca por su éxito no sólo en la esfera internacional sino también en la isla. Aunque la música, las letras y los videos asociados con el álbum se deleitan en símbolos culturales con los que sólo los cubanos sobrevivientes del período especial pueden relacionarse, también transforman la cultura afrocubana en un artículo de consumo apetecible a una gama de públicos internacionales.
palabras clave: música cubana, hip-hop, comodificación de la cultura, diáspora cubana, el período especial cubano
Cuban hip hop hit the international scene in 1999 with the release of A lo cubano by Orishas, a group of artists who had leftCuba in 1998 and migrated to Paris. Fusing rap with traditional Cuban son, Orishas produced a hybrid sound that proved irresistible first in Europe and then in the United States. Subsequent releases by the group garnered them several Grammy nominations, a testament to their having "made it" in the global market. Though commended in the past by Cubans on the island for their success, their...