The evolution of Cuban Music: From Salsa to Lesbian Rap

Las Crudas

As I searched the web for Cuban music, I was quickly
overwhelmed. Cuban music is one of the most popular types of  “world music,” and the rhythm of Cuban
music has influenced musicians all over the world. Most Cuban music is a blend
of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar influences, and these two elements
have manifested in many styles of Cuban music. Some styles that I came across
were son (characterized by a syncopated rhythm and the use of claves, two
wooden sticks that are hit together), salsa (which grew out of son music), and
afro-beat. Cuban music has influenced many Latin bands and many salsa and mambo
groups in the US, but since the embargo Cuban bands have not maintained the
popularity they once had in the States. A notable exception is the Buena Vista
Social Club, which is a band of famous Cuban musicians that were brought
together by an American producer. I don’t own any of their albums but when I
heard their song “Chan Chan,” I immediately recognized it. More than any of
these styles I was intrigued by Cuban jazz, a style that emerged when American
jazz artists began to collaborate with Cuban artists in the 1940s. Cuba soon
had its own jazz bands, such as Irakere, whose song “Bacalao Con Pan,” I really
like. In the last couple of decades the influence of rap music has spread
across the world, and I was curious to see the influence of rap in Cuba. I
found some pretty bad contemporary Cuban rap, but I also found out about Las
Crudas (The Crude Ones), a three woman, lesbian rap group. Las Crudas were
featured in a documentary called “Guerilla Radio: The Hip-Hop struggle under
Castro,” in which they speak about the difficulty of being female in Cuba’s
machismo society. I don’t know how much I really enjoyed their music, but I
loved their message. I never would have thought to do so before, but after
discovering Las Crudas I plan on looking into the female rap scene in Havana.