THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR in Austin-conrazonlandia. No lie, I found a ride on craigslist rideshare the night before from LA to Austin {hi friends!}; all odds were against me and there was nothing in my pocket. Madness with Bomba Estereo ensued with them rocking The FADER FORT (too bad there’s not 1 Latin act on their roster this year; cue the ::Shame On You:: music). Then I defended Tina Weymouth of Tom Tom Club from bigot cops. But most importantly, I met so many new friends. The year before I was with Nacional Records stapling posters around town, organizing a kick ass volunteer network and getting a sense of the town. Both years were such huge learning experiences and last year was a major turning point. So it’s only natural that I’m: EXCITED TO GO BACK.
So this is where I’ll be during the madness that is SXSW – with Los Rakas & Zuzuka Poderosa. If you see me in a white RAKA NATI hat or sashaying down 6th Street with a crazy Brazilian chic named LA PODEROSA: say hi! …And DO NOT miss these showcases:
@CONRAZON
@LOSRAKAS
@ZUZUKAPODEROSA
#GLOMO {global music}
#SouthAmericaXSW {sur america}
LOS RAKAS @ SXSW 2011
“One thing is sure: At this rate of growth, Los Rakas are on their way to doing big things.” – NPR
“Oakland-based Raka Dun and Raka Rich represent some of the best in Spanish-language rap coming out of the US, with a classic flow married to beats that draw from dancehall, future bass and good ol’-fashioned boom-bap.” – AOL SPINNER
Friday, March 18th
Venue 222 (222 East 6th Street) – Vibe Magazine Showcase *official showcase
EPMD, DJ Quik, Collie Buddz, Chino XL
Saturday, March 19th
FRANK (407 Colorado Street – Corner of 4th) – Peligrosa presented by XLR8R magazine
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Los Rakas represent pan-American flows. Two cousins who grew up in Panama before spending their teens in Oakland, California, Raka Dun and Raka Rico put a distinctive “Panabay” twist on hip-hop and reggae, bridging the streetwise sounds of the places they’ve called home. Drawing on Panamanian plena’s faithful approach to reggae classics and the Bay Area’s independent and idiosyncratic hip-hop scene, Los Rakas merge familiar dancehall melodies with a lyricism all their own. Los Rakas make music born of migration and tradition, critique and celebration, joy and pain. They make New World music. American music. Panamanian Jamaican Californian music. Music for b-boys and rude boys, dancers and romancers, mainlanders and islanders and isthmus folk alike.
Last year was a flagship year for the group, winning the 2010 Latin Alternative Music Conference’s Jack Daniel’s ‘Discovery Artist’ prize in New York City (an award that goes to the most promising group at the conference and the first time awarded to an urban group), with endorsements from Gibson Guitar and SHURE; culminating with their breakout performance at The Bowery Ballroom with a 6 piece band. They have also rocked alongside artists like Outkast, Cypress Hill (at 2010’s Guerilla Union’s Smoke Out Festival in San Bernadino, CA), Ice Cube, The Roots Mos Def, Talib Kweli, E40, Pharaoh Monch, Fat Joe, Brother Ali, The Grouch, Collie Buddz (who the group is on tour with in 2011) and others.
Tastemakers like the FADER, XLR8R, Okayplayer to more traditional outlets like The New York Times, NPR & National Geographic have hailed the group. Their hit summer single, ‘Abrazame’ ft Favi (Uproot Andy Hold Yuh) {a latin take on the Gyptian ‘Hold Yuh’ smash} as well as recent single, ‘Kalle’ and ‘Hip Hop’ is currently in rotation at 106 KMEL (San Francisco) and La Mega 97.9 (New York) and spreading fast all over the web. The future is bright for this young duo.
VIDEOS:
Kalle’ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLbknc86SIQ
‘Abrazame’ ft Favi {Uproot Andy Hold Yuh) Video: http://tinyurl.com/4joodn9
‘Soy Raka’ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQQj-bJ4ams
‘Mi Barrio’ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj3p66JnUPA
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“Not only is she bringing her own brand of the hot Brazilian underground sound to the rest of the world, but from her international vantage point she operates like a provocatively rhyming hurricane, sucking up global riddims from ghettotech to dancehall and flinging them back out at gale-force speeds.” – MTV
PRI’s The World: http://www.theworld.org/2011/01/zuzuka-poderosa-baile-funk
Thursday, March 17th
Loft 718 (718 N Congress) – The ‘Hook-Up’ SXSW Showcase presented by Brizm Nation
Hosted by: Stanley “Fantasy” Roy (ATX) – Projects by: Lil Lil (Lillian Gerson) (NYC)
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12 PM Dream Boat Crusaderz (NYC)// Disco Tits (ATX)
1 PM Traffique (ATX)// Mos Jeff (ATX)
2 PM ELVIS (ATX) // Stanley Roy (Fantasy)
3 PM No Mas Bodas (ATX) // Lady Business (NoLA)
4 PM Zuzuka Poderosa (NYC) // Katey Red (NoLA)/ Disco Tits
5 PM Hunx and His Punx (Oakland) // Dirty Finger (Conrad Carlson) (NYC)
6 PM Kingdom (Shyvonne) (NYC) // Fndomntl (ATX)
Friday, March 18th
FRANK (407 Colorado Street – Corner of 4th & Colorado) – Peligrosa SXSW Showcase presented by XLR8R magazine
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1030 – Mistress Thunda
Saturday, March 19th
Prague (422 Congress) – MEGATON MOOMBAHTON SXSW Showcase
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