Danay Suárez was discovered a few years ago by British DJ and world-music connoisseur Gilles Peterson while recording his compilation Havana Cultura in Cuba, for which many other local rappers participated. Suárez stood out because she could rap “with perfect flow and compelling, conscious lyrics” and she could also sing jazz, soul, reggae, blues, and more, with the same ease. Suárez’s description in the Havana Cultura site stresses that “she can rap convincingly about the plight of sisters and the shortcomings of brothers without striking a gangsta pose, and her singing is invariably lovely.” Here are excerpts from her biography/review:

Danay, 24, was born in Havana’s Cerro district. When her parents separated she moved with her mother to Santa Fe on the outskirts of the city. [. . .] “Now when I see all the noise and dirt in [central Havana], I can’t wait to come back here, for the peace and quiet. And I’m close to the sea here, which is important to me.” Danay lives with a younger brother and their mother, whose ceramic art decorates the patio outside. Her aunt Isabelle is responsible for the sculpture that sits on top of the house — an enormous toilet bowl gaily painted with a floral motif, which can be seen from miles around.

[. . .] She says she started rapping “by accident,” writing about things that matter to her, making up rhymes. “I was sure of myself, sure I had something to say and I wanted people to hear me. A rapper needs to have that kind of confidence. I said a lot of shit and now I’m trying to be more quiet.”

When she was 15 she was invited to take part in a concert in Havana’s Teatro Nacional. “I had to sing with my back to the audience, I was so nervous,” Danay says. She continued to play concerts organised by the Cuban Rap Agency, the government-funded entity that promotes hip hop in Cuba. Then she started working with Aldo, one half of Cuba’s most celebrated underground rap duo, Los Aldeanos. Aldo helped Danay record and produce her own songs (“Libre,” “Individual”), and she sang with him on some of his songs (“La La La”).

One day, back in 2007, Danay gathered together a lot of her demo recordings and went to see Cuban fusion superstar X Alfonso. “He was the only person In Cuba who I thought would understand what I wanted to do,” she explains. “I didn’t think twice. I just went to his house and said, ‘You don’t know me, here’s my music, listen to it. If you need a backup singer, give me a call.’ A few days later he asked me to work with him, and I haven’t stopped.”

What lies ahead for her? “Of course I’d love to have a jazz group,” she says. “I’d love to have a studio with professional engineers behind the mixing board. But until that happens, I’ll continue making my music in the street, rapping, even if I’m not signed by a big record company. The most important thing is for people to hear my music, which is not only about my life but also maybe about the lives of millions of Cubans. That’s what I’m doing.”

For full article, see http://www.havana-cultura.com/en/int/cuban-music/danay-suarez-fernandez/cuban-hip-hop

Las Krudas is an emblematic all-women’s rap group in Cuba (apparently part of the original group moved to Texas) that has been defined as not just feminist, but also “not integrated to the heterosexual system.” Their work and their predilection for politically-charged songs have been documented in the documentaries Reina de mí misma/Queen of Myself: Las Krudas d’Cuba and Guerrilla Radio: The Hip-Hop Struggle Under Castro. [Also see previous posts “Negra cubana tenía que ser” Interviews Las Krudas Cubensi and New York City Caribbean Queer Film Festival.]

This is a clip of “Las Krudas” from the documentary “Guerrilla Radio: The Hip-Hop Struggle under Castro”:

Also see http://www.cubanhiphop.tv/ and http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/hip-hop-la-cubana-article-1.218592

For more on Danay Suárez, see http://www.havana-cultura.com/en/int/cuban-music/danay-suarez-fernandez/cuban-hip-hop

Las Krudas Cubensi

Are you ready to rock? To swoon? To shiver, shudder, and laugh? Are you ready to feel the strains of Cuban music infiltrate your bloodstream, from the boleros of Omara Portuondo (Buena Vista Social Club) to the rap/hip-hop of Las Krudas Cubensi? How about listening to a haunting story set in Havana, or perhaps one that provokes a fit of the giggles?

Tonight–Thursday, February 9, 7:30-10 pm–the Editor-in-Chief of Cubanabooks will be the invited guest on “Face the Music,” a women’s music program on public radio station KZFR in Chico, CA, hosted by musical maven Terre Reynolds. With her collection of CDs featuring chanteuse from the island, and the three books by Cuban women that are already released or due out this year, Sara E. Cooper will offer a taste of Cuban culture to KZFR listeners. Salsa and sass will be coming your way, and call in to ask questions about women in Cuba today!

Legendary chanteuse Omara Portuondo

If you are in the Northstate area, tune into 90.1 or direct stream from their website at http://www.kzfr.org.

¡SABOR!

The

The films to be screened are:

Afuera Hay Aire (Dominican Republic, 2010) This documentary offers a broad and respectful look at the LGBTQ community in the Dominican Republic, and includes shorts from numerous young filmmakers whose works debuted as part of the first LGBTQ Film Festival in December 2010. It includes work by emerging filmmakers Christina Paola Then Payano, Carlos Rodríguez, Henry Mercedes Vales, and Elisabeth Ramírez, among others.

Lucha Libre (Dominican Republic, 2011) Directed by Joselina Fay and produced by Repúblika Libre, this documentary originates from the love, pain, and passion of women who live in the margins of their society. It delves into the testimonies of numerous women who recount their unique life experiences within the context of their common identities as Dominican and LBTQI individuals.

Reina de mí misma/Queen of Myself: Las Krudas d’Cuba (Cuba/USA/Puerto Rico, 2010) Directed by Celiany Rivera Velázquez, this film tells the story of a tribe of feminist Cuban rappers “transforming the world one song at a time.” It explores the feminist work of Krudas Cubensi, also known as Las Krudas, an all-women creative trio from Cuba. It narrates the impact the trio has had in the Afro-centric and underground hip hop spheres in Havana and the United States. Las Krudas first came together when they decided to form the street theater group Topazankos Cubensi in 1996 and as the hip hop group Krudas Cubensi since 1999.

Open Doors: An Experimental Documentary for Gay/Bisexual Men (USA, 2010) Directed by Charly J. Dominguez.

For more information, see http://harlemonestop.com/event.php?id=12925

For all the conscious sistahs and women of the world out there in the struggle and movement for freedom, donpalabraz.com wishes you all a fierce International Women’s Day! As Las Krudas say, “No Hay Verdadera Revolucion Sin Mujeres!”

Krudas Cubensi – a trio of female MC’s originating from Cuba – just dropped a video for their song “La Gorda” off of their Kandela album. As with anything relating to real Cuban hip hop (not that fake shit Pitbull fronts) Krudas Cubensi are bringing a voice and a style unaccostomed to in our hypermaterialistic culture. This feminist joint flips the script challenging perceptions of beauty all contained within the impressive, rapid fire flows of Pasa Kruda. Bump this and let your belly hang…

In einem Interview mit Indymedia sprechen sie über ihre Erfahrungen in Amerika und ihre Erkenntnis, dass auch hier noch für Freiheit an verschiedenen Fronten gekämpft wird oder werden muss.

Interessant ist, wie sie sich über Networking unter Aktivisten von der kommerziellen Musikindustrie beim Touring unterscheiden. Insofern sind es nicht nur die Themen und Inhalte der Musik sowie die Kooperation von Menschen statt des Kapitals, die den Untergrund ausmachen sondern auch der Versuch die Welt polystisch zu verändern.