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Colombia´s Hip Hop Family


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  4. manuelrda
    • Alfredo Cohen
    • producer, director, editor
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Kevin has been rapping since he was 4. But now at 17, he faces a tough
choice. Does he continue with his political songs, or does he tone down
his act to get promoted on local radio? His father -who is also his manager-
is trying to play it both ways.
manuelrda

6 responses // Colombia´s Hip Hop Family

  • Illustrates the difficulty in balancing an artistic and a commercial career. Would be nice to have further clarification of the Colombian media landscape so that it further shows the lack of airtime for "artistic" rappers versus commercial rappers. Still, a great piece in showing Columbian rappers.
    MickeyLin
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89AWwIo0vVM
    MickeyLin, I am by no means an expert in the Colombian media landscape. But, I will tell you that piracy plays a huge role and it's become a determining factor over which acts make it and which don't.

    Rap caters to a very specific niche in the demographic. And not to make any generalizations but, unfortunately most of the people who are into the scene and support the genre don't necessarily support them financially.

    Also, let's be fair but Kevin still has long ways to go before his craft feels more mature. Right now you can see the potential, but if he's already throwing champeta in the mix then reguetton can't be that far off.
    I find it very naive on his dad's part to even think that once he makes it in the mainstream he'll be able to turn away from it and go back to keeping it real. In the hip hop scene street cred is huge and it's not something he'll be able to buy or gain back when he makes it commercially. (if that ever happens)

    The whole rap and hip hop scene has come long ways since the early nineties when acts like "Gotas de Rap" first came into the scene. Bands like "La Etnia" have managed to gain national and international exposure without losing their street cred in the process.

    The city of Bogota actually finances an annual event called "Rap al Parque" in which local underground bands share the stage with more renowned international acts in front of a huge non-paying audience.

    that's my 2¢ on the subject
    mcamargo
  • Manuel, Alfredo I LOVE this pod.
    Kevin is a very interesting character, despite his young age. He has a lot of talent and the fact that is socially critical, makes him even more interesting.
    Has he thought about selling his music online?
    Is there any way we can help him achieve that?
    Thanks Guys!!
    Gracias!!
    taniazapata
  • Hi Tania et al,

    If you have any ideas for Kevin to help him promote his music you can reach him at his myspace page...

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.vi...

    The situation for rappers is tough in Colombia cause there's no hip hop station here. That's part of the reason he wants to go to the US. He even told me there was a producer that was gonna take him to the states when he was 7, but this producer ended up in US prison.

    Anyways, another way to help Kevin could be by broadcasting this pod on CurrentTV don't you think? (and for me to get payed...hehehhe...)

    But more importantly, Kevin might be a good act for latino stations in New York or in Miami, don't you think?

    take care,

    Manuel
    manuelrda
  • Great pod. Great music. The kid at the end is a legend!! Makes me want to visit Columbia even more. Beautiful.
    gracejks
  • Alfredo-- loving this piece, the pacing, the shots, the music, the characters. its great. good work!
    joshsoskin

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