Album of the Day: Orishas - A Lo Cubano
When I was a kid, my parents were playing this one Cuban hip hop album really often, so often that we started making our own versions of their song. I haven't thought about these guys for a while, but this memory came back this morning as I woke, and I thought to myself "Here is a good idea for an Album of the Day, it has emotional value too!".
Orishas - A Lo Cubano
A bit more about it:
Orishas are a Cuban hip hop group from Havana, Cuba, founded in 1999. They appealed to the Cuban youth who were hungry for African-American culture consisting of hip hop and rap, delved into a realm of music and that they created a black identity to which some among the younger generations could relate.
The name "Orishas" refers to the set of deities worshipped in African-based religions in the Americas, like Santería in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil, resulting from the relocation of Yoruba slaves. These orishas each represent a natural element (such as the ocean or leaves) and exhibit a human characteristic (such as motherhood or love). The choice of this name for the hip hop group is a way of creating a direct link between this band and the African diaspora. This link is evident in the group's lyrics, for example those of "Nací Orichas" and "Canto Para Elewa Y Changó".
The tracks are listed in the following order:
- Intro
- Represent
- Atrevido
- A Lo Cuban
- Barrio
- S.O.L.A.R.
- 1.9.9.9
- Atencion
- Mistica
- Canto Para Elewa Y Chango
- Madre
- Orishas Llego
- 537 C.U.B.A.
- Connexion
- Triunfo