Raw, provocative and self -referential, the division emerged as the dominant sound of the island
To hear the reply In Havana, you don’t have to go far.
It’s playing on every taxis, every cafes that border La Habana Vieja, Friday nights at Don Cangrejo and Saturday mornings at Mio Y Tuyo. A homemade mixture of reggaeton and traditional Cuban rhythms is the Cuba’s preeminent soundtrack today – and continues to emerge with the strength of the island’s neighborhoods.
In Spanish, “division” means different things. Generally, the word can mean “allocating” or “divide and sharing.” In Cuba, it is also a slang term that describes working class neighborhoods in the outskirts of Havana – residential communities marked by difficulties, ruined buildings and constant scarcity. It is in these districts, through artists such as Wampi and Wildey, that the division finds a new meaning.
The division is rooted in Timba, a classic Cuban sound that exploded in the 1990s and fuses Son Cuban, parsley, funk, Afro-Cuban folk music and jazz in a makeshift hybrid. The division is built on this complexity by mixing Reggaeton beats with its characteristic rhythmic standard of clef.
“I shares the streets, the neighborhood, transformed into musical form,” says Wampiwhose real name is DASIEL MUSTELIER ORUña. “It’s music for people to have fun and dance.” The 22 -year -old has over 200 million reproductions in the Youtube and Spotifywith hits like “By uses (pornosotros 2)”And“Tienes that nacer de nuevo“These numbers are probably a underestimation. In a country with daily energy cuts, both state and spontaneous, extremely limited internet and platforms like Spotify Fully restricted, the division was not established in Cuba through radio waves or label contracts. The genre grew through messages of messages such as Telegram and illicit networks like el packet – The package – A system where content is shared weekly via pen drives. Through hand to hand to hand, by the speakers of mobile phones in crowded buses, at night parties with the sea in the background, in the ardent and unbridled, the genre made its name.
Outside his own home, a bright blue house in the remote neighborhood of Arroyo Naranjo, the music of MUSTELIER ORUña It infiltrates the windows, emanating from the living rooms and neighboring kitchens. “With all the problems, the situations sole That exist in Cuba, the division is a escape for people on the streets. They can escape through a border, it brings joy and makes them feel represented, ”he says.
Others observe that the richness of division comes from their roots in real life. The Afro-Cuban musician Comefunkwhose real name is Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguezhas followed the rise of the division while launching its own global career with funk and hip-hop sounds. Making up -to -date photos on a muffled Sunday in Havana, he gets his chin erected in the center of a white background that goes from the floor to the ceiling, shirtless under a vest of skin combined with satin bell mouth pants, large sunglasses and a choker. At your dressing room table, there are six more pairs of sunglasses. Among the photos, he has beer from a plastic glass, changing clothes without closing the curtain and answers the questions.
“I don’t know anything about music,” jokes the artist three times nominated for Grammy and recent performer of Coachella. “Put in the article: ‘This is the personal opinion of Comefunk. Any contradiction, the problem is yours. Exactly like that. ” He continues: “Overwhelming is an attitude and a way of life. That’s why people say, ‘You’re a repair” You are a will be divided‘ – It’s a lifestyle. I think in Cuba, practically everyone is repair. People on the streets are constantly creating because they are constantly living. ”
One of the greatest successes of MUSTELIER ORUña“By uses (pornosotros 2)“, Sampling of“Influenced Mambo“A track from the legendary Cuban band Irakere that demonstrates the interaction between Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. In previous tracks, MUSTELIER ORUña Collaborated with the former boxer and also a split artist Wildeys García Cascaretknown simply as Wildey. Cascaret attributes the style to the Cuban group people, but says he really graduated when artists like Elvis Manuel and Chocolate MC They pervaded their lyrics with Cuban slang, reflecting “how people speak in the repair.”
From competitive boxer to musician at the top of the charts, Cascaret He came from the streets and reached fame quickly, as well as his division himself. It has become one of the most recognizable voices of contemporary Cuban urban music, with unrestricted lyrics and vocals that continue to resonate with the public across the island and beyond. “When I was 15, I started singing like a hobby, I did a super hit, and that’s how it happened. I have been a very lucky person in this music world,” he says, reclining himself in a plastic chair and holding a pink vape.
“Everything that happens in the neighborhoods is divided,” he says. Music Office incorporates its experiences, struggles and aspirations. Sound is characterized by provocative and self -referential letters, splashed with hyperespecific jargon and double senses.
Some critics of the division, however, have problems with the explicit nature of the genre. When the Irakere won the Grammy for best Latin recording In 1980 with his homonymous album, he faced a similar reaction. The band drummer, Enrique Plá Garcíahe notes that this is part of the vibe: “In terms of style, so that Groove will take, sometimes needs to be slightly vulgar, and not everyone will like it,” he says.
Your advice? “Try to find the balance between the streets and the gym. Never turn your back on either, but find the balance.” Rodríguez It offers a different solution: “It would be good if women did the same thing as well. repairs. ”
“What is bad is when there is aggression, when there is possession, when there is machismo,” he says Rodríguez. “Talking about sexuality is necessary. What is bad is the aggression that comes with it, when you say, ‘you are a demonyou are a trampyou are a bitch‘, Do you know?… When you get popularity, you need to be careful because many people will hear. Young children will hear, small girls will hear, so they will grow up thinking that this is what they are. ”
Rodríguez supports artists like MUSTELIER ORUñawho writes sensual letters that avoid misogyny. “For me, this is the smartest to do – start cleaning texts, not talking bad about women, not talking badly about anyone,” he says Rodríguez. “There is no need for it. What he is doing to take this into the world is perfect, and people feel it.”
Distinguishing yourself from others by their years of classic training studying saxophone at the Cuba National School of Music, MUSTELIER ORUña It is among a new generation of artists who drive the genre. Your album, titled El Rey from Habanameans your removal from what is typically recognized as a division, merging R&B, Brazilian funk, Jersey Club, Afrobeats and Reggaeton. “This album means that divide is not just a style, it is not just a rhythmic cell. I divide is not just the clef and the pipe with a lot of old. For me, it goes far beyond that, because in fact, the base of the divine is Afro-Cuban,” he says, while his mother, with a silent smile, puts a juice box in his reach.
“It’s an experiment for people around the world to learn Cuban slang through music,” he says MUSTELIER ORUña. Your removal from the identifying characteristics of the division in favor of simplified beats and letters can help broaden your audience and boost success abroad.
Despite the criticism, the economic struggle and the restrictions on the internet that artists face at home, the division has gained international traction. With tours abroad becoming increasingly common, the reach of the genre now extends to the Cuban diaspora. At the end of 2024, the departero Babieshito He made history by filling the Pitbull stadium in Miami with almost 20,000 fans. Valentina Alfonso Puentea nine-year-old Cuban-American fan, almost fainted with excitement: “I’m literally shaking. I was dying to see him. He’s my favorite singer.”
In real Cuban fashion, the show starts with four hours late. The place is filled with thousands of red and blue lights. Fans use bright bracelets and hit their feet in unison, shaking the floor and singing in an engaging demonstration of Cuban-American pride. Babieshito It pauses and the audience sings their lyrics back, their voices resonating even louder than the vocals of the singers. On the way, a Uber driver complained about traffic, completely oblivious to what was happening around the corner.
Just as the word covers different meanings, the story of the division is nuanced. It is a sound born in areas plagued by poverty, but that pulsates with an irrepressible joy. It is a reminder that reinvention is both part of Cuban culture and the rhythm itself.
Source: Rollingstone
Emma Jack is a writer at Gossipify, covering fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and pop culture trends. She stays current on the latest trends and offers readers up-to-date information on what’s hot in the industry. With a background in fashion journalism from Parsons School of Design, she offers a unique perspective and analysis of current trends.
