Description
Orishas is a hip-hop group whose members had emigrated from Cuba. They were first called the “Amenaza” meaning "menace" and appealed to the Cuban youth who were hungry for American pop culture which consisted of hip hop and rap. The Orishas delved into a realm of music in which they challenged “Castro’s ideal of a colorless society” and created a black identity that the younger generations could relate to. They tackled important and obvious issues that dark skinned Cubans faced everyday though the government refused to recognize.
Their music describes social problems on the peripheries of Havana which were largely a result of the end of Soviet subsidies to Cuba in the early 1990s. The group is very popular in Europe (especially France and Spain) and Latin America. Yotuel and Ruzzo, two Cubans who moved from Havana to Paris as part of an international studies program, joined Roldan and Flaco-Pro to form the band in 1999. Their work is influenced by the hip-hop movement as well as both Latin and Cuban rhythms. As of May 2008, they have produced a total of 3 studio albums and a greatest hits album. The name “Orishas” refers to the set of deities worshipped in African-based religions that were brought to the Americas by slaves of the Yoruba people in West Africa. These religions, parts of the Yoruba mythology, include Santeria in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil. These orishas, or deities, 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 lyrics to "Nací Orichas" and "I Sing For Elewa and Changó". Creating such obvious references to Africa was an interesting choice as the band ultimately based itself in Europe. This success is a statement to both the international appeal of the group itself as well as the global popularity of Cuban culture.
Currently the band consists of only three members, Yotuel, Ruzzo and Roldan. Flaco-Pro left the group in 2002 before the release of their second studio album, Emigrante. Today, the band members live distributed in Europe (Roldán in Paris, Ruzzo in Milan, and Yotuel in Madrid). In total, after producing three albums, the group known as Orishas has sold more than 750,000 copies of its albums in Europe and has received two Grammys. In 2007, they contributed with Puerto Rican group, Calle 13, on the song "Pa'l Norte" (featured on the album Residente o Visitante). The song won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song.
Their music describes social problems on the peripheries of Havana which were largely a result of the end of Soviet subsidies to Cuba in the early 1990s. The group is very popular in Europe (especially France and Spain) and Latin America. Yotuel and Ruzzo, two Cubans who moved from Havana to Paris as part of an international studies program, joined Roldan and Flaco-Pro to form the band in 1999. Their work is influenced by the hip-hop movement as well as both Latin and Cuban rhythms. As of May 2008, they have produced a total of 3 studio albums and a greatest hits album. The name “Orishas” refers to the set of deities worshipped in African-based religions that were brought to the Americas by slaves of the Yoruba people in West Africa. These religions, parts of the Yoruba mythology, include Santeria in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil. These orishas, or deities, 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 lyrics to "Nací Orichas" and "I Sing For Elewa and Changó". Creating such obvious references to Africa was an interesting choice as the band ultimately based itself in Europe. This success is a statement to both the international appeal of the group itself as well as the global popularity of Cuban culture.
Currently the band consists of only three members, Yotuel, Ruzzo and Roldan. Flaco-Pro left the group in 2002 before the release of their second studio album, Emigrante. Today, the band members live distributed in Europe (Roldán in Paris, Ruzzo in Milan, and Yotuel in Madrid). In total, after producing three albums, the group known as Orishas has sold more than 750,000 copies of its albums in Europe and has received two Grammys. In 2007, they contributed with Puerto Rican group, Calle 13, on the song "Pa'l Norte" (featured on the album Residente o Visitante). The song won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song.
(Dieser Artikel basiert auf dem Artikel Orishas aus der freien Enzyklopädie Wikipedia und steht unter der GNU-Lizenz für freie Dokumentation. In der Wikipedia ist eine Liste der Autoren verfügbar.)
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