(Prensa Latina)
Havana, Cuba – The 10th Habana Hip Hop Festival opened November 4, at its cradle in
Cuba, the Amphitheater of Alamar, eastern Havana, to bring back the spearheaded
rhythm of a music revolution.
Sponsored by the Hermanos Saiz Association and the Cuban Rap Agency, the
festival, through November 7, includes performances by 25 local bands.
The list of acts includes the winners of three preceding territorial contests:
Tolerancia, Soldado Raso and De la Calle (eastern zone), Imagen Hip Hop, Bajo
Fianza and El Patriota (central zone) and Escuadron Patriota
and Dos Veces Yo (western zone).The biggest challenge for the current edition of this annual event will be
meeting the quality standards, to keep Cuban hip hop away from commercial
concessions and capable of sending out an original message compromised with
Cuban reality, Hermanos Saiz Association President Alpidio Alonso stated.
Flaring up the event, the main venues Benny Moré Pink Ballroom and the
Amphitheater of Alamar will also present shows by international guests Luta de
Estilo and Racionais Mc’s (Brazil), and Spin (Canada).
Meanwhile, an art exhibit and the screening of the film “Beat Street” were
included in the opening schedule, but took place hours before the opening
concert.
The festival also includes a workshop at the Martinez Villena Hall, at the Cuban
Writers and Artists Union (UNEAC) to present relevant papers about
hip-hop.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
