Yo Soy Cumbia
A Spoken Word by Juanlo
Yo Soy Cumbia is a spoken word by Bogotá rapper Juanlo. The lyrics are about his love for his country and his frustration with those who bring violence, corruption and suffering to a place full of colours and beauty. A country - to top it all - that is named after its coloniser: Christopher Columbus. Because things become what they are named after, to bring real change to the country, Juan expresses in this song that first, the country should change its name to something that represents the country's cultural heritage, rather than its colonial past of oppression. For Juan, Cumbia music flows through the veins of each Colombian, suggesting Cumbia to be a more appropriate name for his country, his home.
Behind the Spoken Word
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Juan Lopez (Juanlo)
Juan Lopez is a rapper from Bogota who uses art to express his feelings and thoughts. He started by using Graffiti as his main form of creative expression. However, ever since he was little, he wanted to become a musician. He tried to enter a music academy to fulfil his dreams, but due to difficult conditions he was forced to let those dreams go. After working for a few years, he met a girl that that convinced him that there were other options to get what he wanted. She invited him to the conservatory of IDIPRON. Here, he retrieved his love for music. From that moment on, he decided to take ever opportunity presented to him to become the artist he wants to be. Juan also was part of a concert that brought together rap and the Philharmonic orchestra of Bogotá, where he performed his song De La Tierrita Crece.
The Process
Juanlo explains he was inspired to write a spoken word by one of his music teachers at the conservatory of IDIPRON, that he is enrolled in at the moment of recording this song. He had performed his song several times using different backing tracks. However, when we decided to record the spoken word, we needed an original music to accompany his word. The power of spoken word lies in the lyrics. The main objective is to hear and understand clearly what the lyrics say. Therefore the spoken word is accompanied by a simple guitar piece written and record by Casper te Riele. Casper says: "for me the lyrics have such a powerful message that we didn't want to bury it under a whole lot a fancy instruments, drums and melodies. Therefore we chose to accompany the spoken word with a simple guitar melody."
The same applied to the video. "The lyrics called for a simple but intimate video without any fancy effects or fast transitions." We chose two locations that represent the lyrics. The first shots were taken in La Candelaria, Bogota's old center build by the Spanish colonisers. After we went up to Monseratte, a 3000+ meter mountain peak that rises above the city and lets you escape the busy city life as you breath in fresh air brought by mother nature. These shots represent Colombia's original heritage. No matter the degree of exploitation, she will always be bigger and stronger - just like the hearts of the Colombian will never stop beating, just like the rhythmic sounds of Cumbia, Salsa and Champeta.
