://www.npr.org/2015/10/12/447229966/songs-we-love-brownout-la-raza
In the read Next to Kin, it explains that the Chicano hip-hop and other elements are essential, “socially, politically, and historically,” (Rodriquez 108) giving substance to the music, through its explicit and eye-opening lyrics. Most of the hip hop music was created out of the “impulse of working-class consciousness,” (108) regardless of race and in Kid Frost, “La Raza” illustrates the perspective of the daily lives of someone living in the barrio. Even though the audience of the song is predominately Latino, the black community can also relate to the similarities. There has been an infusion with both Chicano and Afro-America when it comes to hip hop, even though the foundation of hip hop was stemmed from the black community, various elements such as the clothing and lowrider cars came from Chicano culture.
I came across an article on NPR Latino, “Songs We Love: Brownout, ‘La Raza’,” discussing the 25th anniversary of the song. The evolution of the classic song “Viva Tirado” by El Chicano was sampled by Kid Frost for the iconic, “La Raza” to an Austin-born group Brownout’s “La Raza,” each adding a different element to the song. The commonality of the different versions is that they all discuss issues within their community, Brownout’s song begins with gentrification. Many say that gentrification is the new colonialism and in this song, landlords are seen as “slum lords” by raising the rent incredibly high, in turn, kicking out those who could no longer afford housing. The song talks about our roots, “Latino, Chicano, Mexicano- con sangre de Emiliano, revolucionario,” reminding us of our powerful force in fighting back oppression.A female rapper speaks about the pride in our culture and criticizes the current presidential candidate Donald Trump for his racist slurs about Mexicanos. The song describes the community, “la cause, mi gente, por la raza” of the barrios and the police targeting the young men. It’s nice to see the influence of Kid Frost regenerated 25 years later, illustrating the continuous fight against the oppression that continues currently.
What elements of the song did you connect with?