RAP BANG CLUB: WHAT WE ALL EXPECTED FROM COLOMBIAN HIP HOP
Before starting the article we will make a small prediction:
Rap Bang Club will be the hallmark of Colombian hip hop and the greatest exponent of the genre belonging to this country. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is true and those fans of La Etnia, Tres Coronas and Alcolyricoz will forgive us, but the history of rap in Colombia, although many believe it has already been written, is really just beginning to show an introduction.
As a curious fact, rap did not arrive in Colombia in the form of vinyl records, cassettes or rhymes, rap arrived in the form of images through films in the mid-eighties such as "Beat Street" which portrayed the reality of marginalized neighborhoods in New York, the context in which the inhabitants lived and how they channeled their problems through art exhibitions and creativity such as graffiti, break dancing and scratching.
Of course it caught the attention of hundreds of young people between 12 and 20 years old who decided to start creating their rhymes and producing their beats. By combining that with the Colombian reality of the 90s, drug trafficking, terrorism and corruption, a rap proposal was born from the big cities of the country full of government criticism and basically all kinds of "urban consciousness" on boombap tracks.
So far, so good. The scene was taking shape, there were people interested, the gigs started to fill up and proposals emerged that sought to unite graffiti artists and breakdancers around art and social inclusion, just as the major cities representing culture worldwide did.
By 1996, Hip Hop was already considered a booming movement, so much so that an initiative emerged that gave it its own space for those who shared its beliefs. "Rap al parque" was born as an initiative by Antanas Mockus, then the current mayor of Bogotá.
If we mark that milestone as the starting point of hip hop in Colombia it means that 22 years have passed, if you ask us what has happened in these 22 years the answer for us is completely linked to a creative stagnation within the artists of the genre that leads them to keep rap as a niche music, belonging to the neighborhood and indirectly excluding any other listener, a significant number of rap groups have come and gone but very few have injected energy into the industry, few have been proactive and the vast majority remain completely rooted to their references from the 90s while the sounds are evolving, the public's ear becomes more sophisticated and neighboring countries like Venezuela have made the genre a multi-million dollar industry and have raised their flag through quality musical productions.
This is where Rap Bang Club was born, filling a blank space within the industry in Colombia, seeking to expand the market to new ears, where it doesn't matter your age or your social class or if you come from a "pupi" school or not, everyone can be a Rap Bang Club Believer when they're headbanging to the rhythm of the same track.
How do they do it?
Through a musical proposal that seeks to unite soul and funk rhythms with synthesizers and 808's that will not allow you to stop moving your head. All combined by means of 2 artists who complement each other perfectly both on stage and in the studio and share messages of optimism, sometimes of criticism but without fear of simply leaving everything aside and letting the public enjoy. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, first things first...
Who are the Rap Bang Club?
According to his Spotify account:
"RAP BANG CLUB is a Rap-focused collective that was founded in early 2016 by Karin Livingston (Karin B.) and Daniel Acosta (Pezcatore).
The combination of two masters makes RAP BANG CLUB a lodge of experts, skilled in the science of making music. Music that is not only heard, but seen. It alters the senses of whoever participates and, if you have already let yourself be enveloped by this release of energy, you are already a MEMBER of this club.
Source: Spotify Latam-Rap Bang Club
Since the beginning of 2016 Karin B. and Pezcatore have covered considerable ground, releasing their first studio album called One Takes, Vol. 1, more than 10 singles, collaborations with artists such as Martina La peligroso , Jona Camacho , Norick and Nanpa Basico and even other great exponents of the genre such as the Venezuelan Akapellah with whom they recorded a featuring for the very recent EP "Venus" which opened the doors for them to give their first show at Hip Hop al Parque on October 6, 2018.
The EP "Venus" is his most recent project and we would dare to say that it is also the most risky, released on all digital platforms on September 28, Venus is a proposal that breaks with all the paradigms of Colombian Hip Hop and writes a new story for the Rap Bang Club, solidifying its brand, gaining the loyalty of its listeners and convincing the public once again that anyone can be a Rap Bang Club believer.
We take advantage of this entry to invite you all to listen to RBC's music if you haven't done so yet, to believe in hip hop as a movement and to have hope for Colombian rap.
We leave you the link to Spotify and Rap Bang Club's social networks.
