Words by Jesse Serwer via Washington Post
Tough to figure why Puerto Rico’s Calle 13 haven’t gained more traction stateside. Cult figures across Latin America, the duo of Residente (rapper René Pérez) and Visitante (producer Eduardo José Cabra Martínez) have gone from reggaeton rebels to the most critically lauded, and musically experimental, group in Latin hiphop. Along the way, Residente’s penchant for controversial lyrics and aggressive storytelling has lead to frequent “Latin Eminem” comparisons.
Of course one stumbling block on the road to success in the English-speaking world is the fact that the group have only recorded en espanol. According to an interview in the Washington Post this week, that’s about to change: Residente has begun speaking our language–or, at least recording one tune for an upcoming album entirely in English. No word yet on when we might be able to hear the results of this linguistic experiment but, in the meantime, the group has just gotten around to promoting their latest LP, November’s Entren Los Que Quieren, in the US. Tonight their tour stops at NYC’s Irving Plaza. Check out their latest, controversial (though this is a “clean” edit, it’s NSFW) video for “Baile de los Pobres,” directed by Diego Luna of Y Tu Mama Tambien fame, below.