User:Losrakas/sandbox

Los Rakas
Los Rakas is a rapping duo that fuses different musical forms from Reggeaton and Dance Hall to Hip-hop and Bay Area hyphy beats. The Duo is made up of Raka Rich (Rico) and Raka Dun (Dun Dun). These two cousins were both raised in Panama and in Oakland for a large part of both of their lives. At the age of twelve and fourteen the two cousins met in Oakland at an Aunties house when Raka Dun first arrived. They are now a well known around the bay area and California and have come to collaborate with artist like stereotype, E-40 and Zion I & The Grouch, to the electro-tropidelica of New York City's Uproot Andy. These two are really making a name for themselves while representing for Panama, Oakland and Latinos everywhere.

Overview
Growing up in the Bay Area and Panama gave way for their musical fusion to come together in the form of their performance. Their music could be heard as an intersection of their identities that many people can identify with. Los Rakas make music born of migration and tradition, critique and celebration, joy and pain. They make New World music. Over the years they have grown to fit into different sounds as well as different locations because their music does not fit into one genre alone but crosses cultural borders. It could be said that their music is borderlands music because they are stratelling two cultures of the bay area and panama as well as Hip-hop and reggaeton. Their sound is neither here nor there. Afro-Latino Music can be a form of self identification and can also be a way to bring cultures together that share similar stories but have different backgrounds. An example of this can be found in the article "Sobre Las Olas" where the author discusses Jazz as a cultural production from African Americans and Mexican's together creating a borderland music Johnson, G. . An intersection of identities and communities come together in Los Rakas music, videos, and style to create a genre that lives between Oakland and Panama.

The name
Los Rakas get their name from appropriating Rakata which is a word used in Panama to refer to someone who is from the hood and holds a negative connotation. Los Rakas use this word “Raka” in order to reappropriate it and to shed light on their own roots. In an interview with latin rapper.com Los Rakas explain why they chose to use this name, "Like yeah, we from the community, from the barrio. But a Raka can go to college, and be a business man, you know.  So that was the whole idea". By re-appropriating this word Los Rakas are bringing pride to growing up a certain way as well as using their influences to create their identity. Choosing to identify with the word Raka gives meaning to everything that they do, wear, and say. This can be seen in their choice of style in their videos as well as heard in the hybridity of their sound.

Visual Culture and Hip-hop
Hip-hop as a musical genre has traditionally been considered a highly visual cultural form, drawing on distinct representations of cultural identities through various material culture, such as clothing, artwork, and iconography. In their work, Los Rakas follow the classic hip-hop styles appropriated by old-school artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, De la Soul, Lil' Kim, and Nas. At the same time the classic hip-hop style is intersected with the duo’s unique Panamanian tradition influenced by Panamanian pop known as Reggae en Español, as well as the their artistic coming up in Oakland, California which is known for producing a vibrant art culture and politically charged atmosphere of the Black Panthers. Thus, the duo have crafted the term “Panabay” that further reinforces the Panamanian- San Francisco Bay Area connection which is exemplified through the duo’s music and visual culture. Notable Latino scholars like Gutiérrez-Najera have written on such an idea of geographical representation in her work on the idea of ‘hayándose’ amongst Mexican immigrants to East Los Angeles. In a 2011 interview with the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Los Rakas further explain the Oakland-Panamanian cultural hybridity as a source for a lot of the duo’s material in songs such as “Mi Barrio” and “Soy Raka”. The ideology of Los Rakas and the significance of what is means to be ‘Soy Raka‘ has been grounded in the visual representations seen in the duo’s album artwork, multimedia and videography. We can observe several instances in which the duo encode various connotative signifiers regarding Bay Area, hip-hop, and Panamanian culture, which Sturken and Cartwright posit as an active form of ‘looking’ and meaning making on the part of both Los Rakas and their fans. USA: Oxford University Press. Furthermore their use of fashion and material culture blends rugged hip-hop styles with the laid back, tropical attitude of their Central American homeland.

Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada
Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada (Flip flops and Tank tops in Spanish) is Los Rakas debut EP, which employs a vibrant artwork representing their unique music style born out of migration and tradition, critique and celebration, joy and pain. The album artwork for Chancletas y Camisetas uses bright, pastel colors to paint the scene of what can be interpreted as a Panamanian barrio. The caricatures of Rico and Dun Dun are situated at the center wearing the chancletas and camisetas bordada. In an interview for Time Out New York, Rico and Dun Dun explain the cultural intersection behind camisetas and chancletas explaining, “You're not supposed to wear [camisetas bordadas] because it's considered gangster stuff. But it's beautiful. Nobody else in the world do it, so why you tripping?" Thus the duo’s self-representation through clothing such as chancletas and camisetas also reflects the internalization behind the negative cannotation of their name Los Rakas as a form of self-empowerment exemplified through their diverse musical genre.

Soy Raka Icon
Much of Los Rakas own terminology has been incorporated into their lyrics, fashion, and lifestyles. Los Rakas have created their own hop-hop inspired icon similar to hip-hop giants Wu-Tang Clan who represent themselves with the iconic ‘W’ symbol. The ‘Soy Raka’ icon is perhaps the most emblematic symbol of the duo and is featured on clothing, jewelry, and album artwork. The icon features a male caricature wearing an ear-flap baseball cap and glasses while smiling with one gold tooth in its teeth. In one of the duo’s videos titled ‘Soy Raka University-Episode 1: Raka Swag’, Rico and Dun Dun go to a jewelry store to pick up their Raka Swag jewelry which features the “Soy Raka” emblem designed for both Rico and Dun Dun respectively. The “Soy Raka” icon can also be found on the duo’s official website, clothing, album artwork, and posters.

Modelo x Pumas ‘Blank Canvas Project’
In Spring of 2012, Los Rakas announced on their website that they were asked to participate in Model Espeical’s “Blank Canvas Proejct” whereby “up-and-coming musicians were commissioned to create limited edition PUMA sneakers inspired by their unique styles and Modelo Especial. Fans and visitors to the Los Rakas website are asked to vote between four different sneaker styles crated by three other latino artists, John West, Joell Ortiz, and Kevin Rudolf, to decide which artist and sneaker wins. The Modelo x Pumas ‘Blank Canvas Project’ exemplifies the versitile nature of the duo to embody their message in the material culture surrounding their identity. The ‘Blank Canvas Project’ also demonstrates Los Rakas venture into a more mainstream audience as their name can now be found alongside the corporate giants of Grupo Modelo and Puma which sponsor a number of artist-related projects and promotion.

Music Videos
Los Rakas have released a series of videos on their YouTube channel, LosRakasPanaBay. A majority of the videos released by the duo feature their most popular songs such as Ta Lista, Abrazame, and Mi Barrio. However the duo also feature a number of behind-the-scenes videos featuring their life on tour and Oakland giving fans and viewers greater insight into what it means to be “Soy Raka” and the cultural hybridity exemplified in their music. Most notable is a series of videos found on the duo’s YouTube channel title “Soy Raka University”, which features 5 episodes with various topics surrounding the duo’s embodiment of the Raka lifestyle.

Sound
One of their latest hits was Abrazame with singer Favi and Dj Uproot Andy. The song samples the Hold ya riddum by Gyptian and was a hit that got Los Rakas a lot of attention as well as gigs. What you here is the reggeaton one two base layered on top of sampled song Hold Ya by Gyptian. You can hear a Dance hall influence on the upbeat of the song and can hear the electronic instruments as well. This was one of there most popular songs and has been played on radio stations regularly in the Bay Area such as 106.1 KMEL. Language is also a key to theire uniquness but also a way to that they connect with their audience. ‘'Los Rakas are building a serious reputation for themselves by mixing the rhythms of reggae and Caribbean dancehall with ferocious, bilingual, emcee-devouring microphone skills.' - Because of their migratory lives they bring in sounds are waves of cultural remittances where the dance hall and spanish reggea influence is heard in their lyrics and the rhythm of the song. Hip-hop is also heard with the sounds of electronic instruments and their rapping in spanish. Abrazame still continues to be heard/viewed on YouTube and it continues to be remixed by other DJ's.

Videos
VIDEOS: ‘Enamorado de tí (Off of Rakalove)’ (2012) ‘Copita de Champaña’ (2012): (Raka Rich) ‘Cueria (Official Minivideo)’ (2011) ‘Ta Lista’ (2011): ‘Kalle’ shot in NYC (2011): Soy Raka University- Episode 5: EP Release Party (via TEK House TV) Soy Raka University- Episode 4: EP Signing @ Rasputins Berkeley Soy Raka University- Episdoe 3: Dun Gets Tatted (Nina Parks) (2011) Soy Raka University- “Episode 2: All Raka Everything & Tats (Shot by Nina Parks) (2011) Soy Raka University- Episode 1: Raka Swagg (Shot by Nina Parks) (2011) 'Abrazame' ft Favi {Uproot Andy Hold Yuh) (2010): 'Abrazame' Behind the Scenes: 'Soy Raka' Video (2010): 'Soy Raka' LIVE: 'Mi Barrio' Video (2006):

Discography

 * Panabay Twist- The Mixtape (2006)
 * Chancletas y Camisetas (Album) (2011)
 * Free Music 2012 (2012)
 * Raka Love (Album) (2011)