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= Colombian Rap Music = Colombian rap music is a style or subgenre of rap that originates from American rap music. Over time, influenced by the unique lifestyle of Colombia, it can be considered unique and somewhat distinct from its parent genre, "American rap." It has been found primary adoption among the youth of Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali, becoming a cultural expression that reflects the social realities and experiences of these urban environments.

History
Rap came to Colombia during the 80s, mainly influenced by American movies like “Breakdance” or “Beatstreet” and Colombian immigrants who, in search of the 'American dream,' lived in New York ghettos, experiencing a sort of transculturation with the breakdance and hip-hop community. Usually, upon returning to Colombia, these immigrants would share such culture with friends and family. Exposure to rap music quickly resonated with Colombian youths, providing them with a means of expressing their identification with the issues in their own social space. By the 90s, rap music and its expressions were settled in the marginalized communities of Colombia where it was common for the youth to meetup in parks or houses to breakdance, rap and beatbox.

The social and political situation in Colombia during this period was of great importance for the Rap music to be adopted and further developed in the country, particularly because corruption, narcotrafficking, and illegal armed groups where all over the place and directly impacting this marginalized communities in cities like Bogota, Medellin, and Cali who were nest of innumerable stories of uprooting and state neglect, lack of opportunities and juvenile crime; Colombian rap finds its fertile ground for growth and evolution in this unique environment, as it unfolds “to talk about the birth of urban poets who contradicted the script that was assigned to them as young men, located in one of the most “socially cleansed” sectors of the 1990s.” Within this turbulent backdrop that Colombian rap emerges as a powerful form of expression, giving voice to urban poets who defy the predetermined narratives imposed upon them as young individuals navigating the socially marginalized sectors of 1990s Colombia.

Pioneers of the genre
One pioneering group of urban poets in Colombian rap music is 'La Etnnia,' whose first album 'Methane Attack' ('El ataque del metano' in Spanish) is, as stated by Kaiser (a member of La Etnnia), 'inspired by the social environment of the 90s, because it was a very strong context.’ Specifically referring to those years, he reflects on the unfortunate challenges they faced. As a young person who had just finished high school, Kaiser felt that what they were experiencing was quite complex. He particularly points to a troubling time when 'social cleansing' was on the rise in Colombia—a period in which violence towards vulnerable communities deemed 'criminal' was the norm. Being a youth from these communities signified being a target of such violence.

In the album 'Methane Attack,' in tracks like 'Colombian Snow' (Nieve de Colombain Spanish), La Etnnia offers a poignant critique of the problems associated with the drug trade. The song sheds light on its impact on the country, its global reputation, and the involvement of the United States. Not only does the song address the stigma Colombians face when abroad, but it also encourages a deeper understanding of the complex issue. The solution, it suggests, is not to 'pesticide' the crops of 'coca leaf' but rather to tackle the root causes of cocaine production, recognizing that the consumers are at the core of the issue.

“You criticize too much, and you always dope (Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah).

Colombia for everything they say is the culprit

Of this evil that for all is palpable

They call us accomplices (All of us)

They talk to me about Colombia up to my elbows

Attack the problem from the root

And don't make this country any more miserable

With a simple pesticide the problem is being attacked

While the gringos happily smoking.

Schools or rap
Amid the political and social context where hip-hop schools emerge in Medellín, a landscape of tension unfolds, marked by armed violence (drug trafficking, guerrilla warfare, common crime). The daily life of residents in these marginalized neighborhoods is overshadowed by these challenges. Here, young people bear the brunt of the pressure, as significant segments of the youth 'resisted the war' and chose to organize around various social, community, and political goals to withstand the spiral of urban violence.