Reggaeton shakes up Cuba

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Cuba’s underground reggaeton artists are causing a stir on the Caribbean island, according to this report from Reuters.

Rising star Michael ‘El Micha’ Sierra, 27, records his songs into his neighbour’s old computer, and then burns them onto CDs or USB Flash drives and spreads them around town. ‘With little official support or air time on state-controlled radio, the songs Cuban reggaeton artists record in makeshift studios lined with egg cartons for sound insulation are mostly transmitted though homemade CDs and on computer flash memory sticks.

‘That is how the tropical fever of reggaeton is sweeping communist-ruled Cuba, captivating its youth and enraging a cultural establishment alarmed by the vulgarity of some of its lyrics, which include phrases like ‘Coge mi tubo’ (‘Grab my pipe’) and ‘Metela’ (‘Stick it in’).’

You can watch El Micha letting loose with another reggaeton artist, Pipey, in a video here on YouTube.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City