Calle 13: An Interview

Rolling Stone Magazine

Calle 13- Latin America’s Most Controversial Artists

Calle 13 (Street 13) was formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the two siblings decided to chase their dreams by traveling around Latin America and performing. What started off as two siblings rapping about raunchy and vulgar music evolved into an international phenomenon whose message extends far beyond the Latin world. Today, their music is considered either empowering or outright demeaning.  

Give us a little background on yourselves.

We began our career in the early 2000’s but we did not gain notoriety until we released our song “Querido F.B.I” in 2008 as that generated both controversy and popularity. Clearly, we are strong supporters of the Puerto Rican independence movement. Because we show that stance clearly in our music, we have been called the “Most hated and most loved musical group in Latin America”. We have won ten Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards.

You began your career with raunchy and unfiltered music and then you shifted to a more politically targeted genre. Why did you have such a sudden change?

From the beginning, our music has always had a small political streak in it. Our music did not completely shift but rather the political stances we had continued to grow in our music. Back when we began our career, our political positions were not strong and we did not think about them much. We began going around Latin America and we began seeing all the problems that people face daily. One of our fans began asking us to talk about our thoughts on certain topics. Soon enough, it was two fans that were asking us. Eventually, we had thousands of people that began wanting us to publically discuss these issues. We began breaking certain barriers and eventually, we paved our status as a socially mindful band.

Who would you say your target audience is and why?

We are not going to sit here and discuss how our target audience is “aged 16-25” middle class society. Rather, our target audience is anyone who has ever been oppressed, denied rights, or unjustly treated. We aim to educate and empower the society that has been blinded by the higher powers. We aim to educate the youth of our society about how to grow up and understand the world around them and not be brainwashed by the threats of society.

Why do you think your music makes a large portion of Latin America uncomfortable?

Many will say that our music is “rude and disrespectful” and that it is not something that they will allow their children to listen to. We get a lot of negative criticism and even death threats. It is obvious that people have developed deep hatred and disgust for us. The matter of the fact is that the reason that many people have hatred towards our music is because we have exposed the ugly truth of societies such as Puerto Rico. We uncover things that the people of Puerto Rico certainly would not want the rest of the world to know. We say the truth about tyrants and oppressors who have brainwashed their society in not speaking out. In a society like Puerto Rico where people discuss the issues of corruption, the high unemployment rate, or the poor and dirty neighborhoods over a cup of tea, we bring these issues to light. We are so hated not because we are raunchy or wrong, we are hated because we are right.

How do you think the actual language of your songs and your choice of words have an impact on the theme and the message of your music?

It is clear that we use vulgar and angry words to express our messages. We break many sexual, political, and social barriers and we do not do so with formal wording. That would never get our message across. We use Puerto Rico’s street lingo in order for people to listen and understand something they would not otherwise. Because we use curse words and slang, we are able to reach a wider audience and include everyone from the lowest class to the richest. No one would listen to us talk about police brutality if it were worded in a way that is meant for students in school to read. We use such vulgar and angry sounding words because we are angry. We are angry about the oppression and the corruption. We have learned that it is not only the content that is vital to delivering our message, it is also the language.

What impact would you like your music to have?

That’s a very simple question. We want our music to empower and educate. We want to empower the people who feel like they do not have a say in society and who feel like they are constantly targeted by higher powers. We want to show them that we are all Latin America and Latin America sticks together. We want to educate the youth of our society to grow up and not hide and do something about the issues in society. Although we are just standing on stage and singing, we believe our music can have a lasting influence.

Finally, what successes or accomplishments has your music earned you?              

As stated before, we have won 10 Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards. We are joining forces with UNICEF to raise awareness about violence in Latin America. We just released our new song, “La Bala” (The Bullet) in order to speak up about rising violence.  The most important thing for us is that we are the voice of Latin America’s oppressed. We do not speak about our political positions, we are simple the face of millions of people who do not have a voice. That would have to be our greatest accomplishment.

Here is a part of one of Calle 13’s songs, "Vamos a Portarnos Mal" (Let's Behave Badly) translated in English.

 Suban el telón, abran las cortinas,

enciendan las turbinas con nitroglicerina.

El desorden es tu penicilina

brincando curas los dolores sin aspirina.

Vamos a provocar un cortocircuito,

antes de que en el 2012 caiga un meteorito.

A portarnos mal, a cometer delitos,

a comernos a Caperucita con los tres cerditos.

Esto no se trata de rebeldía,

esto se trata de ser indisciplinado por un día.

Los incomprendidos del nuevo testamento,

tenemos nuestras reglas, nuestro propio mandamiento.

Como no comprenden nuestro comportamiento,

a todos los psicólogos les damos tratamiento.

Pa' romper con la rutina repetitiva,

que el sol salga de noche y que llueva para arriba.

Nos quieren controlar, como a control remoto,

pero la autoridad, no puede con nosotros.

Nos gusta el desorden

rompemos con las reglas

somos indisciplinados

todos los malcriados...

vamo' a portarnos mal,

vamo' a portarnos mal,

vamo' a portarnos mal.

English 

Raise the curtain, open the curtains,

Light the turbines with nitroglycerin.

The disorder is your penicillin.

Jumping cures your pains without aspirin.

Let's cause a short circuit

Before a meteor falls in 2012

We'll misbehave, commit crimes,

We'll eat Little Red Riding Hood with the three little pigs.

This is not about rebellion,

This is about being undisciplined for a day.

The misunderstood parts of the New Testament,

We have our rules, our own command.

If they don't understand our behavior,

We give treatment to all the psychologists.

To break the repetitive routine,

The sun comes out at right and rain pours up.

They want to control us, like a remote control,

But the authority can't do that with us.

We like disorder

We break the rules

We're undisciplined

All the spoiled brats...

Let's behave badly

Let's behave badly
Let's behave badly!

"Mother Tongue": Language vs. Intelligence

Many people today grow up with several cultures and languages in their home. More than half of the world’s population is bilingual (Grosjean). About 20.8% of the American population speaks a different language than English in their homes (Badger). The percentage of people who “don’t speak English very well” is constantly growing in the United States. Yet these people hold everyday jobs and are able to live in a country where the language is foreign to them, possibly facing discrimination as a result. In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, Tan discusses the issue of people associating “broken” English with low intelligence.

Growing up with her mother who didn't speak English fluently, Tan has been able to see how her mother’s language skills have had certain limitations in life such as low respect from others. For example, the doctors did not take Tan’s mother seriously as a result of the fact that she did not speak “proper English” (Tan, 78). Because the doctors heard her limited English, they thought they would be able to brush her off without any consequences, probably because they believed that she couldn't comprehend the situation. Tan goes on to explain that her, “mothers expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands. She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker…” (Tan 77). This clearly shows in the text that Tan’s mothers limited English does not actually reflect her level of intelligence – a misconception made by many people. Some people may hear that someone does not speak their language fluently, thus believing that they are not capable of any intelligent or complex thoughts. This could result in the manifestation of discrimination and racism, consequently leaving an ill-informed society behind.

My particular opinions on this topic root from personal experiences. When I was younger, I remember limiting my own English when talking to people who actually have limited English. I had a certain belief that they would not understand what I was saying if I spoke fluently. Although I may not have admitted it then, I now see that the thoughts actually going on in my head were that the person had a lower intelligence than I did. And then I moved to the United States, with my dad who speaks no English whatsoever. My father is a man with a high ego and believes that what people think is significant to shaping who you are as a person. My father used to make me or my mother speak on the phone on behalf of him because he didn't want people to hear his limited English, and judge him based on that. There were events where cashiers or bank accountants would purposefully avoid big words or complex ideas when communicating with him. It was apparent that my dad’s accent and broken English gave them a perception that his intellect was as limited as his language skills. Because this went on for a long time, my mindset about this issue quickly evolved. I got into the habit of seeing everyone with “limited English” just as intelligent as my father, who I believe is very intelligent. I began to understand that comparing someone’s aptitude with their language skills is ignorant, but also basic human nature. It is an issue that goes on today in every country. Believing that someone is lesser than you can promote all sorts of judgment and discrimination.  It is vital to remember that people come with all sorts of thoughts and ideas, in all sorts of languages. I've come to learn that even if someone cannot communicate their thoughts with my language, it doesn't mean that they do not think these thoughts at all. When speaking with someone who doesn't have wide language abilities, remember that even these people have had all sorts of life experiences, and successes, and failures, and anything else that can be significant in any language or culture.

References: 

Badger, Emily. "Where 60 Million People in the U.S. Don't Speak English at Home." CityLab. Edgecast Networks, 6 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

Grosjean, Francois. "Bilingualism's Best Kept Secret." Psychology Today. Harvard University Press, 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue”. Originally published as “Under Western Eyes” in The Threepenny Review, 1990, pp. 315-320. Reprinted by permission. 

Background on Myself

In order to fully be able to explain myself and the situations I have been in, it’s necessary to have full background disclosure. I love swimming, baking, yoga, and anything that fills my empty time. I was born in Jordan and I lived there until I was 7. I then moved to the United States in order for my parents to further their education. Education is something that has powered my family through everything. Many of the decisions that my parents have made have been for the sake of my education and I feel like that is the one thing that will help me achieve what I want. I’ve gone to the best schools and I’ve traveled and seen parts of the world that I would have never imagined. I love traveling and I believe that being ignorant about the world is something that I never want to be. With that being said, moving to the United States was by far one of the most challenging things we have had to do. Although we spoke English (and I later learned to speak Spanish), we needed time to adjust to the culture. I remember having to translate for my dad at the store or at school sometimes. I had to learn how to make friends with people that have grown in a different situation than I was. Because I was a kid, it was a quick adjustment. Although I consider my culture and beliefs are more Arab than western, living in the United States has shaped my mindset and taught me valuable lessons about history and human rights and the world as a whole.  I have seen people from different places of the world and the poor and the rich and that has helped me shape who I am and what I believe in. Seeing so many different people shows me what my priorities in life are, which are my family and my education. Although I don’t believe my culture has changed from what my parents have taught me, I am grateful that I got to change my mindset. This summer, I changed countries yet again in order to come to the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi was a definite shock of culture because the locals are much more different than any people from the United States or Jordan. The clothing, food, and habits are far from what I am used to. It’s been really fascinating to see how different people live and how I have found ways to adapt. Starting at Raha is such an interesting experience because I’ve never been surrounded by so many different cultures and people. The only thing that really bonds everyone together is the fact that we all know how to speak English, and that’s pretty cool.  Many of the people that I’ve met are bilingual and I get to see how that shapes who they are. I personally define culture as everything that shapes who you are as a person. Everyone in this school has found their own little culture and use that to dictate what they want to do and who they want to be. I am eternally grateful for being able to see so many different parts of the world and hearing so many different languages and experiencing so many different cultures because that shapes who I am and drives me to push for a bright future. I am nowhere near done with my travels and experiences and I hope that I am only at the beginning of my adventures.