Why Old Mambi ? Look , boy , I ' m the reincarnation of an old mambi [ id est : a guerrilla Cuban independence soldier who fought against Spain ]. As machete , I use the lyrics of my songs . They fight for freedom just like my mambi forefathers did .
And why do you perform hip hop ? It ' s rather underground rap , as we use to name it around here . It is not broadcast on TV , but it is the true rap , coming from the street . And if someone must perform , it is me , because hip hop allows me to say what I feel and I feel accomplished when I say what I think by rapping like a machine gun .
When did you start your career ? How many records do you have already ? I started it around 2008 , and I already have four albums with more than ten songs each : That ' s me , Crude Realities , As in the 90 ' s and Call for Fighting . I ' m about to finish the fifth one , which I will entitle Another Dawn . I have not finished it due to lack of budget .
How do you produce your recordings or albums ? I make my recordings with private producers , buddy , in small independent studios with DJs that play the music from their computers , but all the lyrics are mine .
Does the radio promote you ? Have you ever participated in events outside your province ? Well , one of my songs was played on the radio : " In your silence lies mine ." I wrote it for a female friend of mine , but the radio station did not release my name . They mentioned another author . What amazing ! I have shared the stage at the Caribbean House in Santiago de Cuba with Eskecher , a native from there , and in Bayamo with The Invader . They are both pretty good at what they do .
And what about your performances at the Hermanos Saíz Association ? Do they let you sing freely ? They always let me in and sing . It is the only institution that has opened the doors for me and I haven ’ t had problems because of that , but always before the performance , they make me clear that harsh topics are forbidden . I should abstain from going deeper in my criticism against the government or the society , and I can ’ t speak loud and clear , because I will immediately remove from the stage and get in trouble . I have already been marked by a serious problem in my life , but instead of getting me away from the stage , it made me feel more than ever that I must keep on doing what I do .
What problem was that ? About five years ago , the police stopped me with a bang during a performance very late at night . I was handcuffed and taken to the Ministry of Interior Headquarters to face criminal charges . Three days later , I left the dungeon accused of Disobedience . I appeared in court and was sentenced to six months of house arrest and a 200-pesos fine . All this because certain individual did not like my lyrics , which only provided the truth of my people and my crowd . That ' s why I have a criminal record .
Have they taken any other action against you ? To begin with , I will tell you that I can ’ t find a steady work anywhere to help my family . Every now and then , they make inquiries in my neighborhood or at my mother ’ s workplace . Everyone is asked about me , but nobody asks me anything . I graduated in both computer science and gastronomy , but in vain , because there is no job for me in this country . It seems that I am no longer a person in this society .
Many cases like this arouse admiration for the courage of having nothing but
85