Pre - Rebel Diaz
Firstly, I'm just gonna start by rattling off some facts that I learned about Rebel Diaz in my research. They are a hip hop, or self-proclaimed "rebel rap," duo made up of Rodrigo "RodStarz" Venegas and Gonzalo "G1" Venegas. Their parents are originally from Chile and were a part of the radical leftist group Movimiento Izquierda Revolucionario, which likely resulted in their exile from Chile when Pinochet and his soldiers came into power. Because of this, RodStarz was born in England while G1 was born in Chicago, where the two considered themselves to be originally from, though they also identify with the South Bronx area, where they "came up," though I couldn't actually find much detail about their childhood or family details. But, once they had become involved in the politically active musical world, in the Bronx is where they decided to turn an abandoned building into the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, which operated from about 2008 to about 2013 and was essentially a multi-functional space for local young people to learn and perform.
Well so to investigate a little about Rebel Diaz, I decided to read up on their own website and a few other articles, but most of my time has actually been spent watching many music videos and quite a few lengthy interviews. From their songs, videos, and interviews especially, I think that I've gotten a feel for what Rebel Diaz's goal is--what motivates them and what they want to accomplish. I think especially RodStarz's song "Canto" helped me to solidify, in song form, why these guys do what they do. They want to affect change in their world and encourage others to stand up and to fight and demand to be treated well and respected, no matter the screwed up political scene. They also believe strongly that community makes a difference and that social change can, and almost has to, start on the individual, neighborhood level.
With respect to their music itself, I feel like I noticed a definite evolution over time in that their music kind of developed with the current issues over time. However, I did feel like I noticed kind of a distinct shift in their latest 2018 album, "America vs. Amerikkka," which is almost entirely in Spanish and just generally presents something pretty different from what they had done before. Before this album, I might term their music to be critical and revolutionary rebel rap that challenges and engages with social issues, especially in urban America. But this last album, at least musically, felt the most closely related to the Chilean New Song kind of music, that they actually did mention as a source of musical inspiration in several interviews as well as their website. And while it kept its indignantly rebellious undertones, the content itself seems to be more explicitly geared towards expression of story and community and building unity.
Here are a few questions inspired by my research that I might like to ask Rebel Diaz if given the chance:
Basically in most of the interviews I watched, RodStarz is the predominant orator for the brothers. Yes of course G1 does some of the talking, but RodStarz is clearly the more outspoken of the two, which also seems to be reflected in the fact that he had several solo songs posted on their YouTube page, although I don't think that I saw any from just G1. So really I was just wondering if I would be able to get G1 to talk and maybe address him directly to ask what kinds of issues he is especially interested in? What does he find to be the most profound thing, the thing that impacts him the most, about what he and his brother do?
I would also really really love to know about their musical creative process. What kinds of topics have to speak to them for them to want to commit to writing songs about it? Has there ever been a specific incident, not from the news, but from their own everyday lives that have inspired a song? How do they even begin going about writing hip hop music? What are the factors that go into deciding to collaborate with other artists? How does the back and forth, the flow, the process work or change when it's with other people?
Especially through watching your videos, I've kind of gotten the vibe that you enjoy working with children and that a big goal of yours is to educate, motivate, and inspire young people to not only believe in all they can accomplish but also to not sit idly by, instead choosing to speak out and reach out and do something. I do very much appreciate the emphasis placed on the younger generation because they are probably the most malleable, the best hope for the future; however, I was just wondering if there's anything in you, any particular avoidance of the older generations, especially those older than you, maybe because they might be considered a lost cause in terms of changing the way people think?
Well so to investigate a little about Rebel Diaz, I decided to read up on their own website and a few other articles, but most of my time has actually been spent watching many music videos and quite a few lengthy interviews. From their songs, videos, and interviews especially, I think that I've gotten a feel for what Rebel Diaz's goal is--what motivates them and what they want to accomplish. I think especially RodStarz's song "Canto" helped me to solidify, in song form, why these guys do what they do. They want to affect change in their world and encourage others to stand up and to fight and demand to be treated well and respected, no matter the screwed up political scene. They also believe strongly that community makes a difference and that social change can, and almost has to, start on the individual, neighborhood level.
With respect to their music itself, I feel like I noticed a definite evolution over time in that their music kind of developed with the current issues over time. However, I did feel like I noticed kind of a distinct shift in their latest 2018 album, "America vs. Amerikkka," which is almost entirely in Spanish and just generally presents something pretty different from what they had done before. Before this album, I might term their music to be critical and revolutionary rebel rap that challenges and engages with social issues, especially in urban America. But this last album, at least musically, felt the most closely related to the Chilean New Song kind of music, that they actually did mention as a source of musical inspiration in several interviews as well as their website. And while it kept its indignantly rebellious undertones, the content itself seems to be more explicitly geared towards expression of story and community and building unity.
Here are a few questions inspired by my research that I might like to ask Rebel Diaz if given the chance:
Basically in most of the interviews I watched, RodStarz is the predominant orator for the brothers. Yes of course G1 does some of the talking, but RodStarz is clearly the more outspoken of the two, which also seems to be reflected in the fact that he had several solo songs posted on their YouTube page, although I don't think that I saw any from just G1. So really I was just wondering if I would be able to get G1 to talk and maybe address him directly to ask what kinds of issues he is especially interested in? What does he find to be the most profound thing, the thing that impacts him the most, about what he and his brother do?
I would also really really love to know about their musical creative process. What kinds of topics have to speak to them for them to want to commit to writing songs about it? Has there ever been a specific incident, not from the news, but from their own everyday lives that have inspired a song? How do they even begin going about writing hip hop music? What are the factors that go into deciding to collaborate with other artists? How does the back and forth, the flow, the process work or change when it's with other people?
Especially through watching your videos, I've kind of gotten the vibe that you enjoy working with children and that a big goal of yours is to educate, motivate, and inspire young people to not only believe in all they can accomplish but also to not sit idly by, instead choosing to speak out and reach out and do something. I do very much appreciate the emphasis placed on the younger generation because they are probably the most malleable, the best hope for the future; however, I was just wondering if there's anything in you, any particular avoidance of the older generations, especially those older than you, maybe because they might be considered a lost cause in terms of changing the way people think?
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