Fonovisa Records has never been known for putting out a lot of hip-hop. Their primary focus has been regional Mexican music, which is a healthy niche to have because banda, Norteņo, Tejano, and grupero are huge in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Nonetheless, Fonovisa has dabbled in Spanish-language rap on occasion, and Puro Escandalo is a perfect example. Fonovisa obviously wasn't trying to market this 2004 release to English-only audiences; about 90 percent of the lyrics are in Spanish, which isn't necessarily ...
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Fonovisa Records has never been known for putting out a lot of hip-hop. Their primary focus has been regional Mexican music, which is a healthy niche to have because banda, Norteņo, Tejano, and grupero are huge in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Nonetheless, Fonovisa has dabbled in Spanish-language rap on occasion, and Puro Escandalo is a perfect example. Fonovisa obviously wasn't trying to market this 2004 release to English-only audiences; about 90 percent of the lyrics are in Spanish, which isn't necessarily the commercial kiss of death that some non-Spanish-speaking hip-hoppers might think it is -- from Barcelona to Mexico City to Buenos Aires, plenty of MCs have earned their living by rapping exclusively in Spanish. The two Salvadoran brothers who comprise L.A.'s Crooked Stilo bring a lot of West Coast influences to Puro Escandalo, which is mindful of Cypress Hill and Funkdoobiest, as well as the more pop-friendly Mellow Man Ace. But Cypress, Funkdoobiest, and Ace never recorded an album that was dominated by Spanish lyrics -- and even the Havana-born Ace hasn't used Latin rhythms quite as extensively as Crooked Stilo uses them on this CD, which has a strong tropical influence and frequently incorporates Afro-Cuban salsa as well as Colombian cumbia. In the regional Mexican market that Fonovisa ordinarily caters to, cumbia mexicana (a Mexican interpretation of the Colombian cumbia rhythm) is quite popular; however, Crooked Stilo's use of cumbia is much closer to the Colombian way of doing things. By 2004 standards, Puro Escandalo isn't groundbreaking; the fusion of rap and Latin rhythms has been going on for a long time in the Spanish-speaking world. Nonetheless, this is a pleasing, respectable effort from the West Coast twosome, who remind us that hip-hop doesn't have to be performed in English exclusively to be effective. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Puro Escandalo to cart. $5.35, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Orange County rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Ana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Fonovisa.
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Seller's Description:
Good. This item has very light surface scratches that do not affect the use of the disc/s. This is a USED item. Case and cover may or may not have wear or damage. All items unless otherwise noted will include disc, case, and artwork. Codes have been used. Other contents such as booklets may vary, please inquire for details. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days.
