The phenomenon of urban music in Catalan has existed in Catalonia for more than ten years with formations subscribed to urban styles such as hip-hop, reggaeton, denbow, dancehall or trap. It is the music that the younger generations listen to, so it was to be expected that artists and groups with these styles would emerge and use Catalan in their songs. And it is not that Catalonia is short when it comes to urban music, artists such as Bad Gyal, SofÃa Gabanna, Alizzz, or the rapper Morad can be added to the omnipresent RosalÃa, names that have transcended the limits of their place of origin to make themselves known in the Spanish market… and worldwide.
But, below the mainstream, flows a musical current that uses Catalan to think and write pieces sharing a genre with Bizarrap, C. Tangana and company. A growing group of musicians who could lead the next wave of popular music in Catalan.
This does not mean that the urban in Catalan is trailing behind the music that is composed in Spanish, as explained by Yung Mare, a member of the PAWN Gang formation that, like At Versaris, participated in the first batch of urban bands in Catalan. “We started using auto-tune before anyone knew what it was,†explains this trap veteran, a member of a band born in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona that released its first work on YouTube in 2011.
“We wanted to make music that was different from what had been done until thenâ€, and for this they looked at US artists like Lil B, from the based movement, and gangsta music, people like 50 Cent or Tupac. “We have studied the origin of hip-hop culture,” explains Yung Mare, whose training is known for its transgressive lyrics, as is their way of dressing, which proves right those who say that trap is the new punk . Why do it in Catalan? “It is our mother tongue, it comes out more naturally, more comfortably and easilyâ€.
The urban explosion in Catalan occurred around 2017 or 2018, with the fundamental help of the success of RosalÃa, the artist from Sant Esteve Sesrovires, who in 2018 released her first great success, El mal querer. It is around this time when “the new groups are consolidated,” explains Yung Mare. “There were many more people working, even an artist who has now established himself asked us for permission to sing in Catalan because only we did itâ€. These are the years in which bands like 31 Fam or Flashy Ice Cream were born, who share origins in Sabadell, one of the epicenters of this new wave.
“At first it was a bit strange, there was little confidence that this music could be commercial,” explains Albert Sáez, director of the Delirics label, born in 2017, whose focus is on music for young people, publishing works by artists such as Bounce Twice. , Scorpio or Yung Rovelló, in addition to the aforementioned 31 Fam, Flashy Ice Cream or the PAWN Gang, who have recently released a new work, Respawn .
“Six years ago nobody believed that urban music in Catalan could stick its head out,” explains Ramon Montardit, from Halley Records, another of the labels that has welcomed artists of this genre such as Figa Flawas, Ven’nus or the rapper Lildami. , known in addition to his music for his role as a jury in the Eufòria program. The urban had to overcome the prejudice against reggaeton because of its theme. “Proposals like Lildami’s that are not linked to these darker lyrics help to popularize this musicâ€, and also help people to embrace them more easily.
The emergence of urban music in Catalan is reflected in events such as the Maleducats festival, which last year brought together more than 4,000 people in Terrassa. On their poster, Wos, Quevedo and Bizarrap, the Argentinian on everyone’s lips after his collaboration with Shakira, shared the scene with Flashy Ice Cream, 31 Fam, Lildami or Mushkaa, Bad Gyal’s little sister, all of them with the Catalan as main language in their songs.
One of the characteristics of these festivals is the mixture of Spanish and Catalan. “For the new generations, the regulars at these concerts, the linguistic issue is not so important,” says Xavi Pascual, director of Promo Arts Music and head of the Strenes Urbanes festival to be held on May 15 at the Fà brica Damm. Pascual points out that the great references of genres such as rap or reggaeton sing in Spanish, unlike what happens in pop or rock, where the main groups use English. “There has been a change in trend where Spanish is the predominant language,†he explains, and recalls that artists like Ceaxe or Bounce Twice use both languages ​​in their songs.
This means that “Bizarrap, Quevedo, Lildami and The Tyets can coexist perfectly on the same stageâ€, because the young audience “does not see this scene as a defense of the languageâ€. For his part, Yung Mare adds a nuance by pointing out that the PAWN Gang has many fans in Latin America while in Spain “there are people who still have a hard time listening to us because of a political issue.” A trend that occasionally breaks: “Los Tyets managed to make one of their songs one of the ten most viral songs in Spain,” recalls Xavi Pascual.
One of the reasons that explain the multiplication of groups in Catalan is the ease of producing this type of song. “With a computer and a brain you make a record… unlike pop groups, which require a bandâ€, explains Ramon Montardit. Technological democratization has helped any 15- or 18-year-old boy to be able to record a song. Some facilities that also reach distribution, where it is no longer necessary to produce and distribute records or CDs, it is enough to post the songs on YouTube or, for the most daring, upload them to Spotify as the Pawn Gang did with some of their first songs. These changes have made it easier for urban music in Catalan “to have a much faster journey and explosion” than usual.
“We are at the beginning of this new scene, and it still has to find its referentsâ€, comments Xavi Pascual. “The Tyets or Lildami may be, but to consolidate this scene you need at least six or seven reference bands that attract people.” There is no doubt about the potential of this niche, as demonstrated by the creation of specialized record companies such as NPI, the label founded by Música Global to delve into urban music. “We believe that there is a very important Catalan scene, with many people who will emerge more and more,” explains Salvador CufÃ, president of the veteran record company. And it is that urban music has permeated throughout adolescence, “all kids between the ages of 11 and 20 listen to reggaeton,” recalls Ramon Montardit, although he acknowledges that the portion sung in Catalan is a minority, which does not prevent him from thinking that ” He still has a way to reach more powerful oddsâ€.
