It might sound crazy, but it isn’t. Lupillo Rivera, the Mexican regional musician, working in collaboration with two hip-hop legends: Snoop Dogg and B-Real, from Cypress Hill.
It is not nonsense, because after all, each one of them is a legend in his own field and because in reality, both musical styles -the Mexican regional and rap- have many similarities.
The song that brings them together bears the name “Major Leagues” and also features the participation of two young Mexican rappers: Aleman from Baja California and Santa Fe Klan from Guanajuato.
It is not unreasonable, because the track reinforces -like many songs, both rap and regional Mexican- the imaginary of those characters from the street, from the neighborhood, who make their way amid hostile environments, in which only stands out With the help of the gang, the crew.
First of all, the lyrics of the song leave little to the imagination:
I am a street, the player, the mere mere
Earning wool, marijuana pays me, but
This is my game, bandits life
What I have fucks you, it’s from another league
Do you want how many pounds? To feel the vibes.
In the corresponding video clip, directed by Edgar Nito (former director of the film Huachicolero), that universe of gangsters and the story of a perfect robbery are recreated, as we have seen in so many other video clips and films.
Nito comments that upon hearing the song, he immediately thought of referring to movies like The Warriors and A Clockwork Orange, where gang themes and baseball bats are combined.
Fortunately, at the beginning of the audiovisual it is clarified that “every act represented in this video is fictitious and has an artistic purpose. It does not attempt at any time to upset or encourage any violent act ”.
The history of this collaboration dates back to when Rivera signed a recording and representation contract with Z Records CEO George Prajin. There, the native of La Barca, Jalisco, recalled the band-rap fusion that projects such as Dyablo or Akwid have already put into practice before, and that since then various materials have been produced in the multicultural context of cities like Los Angeles.
Lupillo, how did you come up with the idea of making this song, with all these characters?
Well, it came out while George and I were talking about doing a collaboration with Snoop Dogg. So we chose the song from “El pelotero”, which is a song that has been written since 1996. Snoop liked the idea a lot and later Alemán, Santa Fe and also B-Real were added, they are projects that come in line with some things we’re going to be doing later, but luckily this one is doing very well.
It is curious that an artist like you, who already belongs to some great leagues, goes to other equally great.
I believe as an artist you have to evolve and try different things, and well, this is something different that we wanted to experience to see what would happen. The truth is that we are enjoying the great success that it is having, this all feels like something very positive.
Was it difficult to put together the song in a style other than yours?
What helped was that we first concentrated on the track, so that we could make all the voices and styles of each person fit there, so that each one could put their essence. So we sent them the track so that each one could write their part, their verses, and record them with their own style, in their own studio, all remotely, due to the pandemic, but they all did their job one hundred percent.
Is it your first time in rap?
It’s the first… I had never thought of doing something in this style of music. I think that for many people it was a surprise, but a pleasant surprise, because very positive messages are reaching us.
Tell us about your relationship with Snoop Dogg, who you’ve known since school.
Yes, since high school. We were together in biology class at Long Beach Poly High School, where I grew up, in Long Beach, California, and we had several beautiful anecdotes of being in class, meeting the same people, and even lusting after the same girls. Back then (laughs), the truth is that it was a very fun time that we lived with him.
You said that this project does not stop here, that they are going for more.
Well look, from the outset several promoters have already told us that they are interested in doing a tour with the five artists, all together. That could probably happen, we have the door open to see what happens. And about some tracks, because we have several ideas there on the doorstep. There is also a song called “Vida lent” that was composed by Nacho Hernández in the nineties, and on which we are working a half macabre idea, to see what happens.
What music did you listen to in that neighborhood where you grew up in Long Beach, California?
Well, look, there you could hear all kinds of music, from those of Vicente Fernández, Ramón Ayala, Cadetes de Linares and Alegres de Terán, to hip-hop, but very heavy, that is, street rap, as they said in that then … Fortunately we were able to live all that and grow among all that group of people, to have a broader experience on all kinds of music.
Since you mention it, that heavy rap environment also has its counterpart in the Mexican regional. In both they talk about weapons, drugs, confrontations …
Yes, I could say that a corrido that tells the story of a character is very similar to how it is also done in hip-hop, it is almost the same, only the musical styles change, but there are many similarities, really ”.
Have you been censored or claimed for the content of a song or a run?
No … We have been working in music for 30 years, and we are still there, trying to maintain ourselves as it should be, without disrespecting anyone … Everyone has their talent and you have to respect it, regardless of whether you are an artist or a taquero or taxi driver; you have to respect everyone.
No problem then with anyone?
No, note that we have handled everything as I told you, head-on. If one day there were any comments or threats, we would face the situation at that moment, this is how problems are fixed, speaking.
What’s next for Lupillo Rivera?
I simply want to continue in the public’s taste and consolidate myself as one of the great artists. I have to keep working a lot, as if it were the beginning of my career, with a lot of dedication and discipline, which is the important thing.
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