Calle 13 exploded onto the music scene in Latin America in 2005 and since then, has been pushing musical boundaries and creating political uproar throughout all of Latin America. Calle 13 breaks the mold by being as truthful in life as they are in their music. Twelve Grammys later (ten of which are Latin Grammys) they have shocked their fans by announcing that Residente (the front man and incredible lyricist Rene Pérez Joglar) will be making his first English language record.
Some fans felt betrayed, calling Residente a sell out for turning to the “dark side,” but we think American audiences could benefit from Residente’s searing truthfulness, which could expose them to a reality they might not otherwise see.
There is no question how smart and incredibly talented Residente is when he’s creating music in Spanish. It remains to be seen if his lyrics will get lost in translation. But we’re going all in that Residente will send shockwaves through the U.S. music industry as he has done for years in Latin America.
GlobalGrind recently sat down with Residente to talk about his process and who he would like to collaborate with on his English language record.
Check out the exclusive interview below!
GlobalGrind: What do you want your fans to feel/think when they listen to your music?
Residente: When I am making a record, I’m not interested in having people feel or think in something particular, I am interested in being a vessel to everything that I am seeing and feeling. I try to be the most honest I can with myself and with what I am seeing and feeling. Once I do that, it stops being mine and starts being the people’s and they can do with it what they want. I do want to make people a little more conscious of what is happening around them, just like I have learned things from music that’s made me more conscious, I hope I can do the same.
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What was the hardest song to write on “Entren Los Que Quieran”?
All the songs were really hard to write, but the hardest one was “Latinomerica” because it’s a subject matter that can very easily fall into clichés. You have to be very careful to not sound corny, to talk about the Latin American struggle or write something that makes people feel sorry for us. Like, ‘Oh we have it so hard in Latin America blah blah blah..’ I had to find a balance in between all of that. And to describe all of Latin America is very hard. I thought about it so much, you have no idea.
Who would you rather collaborate with, Nicki Minaj or Rihanna?
That’s hard … if I answer I might start a beef or something (laughs). No, but I think I would choose Nicki Minaj because she raps and she’s good.
Who would you rather collaborate with, Jay-Z or Kanye?
Wow! That’s really hard … I like what Kanye is doing with music but I like them both. Nope, I can’t choose between either one, so both.
What’s your favorite record of all time?
“Siembra” by Ruben Blades and Willie Colon.
Check out Calle 13’s latest album and suport good music!
