Meet Panabay Group Los Rakas: Album Review, Interview, Etc. (Video)

The Afro-Latino, Hip Hop group, Los Rakas, consists of Panamanian-American cousins Dun & Rico. They have been bringing their unique sound from Oakland for several years now, and have been gaining a lot of attention recently. Their new EP is called, Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada.  Check out their website for some more depth.

So, when they were in NYC this past summer, we caught up with the duo outside their EP release party at Tammany Hall in SoHo, which resulted in this short video. You can purchase their new EP Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada on iTunes here!

We were told the cover for their EP was created by a fan, and made to look similar to common Panamanian paintings. You can see, everything about it screams "Carribbean!" with its striking colors, Panamanian flags, the old men playing dominos, the "raspaos" (sno-cone vendor), the bus, all the way down to the shirts on their back (camisetas borda)!

Chancletas has 8 tracks on it, and while none of them really have the sound of previous hits, "Abrazame" or "Kalle", most of the tracks find themselves somewhere in the middle, sonically. Now I don't speak Spanish...very well, so the lyrics, which are a majority Spanish with some English mixed in, are almost like their own instrument over the beat. The mood and feeling of the songs come across immediately however, and if you don't find your body wanting to dance... even a little bit when a song like "Borracho (Culea)" comes on... there might be something wrong with you!

Chancletas certainly seems to have more Latin than a Hyphy/Bay Area sound this time around, notably with the inclusion of the song "La Chola", which is sung by Rico's grandmother, over a more traditional beat. An exception would be "Soy Raka", which pays homage to the origins of the groups name over a "Turf" beat, typical of the Bay. Rakataka is a word used to describe the kids that live in the ghettos of Panama, which Los Rakas have chosen to embrace, rather than shun.

Los Rakas are artists. They use their voices and lyrics as instruments over the beat, and it is hard to listen to Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada without wanting to dance, shake, jump, just move!

If you like what you see and hear you can download a gang of free tracks here on their Bandcamp page...and they may be coming to a city near you! The shows they are playing for November are listed below.

November 15th - San Francisco, The Mezzannine (w/ Blackstar)
November 16th - Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University
November 19th - New York City, SOB’s
November 25th - Oakland, The New Parish

Also, before we leave you, the group recently debuted a short to go with the song "Cueria", which evokes some possible parallels to the shooting of Oscar Grant by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, in Oakland in 2009. However, it could be speaking to the excessive use of force by police in general. Check it out.

We hope you enjoy Los Rakas. They're making moves, so keep an eye on them. Shouts out to Natalista for all her help!