I live in Argentina, in an overcrowded working-class neighbourhood. Here, most people listen to “Cumbia Villera”. This fact has become a major controversial issue in Argentinean society. There is a strong rejection towards this kind of music, mainly by middle and upper class people; while for those of the lower class “Cumbia Villera” has been almost a religion since it appeared in 1999.
The truth is that, whether you like “Cumbia Villera” or not, you can’t deny it is definitely a manifestation of the voice of our social reality.
One of the “Cumbia Villera” main characteristics is the rudeness of its lyrics, the rebellious, sexist and brave vocabulary related to themes such as love, sexual experiences, police force, delinquency, drug abuse, etc. This has created a bitter disapproval by those who find the lyrics insulting for the members of a well educated society. Another particular characteristic is the simplicity of the music itself. Many musicians and critics have been against “Cumbia Villera” as a firmly established style of music, considering it just as a bold attempt to belong to the artistic world.
On the other hand, “Cumbia Villera” has allowed many people to show their discontent towards the system. For these people, the main objective is to spit in the face of society their anger, their feelings as a left-aside social group. They feel music as a way of expressing their own interests and expectations while reacting against their lack of recognition.
Nowadays things are not simple to understand. Many people think that in spite of being a cultural phenomenon, which gave overlooked people a wider chance to be heard, “Cumbia Villera” has become a business as any other. Being regarded as the music of those who have no money to spend, the commercialization of “Cumbia Villera” represents more than the 30% of the Argentinean Music Market sales, and it is increasing surprisingly fast. Because of the loyalty of business to money, people find it difficult to keep on believing that this music still represents the interests of those who have been always dismissed by the system.
In opposition, a whole brand new focus is now being located on “Cumbia Villera”. It seems that there is an attempt to include “Cumbia Villera” in the repertory of great distinguished musicians. One example is the case of Andrés Calamaro, whose latest single – enthusiastically welcomed by most people- is actually a sort of “Cumbia Villera” song mingled with rock.
For the better or the worst, Cumbia Villera is now part of our culture, no matter what social class people belong to. This makes me think that perhaps Cumbia Villera is evolving as punk has done in the UK, or reggae in Jamaica, and also Hip Hop in the colour nation of the US. Anyway, one thing is certain, “Cumbia Villera” is here to stay.
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