“You heard the black Mexican dude that be rappin’?” That was the reaction that Raka Dun often elicited coming up as an Afro-Panamanian emcee growing up here in Oakland. “It got a lot of attention out here in the Bay. Right place at the right time,” he offers. “Maybe if we were in New York we wouldn’t have been that explosive, because you see Afro-Latinos all the time, but over here they like, ‘whoa!’”

For the uninitiated, cousins Raka Dun and Raka Rich comprise Los Rakas, a local duo with a large national following and an emerging global presence. Some of you may have just seen them headlining the City Hall Stage at last weekend’s Art & Soul Festival in Oakland. Others comprised the sold out crowds that witnessed their raucous shows in Chile and Colombia last week. And still others may have witnessed them sharing the stage with Fat Joe in New York two weeks prior. I could continue, but you get the point – they’re kind of a big deal.

Their sound is a unique reflection of Afro-Latino Diaspora and is reinvigorating Spanish language rap in the post-reggaeton era. “We incorporate a Bay Area sound with Spanish and more melody,” says Raka Rich. “We didn’t do it on purpose, but it’s different.” As if to prove this very point, upon their return from South America, they released a new song called “Camaleón” featuring Frank Nino and produced by Colombian beatsmith Myztiko who sampled Panamanian icon Rubén Blades.

Los Rakas has not only earned local respect and national blog buzz for their music, reputed news outlets have taken note too. The duo’s album, Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada, was named one of NPR’s ‘50 Favorite Albums of 2011.’ Some sub-genres feel like forced fusions, but Los Rakas’s cross-cultural concoction is a reflection of their identity and home. Both their native country of Panama and adopted home of Oakland, CA have rich histories steeped in musical miscegenation.

When the Panama Canal was completed in 1914, it connected east and west, earning the Central American isthmus newfound international relevance. That achievement attracted an unlikely population of Europeans, Asians and Africans to Panama. In the early 1900s some 50,000 Americans lived there, and scores of Afro-Caribbean migrants arrived to build the canal. All parties brought their music and culture with them. From then on, Panama’s music scene began to synthesize Latin, American and African styles. Years later, Los Rakas grew up in the cross-hairs of these myriad influences, and brought the musical migration full circle by bringing it back stateside. They call their sound PanaBay Twist, and it incorporates Plena, reggae, dancehall, hyphy, and even a little R&B.

“We Panamanian, but Oakland is where we learned the game,” Dun exclaims. “The youth programs taught us a lot, and helped us start doing our own independent thing.”  Oakland has always been a DIY kind of place, and thanks to the local youth music labels and other non-profit organizations here (shout out to BUMP, YMR, Youth Speaks, Youth UpRising, and Youth Radio), the two Oakland High alumni were provided with platforms and spaces to practice their art. “They put it in the community, you should take advantage of it. We took advantage of it and it’s taken us pretty far.”

Given their community roots and international flavor, some have dubbed them “revolutionary emcees,” while others have accused some of their lyrics of being misogynistic. Their response is that people aren’t really listening. “Our music is everything… that’s life,” notes Raka Rich. “Everybody has the right to their opinion, but we do what we do. We’re not political rappers. We’re not gangsta rappers. We’re not trying to be anyone. We’re just being ourselves and we’re just tryna have a good time while we’re doing it.”

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