There are already right-wing rap singers

In just a few months, two stars of rap and trap in Spanish (curiously, in a field absolutely dominated by male performers) have burst onto the scene with messages openly tilted to the right. Its extreme youth and the clear and frontal positioning, which has become the very core of its proposal, has clashed with the traditional image of these genres, associated with the marginal and criticism of the system. Angie Corine and BB Trickz They represent the spearhead of a new trend in Spanish music and youth, and although the musical quality of their proposals has been very discussedtheir indisputable popular impact makes them worthy of attention.

Angie Corine, the tradwife sensation. Angie bursts into the Spanish digital landscape in 2023 and follows the viral logic of TikTok: short and controversial content, politicized from the first moment. He does not come from the world of hip hop (he has not cut his teeth in cock fights, did not go through the underground scene), but from the first moment she attracted attention for using aesthetics as part of her manifesto: exaggerated hyperfemininity (acrylic nails, eyelash extensions, makeup with hours of work), very studied outfits (mixing trap aesthetics with branded bags) and openly airs hypersexualizedwhich is what she criticizes in her songs.

In his songs he addresses, with a very simple technical quality (simple rhymes, unsophisticated rhythms), themes that have earned him multitude of enemies: criticism of fourth wave feminism or radical feminism, defense of return to traditional values (claiming motherhood, marriagethe family -although she personally does not live subject to those theses-), anticommunism and defense of freedom from almost anarcho-capitalist codesand with a friendly nationalism with references to the flag and anti-independence.

BB Trickz, tropical MAGA. BB Trickz must be approached with even more caution: provocation is part of its formula from the first moment, as is the unbiased mix of elements. Letters in wild Spanglish (due to his multicultural heritage), provocative accessories such as ‘Make America Great Again’ caps and other Trumpist parafornalis (which he defends more as a symbol of person “that says things clearly“that due to a deep knowledge of their politics), an aesthetic mix of traditional choni and luxury trap, and open, almost brutal sexuality.

For all this (especially the last thing: BB Trickz has lyrics so explicit that a porn actor from the seventies would blush), the artist’s political position is clear, but almost performative: praise Trump, anti-progressivism visceral and not at all reasoned, broad-brush ultracapitalism… There comes a time when his political statements (absent from his songs most of the time) seem to be part of a posture as pronounced as his clashes with the rest of the scene.

International precedents. Political rap emerged in the eighties as a subgenre that maintained variable rhythms, but politicized the lyrics. He took inspiration in the US from movements such as Black Power and the Black Panther Party, with groups such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, Boogie Down Productions or NWA rapping about topics such as racism, police brutality, economic inequality and corruption. Since the mid-2010s, an opposite phenomenon has been observed: the emergence of rappers aligned with right-wing political positions. In the United States, artists such as Tom MacDonald have starred a wave of “right-wing rap” or “troll-rap”where messages contrary to the traditional political left are displayed

Friends of Vox. Of course, both right-wing parties rapidly rising among young people and artists thirsty for quick controversy find common ground to work on. In this way, Angie Corine has publicly expressed her support for Vox and its leader Santiago Abascalwhom he describes as a hope for a “model of order, security and economic freedom” to govern in Spain. This has led her to perform at events organized by groups close to the European radical right in Spain, like the Europa Viva 25 event in Madrid.

Part of a trend. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Various recent studies and surveys reveal a growing trend of Spanish youthespecially among young men, to identify with conservative and right-wing political positions. According to various studiesidentification with liberal-conservative positions has increased in the last two decades, with factors such as family income, economic crises and the passage of time being influential in the adoption of these positions. The surveys They also reflect that a considerable part of young people, especially men, are showing inclinations towards authoritarian positions and a growing skepticism towards liberal democracy. And the latest generation of rap is there to take advantage.

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