Patiently Waiting
I
f you thought African American rappers have a hard time breaking through stereotypes in Hip Hop, imagine what it’s like to be a Mexican American rapper. Without wearing blue bandana or red flannel, people see the color of their skin and just assume you’re just gangbanger looking for trouble. Chicano rap vet Down aka Kilo hopes to dispel this idea. “A ‘Cholo’ is Mexican American growing up in the ‘hood,” explains the man behind the radio smash “Put Your Locs On.” “It’s not gang member, it’s a tradition of how we dress and look. People think it means [gang member], but it’s not like that anymore.” Coming from a culture where family comes first, outsiders often assume that music from Latin America only for them and by them. But with
Down building a rapidly growing buzz, he is both building acceptance and welcoming others into his world. Far from a newcomer to rap, his latest project Definition of an Ese is actually his tenth album to date. Toiling in the underground for years, Down made a name for himself selling his music out of the trunk at the local swap meets. Though the music made an immediate connection with his peers, the world at large wasn’t quite ready for it. Down also admits that he might not have been ready for the world either. “We were selling records and making money, but labels weren’t trying to hear us,” he says. “But our talent was still growing too. We were still in garages rapping making beats out of nothing. It wasn’t the time for us then, but now is the time,
because we’ve shown that we can sell records.” Now that Down has conquered music as a platform, he now has plans to use movies to push his agenda. His first film borrows its name his 2007 hit, “Lean Like A Cholo,” and will be a Latino comedy. It is set to star former world champion boxer Fernando Vargas, John Amos (Good Times, Coming To America) and Tiny Lister, Jr. (Friday). The movie stays in line with the vibe and messages he tries to put forth in his music. “It’s just about chilling on a Sunday and getting into trouble, but we ain’t robbing or stealing,” he urges. “I just want to make people have fun and break stereotypes along the way.” Words by Maurice G. Garland
OZONE WEST // 13