January 5, 2005

La Mala Rodriguez: Stamping rap with a flamenco flavor
Interview by: Juan Data

This renowned Sevillan rapper has become, almost without trying, the spear head of rap coming out of Spain. To the avid listener of rap in Spanish it’s not a surprise, La Mala has always been right there with other excellent artists from Spain like, Doble V, Solo Los Solo, or SFDK. However, to the rest of the world and especially, the English speaking world, this just began with the late arrival, in 2002, of Lujo Ibérico to the United States, the first disc of La Mala and the first album of rap from Spain published in North America by a multinational: Universal Records. During the recording of her second studio production, Alevosia, we conversed via telephone with Maria Rodriguez, AKA La Mala and this is what she told us:

LHHR – To what is due such a drastic change in your image? (the album cover)

La Mala – The picture was from a session for a magazine. The album was already done and when I saw the pictures I liked them so much because I saw that they had a lot to do with what was on the album and I wanted to use it as the album cover, but it wasn’t a premeditated decision. It was a really casual thing.

LHHR – Up to what point do you still feel yourself to be an active part of the Spanish hip hop scene?

La Mala – Man, I feel like another one of all the people here doing dope stuff like Hablando En Plata, SFDK, Juaninaka, Mucho Muchacho, Sólo Los Solo, Ari, Frank T, VKR . . . there’s a bunch of groups here that have been in this game for a while.

LHHR – But from an international point of view, you’re one of the most visible figures of the Spain movement.

La Mala – What! I don’t represent the Spain movement man! I’m just another one here, and Violadores Del Verso are hitting hard too. I also don’t believe myself to be the flagship of the hip hop movement here in Spain. I’m another one and I do my thing, and I like that people recognize what I do, I do it well.

LHHR – CPV and VKR appear on both of your albums. How have you managed to incorporate yourself as the feminine part of Madrid’s rap elite. You even appear on the inside of the album’s booklet with Jotamayuscula and Kultama!

La Mala – Man, it’s because with Jota and Kultama, apart from each of them respectively being a part of CPV and VKR, they’re my friends and the three of us have been to a bunch of venues together. We’ve traveled to a grip of venues and have spent a lot of time together, a lot of ???????????, and it’s not just because they’re from Madrid and that I’m here or whatever. I make a good team with supernafamacho, (of CPV), and we work in the studio and we get along fuckin’ great. You know, they were the first ones to put out a cd, (of serious rap from Spain), but I don’t think that they are the elite. I think that there are a lot of people who have been at this doing stuff since before ’94. They were the pioneers of putting out a disc and giving concerts and all of us have had a CPV cd that we’ve bumped and tripped out with them.

LHHR – What do you say to the fans that prefer your more aggressive style from your beginnings? A lot of them were disillusioned from you softening your flow.

La Mala – I think that just because you scream more it doesn’t make you more hardcore. You know? You can say hard things whispering, understand? It just depends on what an individual considers to be hardcore. It’s true, I did have a much more aggressive style, but keep in mind that when someone desires so much to do something and has been wanting to do it for a long time . . . I suppose that that’s why it came out that way. Now I find myself more relaxed, comfortable and sure of my self. I can tell it to you kick back, but I’m still telling you the same thing.

LatinoHipHopRadio