If you’ve been anxiously awaiting more Latino hip-hop that makes you nod your head yet think twice, you need to know more about Los Rakas. Ricardo Gilliam a/k/a Raka Rich and Abul Dominguez a/k/a Raka Dun are primos panameños that hail from Oakland, California by way of Panama. They brought their passion for liberation music – peep their track “Sueño Americano” – their lyrical sensibility and love for multiple genres together in 2004. The signs of what would become a successful musical career came early with several mix tapes and on-line distribution of their music. Fast-forward 10 years later to 2014 and they have released their first major label debut and worked with icons like Blondie to current heavy hitters like Diplo. They’ve even made the rounds on major music events including Snoop Dogg’s Smoke Out Tour next to legends Cypress Hill and Manu Chao and most recently Coachella. Their refusal to fit into one musical genre – they blend rap, soul, Latin and EMD – and their hunger to make music their way has even landed them a partnership with Hennessey. ‘LLERO caught up with Los Rakas in Miami to get the lowdown on what it means to be “raka” and find out what the duo have on tap this year and beyond.
‘LL: First thing’s first, how would you describe Raka music?
Raka Rich: We started off doing hip-hop; dance hall, R&B and we’ve just evolved into so many different things. We listen to so many different genres of music from Jamaica, from Puerto Rico and Colombia. That’s what Raka music is: a mix of all different styles of Latin music.
‘LL: Raka is more than music. It’s also a whole “Soy Raka” movement. What does it mean when someone says, ‘Soy raka’?
Raka Dun: Soy Raka quiere decir, “Soy una persona orgullosa de donde vengo y orgullosa lo que soy.”
Raka Rich: Una persona diferente quien no tiene miedo ser diferente.
‘LL: What or who are your musical influences right now?
Raka Rich: I would say we’re really into dance hall music right now. It’s just one rhythm and one beat and you can make 10 different songs from that one beat. I like dance hall music because everybody’s gotta put their own print on it. All these people already murdered it, how are you gonna murder it next?
‘LL: Who would you most like to collaborate with – dead or alive?
Los Rakas: Not in any specific order here’s our wish list: Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Bob Marley, Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.), Whitney Houston, Missy Elliot, Buju Banton, Erika Badu, Old Skool Salsa singers, Old Skool “soul” legends such as The Commodores, The Temptations, Jimmy Hendrix.
‘LL: One of Hennessy’s mottos is “Never Stop. Never Settle.” What drives you to never stop and never settle?
Raka Rich: We want to become one of the biggest artists of all time, especially for Latin music. It’s like, we’re never gonna stop. We’re never gonna settle until we get to that position.
‘LL: And once you hit that goal, then what?
Raka Dun: We’re gonna set another goal – a bigger goal.
‘LL: What are some obstacles you’ve overcome to get to where you are now?
Los Rakas: The language barrier [our music being in Spanish] has been a bit of an obstacle within the industry. Being able to crack into the general market has been an obstacle because our style of music is not the norm. Getting out of your comfort zone is difficult for people. At most of our shows many people don’t speak Spanish, but music is a universal language. Also traveling for long periods of time (apart from our family), and having to adapt to different environments. We’ve made endless sacrifices in our personal lives for our long-term success. With every obstacle we learn, and push forward. It’s a good feeling to know we are doing something different, that’s what Rakas do!
‘LL: What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Raka Dun: Obviously we want to be able to tour around the world, but we also want to build a youth center, like the one that helped us in Oakland. There’s where we learned to make music. But it wasn’t just music. They also had culinary programs, and stuff like that. You know, just programs that help the youth become whatever it is they want to be.
Raka Rich: We see ourselves continuing to spread the Raka sound across the world; expanding our clothing line into department stores in different countries; continuing to influence the next generation of artists and people to try new things.
For a look at their track “Sueño Americano” peep below. Also to follow Los Rakas as they take on new adventures. Visit them at losrakas.com and follow them on Twitter at @LosRakas.
