For this project, I primarily worked on two questions regarding Chicano Rap:
- What is it's history?
- Has it appropriated any earlier movements/older trends/other groups?
While these questions may appear simple, the answers are quite complex and required more research than I originally thought they would. Though Chicano rap technically made its debut in the early 1990s, the history behind the musical movement actually dates back to the
Mexican-American War (1846-1848); some would argue that it dates even further back, to the height of the
Aztec civilization. Chicano rap itself is a descent of earlier types of Chicano music in America, from
Lalo Guerrero's big band and swing in the 1930s
[pictured right] to
rock and
punk in the 1970s.
For curious readers, more extensive answers to the questions above can be found on my blog,
ChicanoCandace.