Cimafunk, funk with Afro-Caribbean flavor, back with international voices

November 13, 2021

The Cuban artist who caused a sensation in 2017 with a mixture of funk music, Black heritage and traditional rhythms, was at Carrusel de las Artes, as part of his tour through Europe to promote his second album titled 'El Alimento', on which he collaborated with international artists.

The French press labeled him as "the tornado that came from Cuba". And it is that Cimafunk has not stopped surprising inside and outside the island with his musical proposal: an explosive and unprecedented cocktail of funk music and Afro-Caribbean tradition, spicy and danceable that was born in 2017.

Since then, this artist from Pinar del Río (western Cuba) has set half the island dancing and brought together several generations of Cubans around his music both inside and outside his country. His songs, which he writes himself, speak of the enjoyment of life and of love, although always with that mischievous, sensual and characteristic touch of Caribbean music.

But beyond being a musically solid proposal, Cimafunk reclaims and defends Afro-Cuban heritage. In fact, his name is the contraction of 'cimarrón', the ancient slaves who hid in the mountains in search of freedom, and 'funk', his musical language.

The "Cimafunk tornado" shook the ground for the first time with 'Me voy', a song that sounded in every corner of the island and in lands conquered by Cuban exiles such as Florida or Spain. Then 'Terapia' came to market, in which Cimafunk made a nod to what was his universe before dedicating himself completely to music: medicine.

After months of health crisis, Cimafunk returns to the stage with a second album, 'El Alimento', in which musicians of the caliber of George Clinton, one of the architects of funk in the United States, participated, or Cuban Latin jazz pianist Chucho Valdés. Songs like 'Caramelo' or 'Rómpelo' involve American rapper Lupe Fiasco, other songs were made with CeeLo Green, ChocQuibTown, El Micha, George Clinton, Los Papines, Lupe Fiasco and Stylo G.