Grupo Uno
Encyclopedia
Grupo Uno was a group of organizers from an East Havana
district cultural center. They brainstormed the radical idea of a Cuban rap festival in 1995. One of the principal organizers, Rodolfo Rensoli
, contributed largely to the event by anticipating the need for social and governmental support. Rensoli said that "There are a lot of people who don't understand people like me" as a reason for starting the festival in Cuba
. While Grupo Uno gained official support, they had few resources at their disposal. Despite this setback, they were able to spread the word of the festival through the already existent Cuban rap scene. For the first time in Cuban history, moneros were able to express themselves publicly, mentioning many diverse cultural aspects such as race, baseball and the significance of their performance that day, all of which were in their native tongue, Spanish
. The event took place in an open-air venue in Alamar, and would continue to occur there annually.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
district cultural center. They brainstormed the radical idea of a Cuban rap festival in 1995. One of the principal organizers, Rodolfo Rensoli
Rodolfo Rensoli
Rodolfo Rensoli is the founder of Grupo Uno who organized the first rap music festival in Cuba in 1995. He initialized the institutionalization of rap in 1997 when he approached Roberto Zurbano, then vice-president of the Asociación Hermanos Saíz , who proposed Rensoli that the AHS collaborate to...
, contributed largely to the event by anticipating the need for social and governmental support. Rensoli said that "There are a lot of people who don't understand people like me" as a reason for starting the festival in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. While Grupo Uno gained official support, they had few resources at their disposal. Despite this setback, they were able to spread the word of the festival through the already existent Cuban rap scene. For the first time in Cuban history, moneros were able to express themselves publicly, mentioning many diverse cultural aspects such as race, baseball and the significance of their performance that day, all of which were in their native tongue, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. The event took place in an open-air venue in Alamar, and would continue to occur there annually.