Cimafunk

Cimafunkis an Afro-Cuban Rockstar. His namerefers to his heritage as a ‘cimarrón,’ Cubans of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music that aims to subvert conventional sounds with rhythmic innovation.By bringing out the best in Cuban rhythms and traditions and infusing sounds and styles from Africa and the U.S.,Cimafunkhas created something unique and special, not only in terms of music but also with the values he stands for. He is redefining contemporary Cuban music as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures. Cimafunk’smonumental second album El Alimentowas released in October 2021, receiving overwhelming praise.Rolling Stoneranked it #3 of theBest Spanish-Language and Bilingual Albums of 2021 and #23 of the 50 Best Albums of 2021. El Alimentowas also amongNPR’s Best Latin Music of 2021and #1 of Le Monde’s Latin Music favorites. Singles also made their way through2021 lists: Rómpeloft. Lupe Fiascowas among NPR Alt.Latino’s best singles of 2021and Funk Aspirin ft. George Clintonin Remezcla’s 10 Best Indie Pop, Rock, & Chill Songs of 2021. Co-produced by Cimafunkand Grammy-award winningproducer Jack Splash(CeeLo Green, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys), the sonically dynamic collection masterfully blends Afro-Cuban sounds and rhythms with global funk, hip hop and soul—resulting in a progressive, head-bopping celebration of black music’s power to eclipse borders and cross-pollinate across cultures. Written and recorded over 2020, the album served as analimentofor the soul, a motivation to persevere through the pandemic, as Cimafunkspent countless hours studying decades of musical influences to help understand who he is musically and culturally, and thus, where he wanted this album to take him.As innovative funk forefather George Clinton(Parliament-Funkadelic), who sings alongside Cimafunkon the opening track "Funk Aspirin," says: “Cimafunktakes it back there while keeping it in the now. It’s what we do, always reinventing the Funk to keep it fresh.”Along with Clinton, El Alimentoalso includes collaborations with US hip hop starsLupe FiascoandCeeLo Green; Jamaican dancehall singerStylo Gand Afro-Colombian hip hop groupChocQuibTown; as well as Cuban musiciansChucho Valdés, an AfroCuban jazz icon and '70s funk pioneer,Los Papines, a Cuban Rumba group whose career spans six decades, and Afro-Cuban rapper andReggaetoneroEl Micha.George Clintonsays “he is the one, the next one,” Chucho Valdéscredits him with “uniting Afro-Cuban and African American,” and Fito Páezcalls him “the future.” According to The New York Times, Cimafunk is on “Quest to Create One Nation Under a Groove,” NPRassertshe’s on his way to “world domination by way of the funk and clave,” and Rolling Stonedescribeshis music as “an electrifying combination of funk and soul, layered over the five-beatclave, or the heartbeat of Cuban music, brought to Cuba by enslaved people from West Africa.”

 

Cimafunkbecame a household name in Cuba with his 2018 hit “Me Voy”which led to his designation as “Artist of the Year” by Vistar Magazineand the Lucas Awardfor Most Popular Video. Part of his debut album “Terapia,” “Me Voy,”“Paciente”and other songs generated a frenzy, creating a movement in Havana and throughout the island, selling out venues with thousands of fans excited to dance to the groove of Afro-Cuban Funk and millennials replicating his style and appearance, one that draws heavily on his African roots and the black showmen of the 20thcentury. Cun Cun Prá, Cimafunk’s 2020 5-track EP, features the contagious party song “Cun Cun Prá,”a funky pop mover and shaker “La Papa,”featuring Cuban sensation Diana Fuentes, a sensual R&B remix of “Parar El Tiempo,”featuring up-and-coming Mexican singer Salma, “Caliente,”a New Orleans meets Havana horn-heavy, hip hop banger featuring Tairona “Tank” Balland The Soul Rebels, and “El Potaje,”a passing of the torch tune, where Cimafunkjoins living legends Omara Portuondo, Chucho Valdés, Pancho Amatand la Orquesta Aragónto brings out the past, present and future of Cuban music.Named by Billboardas a “Top 10 Latin Artist to watch,” Cimafunkstole the show at the 2019South by Southwest Music Festivaland has toured aggressively in the U.S. and Europe, making a name for himself as one of today’s great showman, performing an electric live show with his 9-person band from Havana. Just prior to the pandemic, Cimafunkand his band received overwhelming praise for a moving performance on NPR’s Tiny Deskconcertseries, which NPRchose as one of the overall best TDC’s of 2020. These coincided with Cimafunk’s inaugural Getting Funky in Havanafestival, where he joined forces with Trombone Shorty, Tank & TheBangasand The Soul Rebelsto celebrate the New Orleans –Cuba cultural connection and blackness.