Chicano rock

Chicano rock is rock music performed by Mexican American (Chicano) groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use many specific Latin instruments or sounds. The main unifying factor, whether or not any explicitly Latin American music is heard, is a strong R&B influence, and a rather independent and rebellious approach to making music that comes from outside the music industry.

Chicano rock is the distinctive style of rock and roll music performed by Mexican Americans from East L.A. and Southern California that contains themes of their cultural experiences. Although the genre is broad and diverse, encompassing a variety of styles and subjects, the overarching theme of Chicano rock is its R&B influence and incorporation of brass instruments like the saxophone and trumpet, Farfisa or Hammond B3 organ, funky basslines, and its blending of Mexican vocal styling sung in English.

Chicano

Chicano or Chicana (also spelled Xicano or Xicana) is a chosen identity of some Mexican Americans in the United States. The term Chicano is sometimes used interchangeably with Mexican[-]American. Both names are chosen identities within the Mexican-American community in the United States. However, these terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the Southwest. The term became widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans within the city of Chicago who wanted to express an identity, of cultural, ethnic and community pride, similarly to the Chicago Polonia.

The term "Chicano" had negative connotations before the Chicano Movement, and still is viewed negatively by more conservative members of this community, but it over time gained more acceptance as an identity of pride within the Mexican-American community in the United States. Still, many American-born Mexicans view the term to be distracting, as it often represents a refusal to identify with either Mexican or American identities, while Mexicans from Mexico usually aren't familiar with or do not identify with the term. The pro-indigenous/Mestizo nature of Chicano nationalism is cemented in the nature of Mexican national identity, in which the culture is heavily syncretic between indigenous and Spanish cultures, and where 60% of the population is Mestizo, and another 30% are indigenous, with the remaining 10% being of European heritage and others racial/ethnic groups. Ultimately it was the experience of the Mexican American in the United States which culminated in the creation of a Chicano identity.

The Pack (group)

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The Pack was a Rap group from Berkeley, California. The group consists of Lil B, Damonte "Lil Uno" Johnson, Keith "Stunnaman" Jenkins, Lloyd "Young L" Omadhebo. They all recorded together for over a year at Young L's home studio where they released their first two mixtapes Wolfpack Muzik Vol. 1 and Wolfpack Muzik Vol. 2. The Pack expanded their fanbase and eventually got signed to a major label, when Too Short signed The Pack to his Jive Records-distributed label Up All Nite Records. The Pack is usually known for their skateboard raps and the sexually explicit content of many of their songs. The group is best known for the track "Vans". The Pack has also collaborated with musicians such as Soulja Boy, Wiz Khalifa, and Taymoney20.

Music career

Skateboards 2 Scrapers EP & Based Boys (2006-2008)

Los Angeles

Los Angeles (ⁱ/lɒs ˈændʒəlᵻs/ loss AN-jə-ləs or loss AN-jə-liss) (Spanish for "The Angels"), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States after New York City, the most populous city in the state of California, and the county seat of Los Angeles County.

Situated in Southern California, Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, sprawling metropolis, and as a major center of the American entertainment industry. Los Angeles lies in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching up to and over 10,000 feet (3,000 m).

Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood. The city experienced rapid growth with the discovery of oil.

The Sounds

The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons.

Their debut album, Living in America, was released in 2002, with the follow-up Dying to Say This to You on March 21, 2006. Their third album, Crossing the Rubicon, was released on June 2, 2009, and their fourth, Something to Die For, was released on March 29, 2011. Their latest album, Weekend, was released on October 29, 2013.

History

Formation

The Sounds were formed in 1998 by classmates Félix Rodríguez, Maja Ivarsson, Johan Bengtsson and Fredrik Blond in Helsingborg, Sweden. The group met Jesper Anderberg, the youngest member, by chance at the Hultsfred Festival, and he was enlisted to play keyboards and guitar. The band's name was decided months later during a trip to London. Before becoming the lead singer of the band, Ivarsson had previously played electric guitar in other local bands.