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Calle 13 in recent years has transformed itself into the Hispanic voice of children, immigrants and the disadvantaged who see their experiences represented in the songs and activities of the Puerto Rican urban music genre duo, EFE reports in this article from The Latin American Herald Tribune<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Singer Ren\u00e9 \u201cResidente\u201d P\u00e9rez and step-brother Eduardo \u201cVisitante\u201d Cabra have devoted themselves to the task of engaging in social criticism in their songs.<\/p>\n Since they began to break out internationally with the number \u201cAtr\u00e9vete-te-te,\u201d the group has managed to gain exposure and acceptance on the world level thanks to the message that P\u00e9rez has expressed in his songs.<\/p>\n Then followed songs such as \u201cPal Norte,\u201d which traces the history of immigrants; \u201cLa Perla,\u201d which speaks about the lives of residents in the disadvantaged sector of Old San Juan, where his grandmother lived.<\/p>\n The rapper continued spreading his messages in \u201cVamo\u2019 a portarnos mal,\u201d in which he tells people to be aware of the taboos that society imposes, but it was with the release of \u201cLatinoam\u00e9rica\u201d that Calle 13 consolidated its massive fan base by telling about the experiences of the region since the Spanish conquest.<\/p>\n Since April, P\u00e9rez has been involving himself more in the struggle to reduce the U.S. \u201ccolonial\u201d influence in Puerto Rico by meeting with assorted Latin American leaders after the Caribbean island \u2013 a U.S. commonwealth \u2013 was not included at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.<\/p>\n Puerto Rico\u2019s status as a Free Associated State is a political framework that authorizes it to elect its own government, but it is dependent for its currency, defense, citizenship matters, foreign relations and laws on the United States.<\/p>\n The first meeting P\u00e9rez had was with Uruguayan President Jos\u00e9 Mujica, a former guerrilla who was imprisoned and threatened with execution during the 1973-1985 military dictatorship.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I have to go from president to president, I will. It was not a single country that achieved Latin America\u2019s independence, it was many countries and many battles were fought, but they achieved it,\u201d said P\u00e9rez at the time.<\/p>\n Later, during a visit to Hermosillo, Mexico, P\u00e9rez asked via Twitter for everyone attending a concert to bring a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice and a kilo of beans to be distributed among the poorest communities in the area.<\/p>\n Taking advantage of his stay in Mexico, P\u00e9rez also met with the Yo soy 132 movement to express his support for university students in demonstrating to demand that the country\u2019s dominant media tell the truth.<\/p>\n Then, in July, P\u00e9rez and Cabra participated in a meeting with young people and teenagers at Madrid\u2019s Casa Am\u00e9rica to talk about exploitation and human trafficking.<\/p>\n The event included a screening of the documentary entitled \u201cEsclavos Invisibles\u201d (Invisible Slaves), narrated by Residente and Visitante, which portrays the reality of more than 550,000 child workers in Latin America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n For the original report go to http:\/\/www.laht.com\/article.asp?ArticleId=582927&CategoryId=13003<\/a><\/p>\n