Spanish rapper El Chojín talks at Leeds Central Library

El Chojín, a socially critical hip-hop artist, gives a public talk at the Central Library on Tuesday 18 February 2014, as well as engaging with undergraduate and school students

Rapper El Chojín talks about using rap music to combat racism and gender violence

El Chojín is one of the biggest names in Spanish hip-hop, not only because of his musical output but also because of his media presence. As one of a number of black artists (part of his family is from Equatorial Guinea) he often uses rap to speak out against racism, and is regularly called to comment on immigration and integration on the news and in print. More recently he has participated in campaigns to raise awareness of gender violence, and many tracks on his latest albums deal with the economic crisis in Spain and government corruption.

Leeds is proud to host a visit from El Chojín this February. His activities here include a radio show, talks for undergraduate students and local school children, and a public event at Leeds Central Library. This was an exceptional opportunity to learn about hip-hop, racism and immigration in Spain, issues which have yet to receive much scholarly attention (and are often the subject of gross generalizations by those not aware of the specifics of the case of Spain) and which are of great interest to young people studying Spanish in the UK today.

A report on the visit can be found on p. 20 of La Revista 237, here

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