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The Vato They Call "MEXTAPE"
MEXTAPE Portrait Photography by Sal Rojas | Location: San Jose, California
The young and not-so dangerous rapper Angel Luna is the man behind the lyrical approach and composition that together make up Mex Tape. Born to a lawyer and a nurse in East Side San Jose, California on June 18, 1984, Luna was partially raised in Oaxaca, Mexico where he grew up in a colonia popular called Cinco Señores on the outskirts of Downtown Oaxaca. Luna’s grandparents were farm workers who came to California with the Brazero program. His childhood, therefore, was filled with the poetry and literature that his parents both read and gave to him. Back in San Jose, Luna was raised by a Hawaiian family which only added to the variety of cultures that he was exposed to. This variety has transformed Luna into the voice of a generation of transnational artists that not only represent one state of mind, but represent the past and present mentality of a mixture of cultures, locations, and the sounds within both. With elements of communication and graffiti culture in mind, Mex Tape has taken the genres of Hip-Hop, Nueva Cumbia, Roots, Punk, Folk, Indie, and Gangsta Rap and embellished the walls of our society with his intricately flowing sound.
Back in 1998, Luna had branched out from his punk background and had taken an interest in NuMetal because of its similarly fast pace and the relation it had to skating and his friends. During that time Luna was a member of a band that was influenced by both the Deftones and Rage Against the Machine. His members felt that Luna did not quite fit in with the sound that was expected in NuMetal and ironically suggested that his particular vibe was more suited for that of the Hip-Hop world. So Luna decided to embrace the idea of Hip-Hop as it shared the same founding principles as punk. This quest went underway in San Jose in December of 1999 at the home of Luna’s grandparents when he and his cousins came up with the idea to record an EP straight off the home stereo. With zero knowledge as to any technological aspect of recording, Luna and his cousins were relying on what little knowledge they had of what rap truly was. Within five hours the EP was recorded and they had their first tape which they called “Wet-back Assassins” as a sort of parallel to the compilation “Soul Assassins” that DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill had composed. Then in 2000, Luna came across a venue called Cafecito in Downtown San Jose where he frequented the mic nights until he was a regular. Yet in comparison to the other rappers at Hip-Hop mic night Luna was far from regular. He hit the audiences with his fresh Spanish lyrics and Indie approach to rap. In time, Luna gained popularity and praise. His good friend Hector a.k.a. Hegotistic saw potential in Luna and helped him produce his first track “Metabolismo” on an analog recording device, but the track was stolen. Luna gave himself the stage name Cassette Mexclado because he was a mixture of many influences, but when people started having trouble pronouncing it he changed in to Mex Tape.
Mex Tape was officially born in 2001. As Mex Tape, Luna performed at the East Side Café in El Sereno, Los Angeles. He traveled to Brazil in 2003 to do a show with a local group from Fortaleza Brazil called MCR. In 2006 he took a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico to perform at the Dia de los Niños show. Then on June 8th of 2007 he opened up for Sekreto from Caballeros del Plan G in San Jose, CA. Luna performed at the Casa
de Hip Hop in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 27, 2007. On The Cypher Show on December 19th of 2007, he opened up for Megabusive. At the Annual Monster Balls Fest on January 12, 2007, he opened up for Baron Zen from Stone Throw Records and Lazer Sword. On February 8, 2008, Let’s Get It Poppin’ had Luna open up for The Front Line in Cupertino, CA. At Cultura En Tu Idioma he has opened up for Sekreto (March 1, 2008), Boca Floja, and Las Krudas (August 22, 2008). In July of 2008 Luna performed in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico for the Hip-Hop de la Baja 3 show. On August 23, 2008 He opened up for Mika nine from Freestyle Fellowship at Monster Balls 2. At the Latin Hip Hop Conexion in Vallejo, CA, Luna was the Head Liner on November 15th of 2008. Then on December 14, 2008, He opened up for Dave Dub at the San Jose Rap Vigilante Death Squad Show. At the L.A. Xmas 2Mex show he opened up for 2Mex. As Mex Tape, Luna was the Headline at the 4th Cultura En TU Idioma on February 6, 2009. At Tormenta Tropical in 2009 he opened up for the Bersa Discos party (March 14th), and Mexia (April 18th). On may 1st of 2009 he opened up for Blu at the Blu and Exile Tour at the Blank Club in San Jose, CA. At the Veteranos Record Release party on May 5, 2009, Mex Tape’s record was released. Then on May 15, 2009, he opened up for Lyrics Born at the Left Coast Live in San Jose, CA. At the 5th Cultura En Tu Idioma on May 30th of 2009 he opened up for Para la Gente. At San Jose Punx on August 5, 2009, he opened up for Adelitas Anarcorridos. He has performed at the 1st and 2nd Vive Hip Hop. At the 6th Cultura En Tu Idioma on October 2, 2009, both Luna and Roman Zepeda performed together at TurboMex. Luna also opened up for Existereo of the Shapeshifters at the Bring It Back Tour of 2009.His collaborations include his Brazilian Single release “Dias de Gloria”
Homanje a DJ de Hip Hop, Preto El Zulu Nation Brazil, Shato Banish vol. 1 in 2007, San Jose To Brazil mix tape in 2007, Bigger Than Most mix tape in 2007, The Spiritual Walk in 2009, and Veteranos Xian 1 and Mex Tape in 2009.
Luna has always been taught to communicate, and his songs have done the same. “Jazz Notion” is a more mellow song that is also a portrayal of Luna’s realization of change in his life from childhood into adulthood. “Charly Chan” was a song done with Mexia, the son of Mr. Hernan Hernandez from Los Tigres Del Norte. “Brisa de Verano” is a song that was produced by Xian 1 from La Colectiva, a roots band from San Jose, CA. In the song “Fuego” Luna’s versatility is evident in his ability to mesh Reggae beats with Hip Hop and Spanish. “God Will Provide” tells of the humility that he strives for in life. The fresh patterns that come so easily to Luna can be heard in the song “Dias se Gloria”. Another song that shows his versatility in mixing Hip Hop and Cumbia is “Olor de Pecado” which is a Turbo Sonidero Remix. The song “El Buen Libro” communicated the respect that Luna has for his elders.
This video and cultural
coordinator in San Jose, California is more than just interesting Spanish lyrics
and cultural beats. He was chosen to become part of NALAC and MALI, two truly
important art organizations. Luna is also part of TIGRA, a transnational
organization that looks out for immigrant workers. He is a volunteer of the 5th
Avenue Organization of New York and works for a non-profit organization called
Silicon Valley De Bug. He has taken community involvement by the horns and has
started a cultural program called Cultura En Tu Idioma where he blends
contemporary music with roots music. Luna has even made a documentary about the
Migra Punk Scene and the Spanish Hip-Hop Scene in San Jose, California. Mex Tape
has taken influences from every aspect of every place he has ever been, every
artist he has ever heard, and every culture that he has been exposed to within
his lifetime and has turned those influences into art, music, and inspiration
for all who are willing to experience the transnational mentality of such a
graffiti poet.
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