Celebrated as a groundbreaking MC in Latin America, Ana Tijoux blends her French-Chilean background with myriad other influences in "1977," a crazy quilt of rap, rhythm, strings and sentiment.
Tijoux first burst onto the Santiago scene at 14 while MCing for the politically minded hip-hop group Makiza. After taking some time away, Tijoux slowly reemerged thanks to the support of taste-making artists such as Thom Yorke, Bajofondo, Control Machete and DJ Bitman. It wasn't long before Tijoux made a name for herself in the U.S., too, with her work on Julieta Venegas' "Eres Para Mi."
Named for the year of her birth, "1977" (from the album of the same name) takes listeners on a tour through the rapper's entire life. Her reminiscences, layered over slinky jazz and hip-hop, make for an unpredictable concoction that translates easily into any language.
This feature originally ran July 26, 2010.
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