Dance Crip (2021) – Trueno

And if we pay attention (in the video), we can see graffiti that says: “Is he the most stuck-up guy?” He (Trueno) definitely is!

– Megastar article

My son introduced me to the Latino urban style hip-hop / rap song Dance Crip a while back. I was immediately hooked on the dance beat and melody. I remained dubious about presenting it here because of some ‘unseemly’ aspects of the video especially towards the end but they are offset by some entertaining moments with his family no less. Trueno takes a tour of the La Boca neighborhood, where we can see the artist riding his bicycle and meeting important figures who are part of his life: his grandmothers, his father, and his friends from Comuna 4 in the City of Buenos Aires, who appear behind him, accompanying him while he raps.

Dance Crip came on my earphones at the gym the other day and I found myself dancing to the rhythm during my warm-up. That was when I decided – ‘let this baby rip’. So here we are today. At the end of this post, you’ll find the original video release, followed by a live concert version that genuinely took me by surprise – thanks to its superb sound quality, backing vocals, and overall presentation. You’ll also see another track from the same album, performed with fellow Argentine artist Nathy Peluso – a name that regular readers of this blog will surely recognize. The song is titled Argentina.

The famous rapper Mateo Palacios, better known as Trueno, released Dance Crip on his second studio album Bien o Mal (Good or Bad) in 2021. It encourages one to move their body to the rhythm of the crip walk which, in case you’re unfamiliar with it, is a dance style originating from and related to gangsta rap from the West Coast of the United States. Trueno presents this Dance Crip as an anthem of his own personality, an invocation of the spirit of founding trap (a subgenre of hip-hop music that originated in the Southern United States in the 1990s), in an Argentine and neighbourhood adaptation.

Below is a crude English translation of the lyrics:

Ayy, hehe
Ayy, what’s happening?
You know who, you know who
What a good song, my friend, “DANCE CRIP”
You know who, you know who
Ayy, what’s happening?
You know who, you know who (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Help me with this, my friend

[Chorus: Trueno]
On the street, they know me as hip-hop, the hippie, the real dance crip
The face of the youth in the country
Is he the hottest guy? What the fuck is this?
And your county number? Ñeri, four-four-four-four

[Verse 1]
Oh, you already, oh, know, oh, how, mmm, know, oh
Playing in the bare bones, what do you think about it?
Let the label know so they can get ready (Okay)
Because the street is crying out for salsa
Compás with peace, comparsa
A little good and a little bad on the scale
Millionaires want to buy my hope?
Ha! Not even fifty million is enough, uh (Uh)
ATR-vid, gangsta (Uh)
The promise like Leo Messi at Barça
The only one who listened to rap from his belly, dude

[Refrain]
Mommy, I’m the spokesperson
You know who, you know who
The whole world heard me
You know who, you know who
Four-four-four-four in the ghetto, it’s me
Shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em
Who’s a rapper but me?
What, what, what? Haha

[Verse 2: Trueno & Ayelen Zuker]
And now they all want fame, they want money
TR1, a roof and a bed, and a kiss from their mom, mmm-mmm
At the top it’s not cold, no drama (Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
These are the labels that call me and that I leave for tomorrow, okay
Shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em
I come from the Puna, I brought bread for my friend, okay
Shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em up, shake ’em
Ah, yoh, poor competition, Trueno wins without winning (Uh-uh)
I travel through America on the Pan-American Highway (Uh-uh)
Shake ’em up, shake ’em up, my bae, hey (Shake ’em up, shake ’em)

References:
1. Trueno lanza su nuevo temazo “Dance Crip”, un himno al pop con challenge de TikTok incluido – Megastar
2. Trueno (rapper) – Wikipedia

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand