KCRW Premiere: Ana Tijoux’s “Los Peces Gordos No Pueden Volar”

Santiago-based MC Ana Tijoux has heart.

Since hearing her on mixtapes and demos, when I first admired her sexy rasp and slick intellectual rhymes in spanish and french, I could only make out a few words but felt she was coming from a deeper place – a deeply rooted place.

Similar feelings were evoked by Lauryn Hill during the golden era of North American hip hop in the 90’s. Going back even further, Tijoux’s sound shares in the concept of Fela Kuti’s seminal afro-beat genre, and the songs that led to the exile of Miriam Mekeba, and could be heard through the streets of Soweto during Apartheid — revolution riding a heavy groove.

Having tasted a slice of political turmoil through the experience of parents who fled from Chile to France after the Chilean Coup de’tat in 1973, Ana’s awareness and concern expressed in her savvy, poignant lyrical arsenal is only natural.

With 3 critically acclaimed solo albums in and credits like FIFA World Cup, Breaking Bad, MTV Iggy, etc, she’s poised to step her game up with a new project titled “Vengo“.

The title track swept through radio and the blogosphere with weighty boom bap and a lyrical slap, garnering positive praise from press and fans excited to hear more.

With the next single, “Los Peces Gordos No Pueden Volar“, Tijoux further illustrates the point of KRSONE’s Edutainment idiom – you can say something meaningful and still rock a party.

“True to your values you must be, walk down that path and resist..” – revolution riding a heavy groove.

Ana Tijoux performs at Echoplex March 21.