Over the past year nf has worked to launch this exchange as a premier gateway event for emerging, alternative, artists from Cuba.
Our project is drawn towards creative and one-of-a kind musicians whose work is not predominantly of a commercial nature, but who see their own artistic creative process primarily as an alternative tool that helps them to position themselves socially.
Your contribution guarantees these voices uniting with those who can help them
develop sustainable careers and advancement!
What are we asking?
What are we giving?
Our goal this year is $25,000. Crowdsourced funds are the bedrock of this premier exchange-- our featured artists need your energy and we need your support!
Ticket sales cover only a fraction of what it costs to produce this month-long interdisciplinary exchange and fan support is critical. Campaign funds help nf to cover ever-increasing costs and the low ticket price of performances encourages audiences to take a chance on new and revelatory cultural dialogues, and artists, which is our mission: transcending borders and collaborating to advance the power of music to unite!
Every contribution to this campaign comes with a perk----
from the Official nf Mixtape, t-shirts, hoodies, ticket offers, private invitations,
and VIP access!
Can't join us? No worries! A virtual exchange kit is available for you.
What's the best part? A $75 donation is also your exclusive ticket to the festival’s PRIVATE CLOSING BASH: AUDIOTIERRA!!! Become a nf insider! For $250, you'll be in-the-know about the rehearsals, performance and dialogue schedule before it hits the press! What's even better? We want you to bring a new friend to AUDIOTIERRA and so we've added an extra ticket perk at the $500 level. We're throwing in “live virtual sneak-peaks”, so you can glimpse the creative process unfold as the artists collaborate at this level too!
The more you give, the better it gets-- check out the Premier Nexo Founders Circle $1000 and up benefits for VIP movie and recording access, VIP concert pass access, and a nexofonia zip-up hoodie. Donors of $1,000 or more can choose a signed work from official nf photographers, as well as participating artists: El Individuo, DJ Lapiz, and The Cuban Lions.
Your Support Will...
Your support will ensure this year’s exchange launches the necessary support of the careers of every artist we'll present. This year, if we make our goal of $25,000, additional funds will support nf artists through a nf instrument grant program.
Your contribution directly supports cultural understanding through music, the world's most universal language;
- nexofonia is an artist-centric organization dedicated to projects that help world music artists develop sustainable careers;
- nexofonia’s collaboration with the musicology department of the University of Cologne, and the subsequent partnerships to follow, will be tremendous assets for the emerging artists who showcase at nexofonia;
- nexofonia is a proud member of NALAC; a national service and advocacy organization exclusively dedicated to promoting the cause of Latino arts and culture - across disciplines and ethnicity, a portion of our proceeds is donated to support this mission.
We think you should know, this exchange, this vision, and all of nf’s programs, have been a volunteer-led effort . Support from this campaign goes directly to nf programs that support artists.
As nf strives to launch and reach new heights,
YOUR INVESTMENT (at any level) MEANS EVERYTHING.
We thank you for your generosity--we know that for many of you, your donation to nexofonia is a gift from one friend to another. We respect your time and attention and especially appreciate your devotion to the advancement of musical artists around the world.
Meet the Artists:
El Individuo
Listed by billboard magazine as one of the top "Cuban Artists You Should Be Listening to Today" we are thrilled to announce the participation of Rafael Bou Lemus, a rapper who goes by the name El Individuo.
From Cheky (@AlgodonEgipcio writing for Remezcla) "In November, Guámpara, Cuba’s first independent urban music label, added to its list of releases focused on black empowerment with El Individuo’s latest EP, simply titled Soy. “Baila” is the first single from the release, and now it’s got a joyful video, which amplifies the song’s positive message.
“With ‘Baila,’ I wanted to make a dancehall song in my own way,” says the rapper born Rafael Bou Lemus. “I wanted to create a song where I could give you advice while making you move at the same time, with Caribbean sounds. But I didn’t want it to be old school dancehall; I wanted to make dancehall with elements from Cuban music.”
With that goal in mind, El Individuo delivered big time. “Baila” booms with the power of contemporary dancehall, and an intermittent, grandiose horn arrangement evokes El Individuo’s Cuban roots. But none of the track’s instrumental finesse can overshadow the rapper’s powerful lyrics, which invite us to take control of our bodies and dance our worries away, finding inner acceptance and ultimately becoming better people."
Watch El Individuo's BAILA VIDEO HERE.
El Individuo told The FADER in an email. "We have to know where we are coming from and where this music comes from so that we can know to where we can go. Cubans have an African legacy that we can see through our music and every aspect of who we are, but in the case of rappers, I think it's double. I don't think afrodescendents left the same legacy in the United States that they did here [in Cuba], and I think that for rappers there's a mix of what impacts us. I think that's what is happening on the disc and on the track — a mix."
Watch AfroRazones Presents: Mi Raza - El Individuo Here
DJ LÁpiz
Cuba's own DJ Lapiz recently released his debut album Puro En Babilonia (PURE IN BABYLON). Lápiz boasts an incredible history of producing for some of today's greatest out of the island, including Latin Grammy-nominated singer-rapper Danay Suarez, Los Aldeanos and the new generation of MCs like Con100cia. An advocate of each one, teach one, Lápiz has also taught the younger wave of Cuban artists how to navigate the digital world by teaching them how to use platforms like SoundCloud and other social media apps. His expertise lies in the genres of reggae and hip-hop.
THE CUBAN LIONS
The Cuban Lions came together 6 years ago in Santiago Cuba. These 6 talented musicians translate their experiences of cuban life through their Reggae Roots, Dancehall, Hip Hop & Raggamuffin (Ragga) sounds. The artists include: Alejandro Perez on drumkit, Arturo Savon Sang on keys, Danel Estrada Galan on guitar, Eloy Antonio Navarro Echemendia on base, Leo Dolne Limonta on percussion, and DJ Lapiz (Alain Vazquez) on mc. Listen to "El Desierto" while watching the Lions rehearsing at the Asociación de Rap in La Habana, Cuba.
DJ Lápiz & Cuban Lions • No Te Lo Puedo Esconder (Cuerda Viva TV Session)
Other Ways You Can Help
Can't contribute financially? You can still show your love. Here are some ideas: