Timba

It is a controversial Cuban popular rhythm, whose origins come from the racial prejudices against the Afro-Cuban cultural expressions of the 19th Century.

Timba came after the proliferation of “new rhythms” in the sixties (Pachanga, Pilon, Mozambique, etc). Cuban musical innovator Juan Formell began to introduce structural and rhythmical changes within is musical group Los Van Van, combining elements from Afro-Cuban music with others from pop music of African-American origin and from some other Latin and Caribbean genres.

One of the obstacles Timba had to overcome in its first years was the mass media censorship to its lyrics that always have reflected the reality of popular neighborhoods.

This identification with the audience is exactly the key of its success that achieved its greatest splendor during the eighties and nineties.

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