US Used Cuba’s Hip-Hop Scene To Spark Change

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Since 2009, a US government agency has worked to covertly recruit Cuba’s underground hip-hop scene to spark a youth movement against the communist government of Raúl Castro.

According to documents obtained through an investigative report by the Associated Press, the US Agency of International Development (USAID) paid millions to a Washington, DC-based company called Creative Associates International to subvert the Cuban government. They targeted some of Havana’s most notorious musicians, including two icons close to the revolutionary government and even members of the Castro family, but the program backfired, putting targets at greater risk while jeopardizing Cuba’s underground hip-hop community.

The program was initially speared by Serbian contractor Rajko Bozic, who teamed up with Aldo Rodriguez, a dreadlocked, muscled and tattooed hero in the underground hip-hop scene of Cuba. Aldo and his group, Los Aldeanos, sang powerful lyrics protesting the Castro government’s grip on everyday life. Bozic was there to turn up the volume of their protest songs and ignite a passion for change among the youth.

However, the plan backfired and documents revealed that USAID repeatedly put the lives of innocent Cubans in harms way throughout the project. Authorities would detain or interrogate the musicians, often times confiscating computers and thumb drives, which would contain material linking to the US government.

To read more, check out the FULL STORY on ABC NewS!

(Getty Images/Creative #200440205-010)

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