Argentine cultural analyst Camila Caamaño writes a plea to the trap gods in The rhythm does not forgive (Caja Negra), the essay that confirms the existence of a generational movement that capitalized on this subgenre: "Perhaps therein lies the charm: in its beginnings, trap was the possibility to challenge history".
Caamaño was not the only one who felt the call of the beat. Or the possibility of establishing a civilization on the opposite shore of the genre known as indie. How can Yung Beef not be more interesting than Arde Bogotá? "I approach art in a passionate way and soon forget and want to discover something new. With trap, it lasted a bit longer. In early 2019, at a rather small show by Neo Pistea, I said: 'This is history'. I realized I needed to document it," justifies the enchantment. It coincided with Amadeo Gandolfo, a doctor in Social Sciences, at the same stop: both were trying to confirm intuitions about the guys who had invaded the music industry, guys like Neo Pistea, Duki - the great star of Argentine trap - or Polimá Westcoast. And they ended up co-authoring the research that traces the origins and trends for the first family book of Argentine trap.
The peak moment of the Argentine scene is marked, precisely, by Duki. "When Bad Bunny does the remix of Loca. That's when he realizes it's not a game. That they are being watched from the outside." Ernesto Castro approached Camila and Amadeo's study in 2021 with Trap: Millennial Philosophy for the Crisis in Spain (Errata Naturae). "He writes the book from home. He doesn't go to shows. And for a gender issue: the book is constantly talking about men and briefly mentions women in one chapter," adds Caamaño. Castro did get it right - they admit - with the title. "The rise of trap has to do with the economic crisis in Argentina," says Gandolfo. "It was very marked by a certain neglect. Some trap themes have to do with money, survival, being stuck, and take on a unique characteristic in Argentina. Trap becomes a possibility to overcome the Argentine havoc."
"Nathy Peluso's attempts to attract attention are ridiculous. You can't erase your Argentine identity"
The expression "urban music" appears only once in The rhythm does not forgive. They consider the label racist, used from the beginning to mark the scene due to its members' relationship with the street. There are other differences with Spain. "Here, everyone wanted to be idols and stars. There were no crews, groups with producers or filmmakers, it generated an empty product. In Spain, it starts earlier. In fact, the book had a lot of Spanish trap, and we ended up editing it to mention the Argentines who are making a career here," says Camila. Like in the book, Amadeo Gandolfo engages in conversation with her. "In Spain, Yung Beef founds La Vendición, a self-managed trap label. Here, a native label that brought together the scene arrived late."
Trap is a movement, in addition to being musical, performative. Almost everyone understands the ambition of its members to establish a narrative. But almost no one understands the musical injection of its emergence. "I am interested in the performative aspect," considers Camila. "The absolute protagonism of the idol who brings it is important. Today, bands of music are back. But trap was the space of the idol." For Amadeo, trap also brought new sounds. "New production techniques, ways of creating sound. It is characterized by the use of certain faster rhythms than in hip hop. Also by putting Autotune in the foreground, which until then was used as a tool to hide the voice."
The conversation between the two authors coincides at a critical point: the criticism of Bizarrap, the Argentine producer who makes music in his room. "The three or four good experiences are thanks to the guest artist, not him. It has an expiration date," Camila Caamaño asserts, being categorical: "I don't like it." There is barely a line dedicated to Nathy Peluso in the book. "It is omitted," Caamaño points out. "Corashe", the long shot song, "is an interesting piece. It mixes bolero with trap and Mexican elements. What happens with Nathy Peluso is that her attempts to attract attention seem ridiculous. Everyone sees her. Also, in Argentina, we don't like deterritorialization. We are very nationalist. You can't erase your identity and be a mix of Antillean, Caribbean, Spanish, and Argentinean and have all the good things from each but none of the downsides."