Los Rakas
| Los Rakas | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Panamanian, East Oakland, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, reggaeton, reggae, dancehall |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | losrakas |
| Members | Raka Rich Raka Dun |
Los Rakas are a bilingual Hip-Hop group made up of Panamanian cousins Raka Rich and Raka Dun based in Oakland, California. Their style consists of a mixture of Hip-Hop influences with Reggaeton, Reggae, and Dancehall. Their most recent work includes collaborating with the American New Wave band Blondie on their 2014 studio album, Ghosts of Download, where they appeared as a featured artist on the track I Screwed Up.
Both members are of Panamanian descent. The duo met in East Oakland, California at a relative's house when they were teenagers. The group began in earnest by producing and releasing mixtapes alongside remixes of other songs. They both participated in the Bay Area Video Coalition's after-school youth program for music production called BUMP, the Bay Unity Music Project. At BUMP they made and produced their own album Panabay Twist under the BUMP Records label.
Raka Rich was born in Northern California and moved to Panama City as a child, where he lived until he was 12. From childhood, he was drawn to music and seduced by the variations between sound and rhythm. Soon, he began writing his own lyrics mixing a variety of different styles.
Raka Dun is one of ten children and was raised in the barrio of Nuevo Veranillo, Panama. Raka Dun began entertaining at the age of 10, touring his home country with a traditional folkloric dance group.
Both members of the duo are proud of their Californian and Panamanian upbringing.
Los Rakas derive their name from the Panamanian slur "Rakataka," a derogatory word for someone from the ghetto, or an impoverished neighborhood. Part of the group's philosophy is to uplift and represent those from difficult backgrounds. Therefore, in regards to the name Raka Dun has explained “we decided to call ourselves Los Rakas is to show the world that not everything that comes from the ghetto is negative.”
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