PROMO: Boom Raka/Raka

Los Rakas' debut album doubles up on both style and substance.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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If there's one thing that the boys from Los Rakas know, its diversity. Born in Panama and now based in Oakland, the duo's members, Raka Dun and Raka Rich, go way beyond bilingual. They're bicultural. 

Inspired by the Reggae in Spanish sounds of their native land (everyone knows 'Tu Pum Pum' by fellow countryman, El General), Dun and Rich reinvented that musical reggae flavor into ones that are uniquely their own. And now, after seven years of refining their work, both in the U.S. and abroad, their efforts have culminated in Los Rakas' exhilarating debut album, El Negrito Dun Dun & Ricardo.

With 14 tracks that range from hip-hop to EDM, from hard rap to soul, El Negrito Dun Dun & Ricardo illustrates the broad range of genres that Los Rakas has both been inspired by and embraced. The album has also taken a page from another beloved duo, Outkast, in splitting itself into two parts, each devoted to one artist's unique styles. Raka Dun's autobiographical riffs (tracks 1-8) deal with his experience as a Panamanian emigre in the U.S., while Raka Rich's EDM-infused tracks (tracks 9-14) sound like a seriously sexy motion picture soundtrack.

El Negrito Dun Dun & Ricardo drops on Tuesday, April 15. The afternoon before, Sirius XM Channel 506 (Flow Nacion) will be premiering three exclusive tracks at 4 PM EST. If you don't yet have Sirius, you can get a free trial by visiting http://www.siriusxm.com/freetrial. Not only that, but Los Rakas will be hosting a release party at the Los Globos night club in Los Angeles on Friday April 18, and admission is free with your purchase of the album at Amoeba Hollywood! For more details, be sure to visit here.

But you don't have to wait that long to get your Raka fix. Below, Complex premieres an exclusive commercial that gives a little taste of Ricardo's track "Hasta El Piso," and you can also scope out the official video for one of Raka Dun's tracks, "No Tan Listo" ("They Ain't Ready")

For more Los Rakas music and info, be sure to visit the boys' Bandcamp page at http://losrakas.bandcamp.com/ and website: www.losrakas.com!

 

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