Olmeca
Los Angeles, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF
Music
Press
"Bilingual hip hop artist Olmeca, drops an exclusive video on staying grounded and authentic in a world that can be anything but.
Putting a focus on authentic Bolivian dancers, he is able to draw from cultural roots to send a message that strikes at the core of artists and activists alike. He has collaborated with Taboo of Black Eyed Peas, Maldita Vecindad, Irene Diaz, Marisoul (Santa Cecilia), and has performed alongside KRS-One and X-Clan. Meanwhile, having spoken with folks like former Rage Against the Machine frontman, Zack de la Rocha, civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, and many others, Olmeca is able to deftly blend the roots of politically charged music with the sounds that resonate with today’s youth." - URB Magazine
“Less than two months ago, our man Olmeca dropped a video on us titled “Can’t Sleep.” We’re going to assume that’s still the case because the hard-working MC/Producer just dropped a new video on us.“Por El Suelo” further champions Brown Is Beautiful (also the title of his most recent album) with a dance routine by Bolivian dance troupe Tinkus Wapurys Tiatoco, while Olmeca raps about Latin American unity” -Remezcla - Remezcla
“Although the music of Olmeca is considered hip hop, his shows bring together a diverse audience since he mixes genres. There is no doubt Olmeca’s music is made for a new generation but it has a bit of nostalgia mixed in, a bit of traditional Latin American music along with today’s music trends…” - Al Dia News (Philadelphia)
“Olmeca breaks barriers with good music and a good message. While music enthusiasts and hip-hop lovers alike value the production quality, beats and flawless bilingual lyrical delivery. Get hyped, and don’t miss out...” –Kesta Happening DC - Kesta Happening (Washington DC)
He returns to California after a series of grand performances in Honduras, and a US tour that took him to Texas as well as parts of the Midwest. During the tour, he performed in Phoenix where he was accompanied by over 50,000 people rallying for a call on justice for undocumented families in Arizona. A year prior to that he was invited to speak alongside Dolores Huerta and Zack de la Rocha. - See more at: http://www.alborde.com/musica-section/noticias-musica/hip-hop-artist-olmeca-proclaims-brown-is-beautiful/#sthash.0lm7cYrc.dpuf - Al Borde
Sometimes, the cure for insomnia is a little social justice. At least that’s what the female protagonist discovers during a late night stroll through Los Angeles in Olmeca’s “Can’t Sleep.”
Days before the new year, the woman in question learns that the old cliché about everyone in a major city having a story to tell is actually true. Unfortunately, the stories she encounters aren’t happy stories of fame and fortune. They’re of police brutality, racism, and worse. Cue the insomnia and the call to action against injustice.
Props to Olmeca who not only directed the video... - Remezcla
“Olmeca is one of the most powerful lyricists and performers I’ve had the privilege to see. He threads stories from his past into his culture while cross weaving powerful verbal images of social ills and calls for activism. Based out of Los Angeles, Olmeca is respected by people all over the world. “ - Mass Frequency
Discography
Photos
Bio
The son of two beautiful and hard-working parents, Olmeca is a hip-hop artist / activist / educator from Los Angeles, California. He has toured the U.S., Latin American and Europe and collaborated with notable names. His bi-national experience has allowed him to perform with the likes of KRS-One, Jenni Rivera, Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Ana TIjoux. He has written music for films, documentaries and t.v. series, such as “Sons of Anarchy.”
Olmeca’s story is inspiring. Poverty filled his life. His family moved from place to place in order to find means of survival. This made them part of the “cheap urban labor market” that gave Olmeca an insight to realities too often hidden from mainstream narratives. Olmeca’s family settled in Rosemead, CA, a gang training ground in Los Angeles County. By 19, Olmeca was on his own. His family pursued employment elsewhere. Without a home, he was forced to live out of his car. This ultimately fueled his motivation to seek the root causes of the conditions he lived in. He grew up in the U.S. and Mexico, a reality that brewed Olmeca’s blending of music genres and cultural sensitivity. He graduated from Cal State L.A. with a degree in Philosophy before leaving the U.S.
Music
In 1998, Olmeca joined
L.A. based crew, Acid Reign becoming part of the infamous Project Blowed, a
home to artists such as Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, Black Eyed Peas,
Abstract Rude, Open Mike Eagle and many others.
This scene would introduce Olmeca to the likes of Living Legends,
Rhymesayers Entertainment, Dilated Peoples and other well established indie hip
hop artists. Olmeca performed with legendary MCs and took him to his first tour
throughout the Midwest ending with a performance with Kool Keith. Olmeca later became vocalist and songwriter
for the L.A. Latin soul band Slowrider. The band accompanied Ozomatli
on various tours, shared the stage with the late Joe Strummer and Maldita
Vecindad. He bridged these two
worlds, quickly helping spawn a new music trend of bilingual and “culture based
hip-hop.” This style would allow him to perform alongside Ana Tijoux in 2008
and subsequent years. His first solo
album, Semillas Rebeldes, (2006) was mainly written in the Chiapas Jungle. After
a hiatus he released “Counter Culture” (2010) collaborating with producer DJ
Pain (50 Cent, Schoolboy Q, Public Enemy), La Marisoul (Grammy winner, Santa Cecilia) amongst others. The album received some international
attention, granting Olmeca the opportunity to travel to Vancouver, Honduras, Mexico, and
Ecuador.
In 2014 Olmeca released “Brown Is Beautiful.” Since it’s release, Olmeca toured Europe (London, Madrid, Barcleona, Granada, Malaga) opening a new market for his blend of music and toured the U.S.
Other efforts
In May 2014, Olmeca was part of a national campaign that included Noam
Chomsky, Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Junot Diaz, Cornell West, and
more, bringing attention to the issues in Zapatista communities
Olmeca joined the The Coalition of Immokalee Workers during their “fast for fair-food” campaign, fasting for 5 days.
Skirball Cultural Center, honored Olmeca with an artist-teacher opportunity. Olmeca used his experiences to formulate lessons plans that incorporated art and culturally relevant material for Los Angeles Unified School District teachers. He was also a visiting artist for a counseling center working with amazing youth struggling with substance abuse and behavior.Since 2008, Olmeca worked on developing strategies for immigrant rights organizations in Arizona. He is now a strong advocate writing songs for the “Not One More Deportation” campaign, and working closely with various organization throughout the U.S.
Olmeca experiences and efforts have allowed him to be a panelist, facilitator, and keynote speaker at universities, conferences, rallies, and community spaces across the U.S. His story and community efforts have earned him accolades from professors, community organizations, and social justice dignitaries like Dolores Huerta, Luis J. Rodriguez, Naomi Klein, Zack de la Rocha, and Emery Douglas.
Band Members
Links