Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez (born 1989), known professionally as Cimafunk, is a Grammy-nominated

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

musician known for mixing

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

with

and

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...

music. His most recent album, ''Pa' Tu Cuerpa'', was released in 2024.

Biography

Rodriguez sang in church as a child, and originally planned to become a doctor like several members of his family. He attended medical school in his hometown of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

for two years, but moved to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Raúl Paz Raúl Paz (born 1969) in the province of Pinar del Río, in the west of Cuba. Commonly nicknamed the ''"French Cuban"'', he is known for having revolutionized the 21st century Cuban music. Biography Raúl Paz learned to sing listening to guajira ...

and Liuba María Hevia, and was also in the band Interactivo from 2014 to 2016. After leaving that band, he adopted the name Cimafunk, referencing the cimarróns, escaped slaves who formed self-sustaining communities in Cuba during the colonial era. His backing band featured a rotating cast of collaborators. Cimafunk endeavored to blend

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

and

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

music, with a focus on

rhythms. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' has since compared him to

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. Cimafunk self-released the album ''Terapia'' in 2017, followed by the single "Me Voy" in 2018. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' named him one of the "10 Latin Artists to Watch in 2019". Cimafunk completed a successful tour of the United States and Europe in 2019, during which time he gained significant popularity in his native Cuba. While on lockdown in 2020 during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he released several stand-alone singles and the EP ''Cun Cun Prá''. In October 2021, he released the album ''El Alimento'', featuring guest appearances by George Clinton,

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...

, and

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green or simply Cee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial pr ...

. Both ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

named ''El Alimento'' as one of the best albums of the year. The album was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the

65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...

. Cimafunk moved his base of operations to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 2022, and his backing band was reorganized under the name La Tribu (Spanish for "The Tribe"). He released the album ''Pa' Tu Cuerpa'' in 2024.

Discography

Studio albums *''Terapia'' (2017) *''Cun Cun Prá'' (EP, 2020) *''El Alimento'' (2021) *''Pa' Tu Cuerpa'' (2024)

References

{{Authority control 1989 births Living people Cuban musicians People from Pinar del Río Province