Abstract:
Dating back 500 years, Cuba has been a country filled with life and culture, yet its people have
also struggled for their freedom and right to expression. Historically, music has been a way for
Cubans to express their identity as well as their dissatisfaction at social and political situations.
More recently, hip hop has played a vital role in the cultural revolution occurring in Cuba from
the 1990s to the present, and Cuban artists are laboring against oppression to protest racism and
other forms of oppression that are still relevant in Cuban society. My thesis is a playlist of hip
hop songs by different Cuban artists that address issues such as racism, racial and cultural
identity, women's rights, gender identity, freedom of speech, and the general oppression present
in Cuba.
