Bocafloja

Aldo Villegas (born 12 July 1978), better known by his stage name Bocafloja, is a rapper, poet, spoken word artist, and outspoken social communicator from Mexico City, Mexico.

Bocafloja began his musical career in the mid-1990s with the groups Lifestyle (1996–1998) and Microphonk (1999).

The number of youth that were associated with the hip hop scene during the early 1990s was relatively small, most of them knowing each other personally.

In 1993 groups of young people who were fans of hip hop in Mexico City began to come together at small house parties.

In 1995 Bocafloja began to write his own rhymes but did not start recording until 1996.

His first tracks were recorded in rudimentary home studios.

Bocafloja's early rhymes reflected his adolescence and state of maturity, mimicking the excesses of commercialism: money, women, etc. It was not until years later as Bocafloja passed through a process of political awareness, in 1999, when the content of his lyrics dramatically changed as a natural product of personal transformation.

As a solo artist since 2000, he released his demo EP album Lengua Insurrecta in 2002.

In 2002 Bocalfoja released his demo EP album Lengua Insurrecta.

The album, which established Bocafloja as a solo artist, represented a radical departure from his previous musical projects in his initial career with its politically infused lyrics.

The LP contains 6 songs and was distributed by hand and gained underground popularity by word of mouth.

Bocafloja burst on the Mexican hip hop scene with the release of his debut album, Pienso Luego Existo, in 2003.

2003 marked the release of Pienso Luego Existo whose subject matter struck cords among his peers and established Bocafloja with respect and following within the burgeoning hip hop community in Mexico City and beyond.

With many of the tracks the artist recounts his experiences of life in the second largest metropolis in the world and critiques the political and religious systems within the country.

The album spawned several hit singles which became instant classics, "Chillatown", "Los Diez Mandamientos", "Avasallando" and "Pasado, Presente, y Futuro".

Bocafloja utilized the production of ED One and collaborated with fellow MC's JR (now known as Akil Ammar), SPIA, Epik and NedMan.

Followed by the successes of Jazzyturno in 2004, A Titulo Personal in 2005, El Manual de la Otredad in 2007, and Existo: Matriz Preludio al Pienso in 2009, Bocafloja has transgressed into one of the most revered icons in the hip hop scene in Mexico.

Lyrically Bocafloja critically addresses topics such as institutionalized racism, social and political oppression, mental slavery, colonialism, and other human conditions.

In 2004, Bocafloja released Jazzyturno.

A departure from his previous album with jazz-infused beats.

Noteworthy singles include "El Día de mi Suerte" which samples Hector Lavoe's song of the same title, "Mi Gente", "Mujer Ser" and "Sector Lucido".

The album features collaborations with Akil Ammar, Miguel Contreras, Skool 77, and Ximbo.

Tracks are produced by Skool 77, Ed-One, Matheus Pinguim, Mother Tongue Productions, Nemezyz Beats, Nugit Productions, and Ximbo.

In 2005 Bocafloja released A Titulo Personal.

The album, produced in grand part by Soulman, contains tracks with a soulful feel.

The album contains the hit single "Tiempo", which has proven to be Bocafloja's most famous single.

The video "Tiempo" gained popularity with frequent media rotation on various cable and network channels in Mexico.

A Titulo Personal features collaborations with Menuda Coincidencia, Nico Royale (Italy), and Denisse of the group Anastasias (Brazil).

The album's success gave way for Bocafloja's to win the DJ & Clubbing Awards' Hip Hop Artist of the Year Award 2006 in Mexico.

El Manual de la Otredad, the artist's fourth full-length album, was released in 2007.

In this album Bocafloja experiments with a new sound, utilizing stylized mainstream hip hop beats.

It was the artist's intent to juxtapose fiercely politically charged lyrics with beats that the hip hop community would deem "commercial."

The album's singles included "Autónomo" and "Soulrebel" and contains collaborations with Malena Actitud Maria Marta (Argentina), Moyenei (Chile), Tek-One (Puerto Rico), and SieteNueve (Puerto Rico).

Bocafloja's most recent album Patologías del Invisible Incómodo, released in 2012, is a concept album which narrates the experience of the body of the oppressed as a vehicle of transgression to hegemonic structures.

Bocafloja is projected to release by 2014, a music video for each of the album's 16 tracks.

Bocafloja is recognized in Mexico as the pioneer of the utilization of hip hop culture as an alternative tool to create awareness, developing a different form for political participation that reaches and is more relevant to marginalized youth.

Bocafloja lives in New York City.

Bocafloja, like many other young people in Mexico, was first exposed to hip hop thanks to immigration patterns between the United States and Mexico.

Bocafloja was drawn to rap music from a young age even without fully understanding hip hop culture.

His initial musical influences were completely varied, referencing hip hop artists from the United States, given at the time Spanish language rappers were limited if not non-existent.