Mexiclan - Mexiclanos Unidos (2005/2019)

Many of the Latino rappers who fared well among non-Latino audiences back in the '80s and early '90s -- Cypress Hill, Mellow Man Ace, Funkdoobiest, Lighter Shade of Brown, among others -- rapped in English more than Spanish. And in the 21st century, there are still plenty of U.S.-based Latino MCs who can flow en español but spend more time rapping en ingles. But the Mexican urban regional trend, like reggaeton in the Caribbean or castellano rap in Spain, is dominated by Spanish lyrics and caters to Spanish-speaking audiences; some urban regional artists rap in Spanish exclusively and are no more worried about the English-language market than Banda el Recodo or los Huracanes del Norte. But Mexiclanos Unidos, Mexiclan's second album, is one of the more bilingual urban regional discs. This Los Angeles-based duo has no problem integrating Spanish and English lyrics -- and even though Spanish has somewhat of an advantage on this CD, there are still plenty of lyrics en ingles. Actually, listening to Mexiclanos Unidos is a lot like overhearing a conversation among very bilingual Mexican-Americans in East L.A. or the Blue Island section of Chicago; Mexiclan constantly goes back and forth between Spanish and English and demonstrates that they genuinely enjoy both languages. They also demonstrate that they appreciate more than one type of music; their grooves (which are funky yet polished) and rapping style owe a lot to West Coast rappers like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Too Short, and DJ Quik, but they incorporate Latin influences ranging from salsa and cumbia to norteño (although Mexiclan's members have stressed that on Mexiclanos Unidos, they don't use nearly as much norteño-style accordion as they did on their first album). Mexiclanos Unidos is slightly uneven, but on the whole, it is a respectable, intriguing sophomore effort for the Mexican-American MCs.