Cuban Rapper Records New Album in Ecuador

HAVANA TIMES, Feb 13 — Cuban rapper Raudel Collazo Pedroso, also known as “Escuadron Patriota,” has completed a new album in Ecuador. The CD is titled “The New Philosophy of Struggle” and is dedicated to the Cuban diaspora, reported Café Fuerte.

“It’s an album that speaks of the awakening of Cubans on and off the island, of the need for our unity despite our differences, to begin to influence, save and rescue our country, because the country belongs to everyone. It’s not just a party or an ideology, it’s all of us,” said the rapper from Quito.

In his songs, Escuadron Patriota, 35, presents a dramatic picture of Cuban life, openly criticizing the government of the island, which is why was banned from the stage at the International Rap Festival in Havana in 2005.

In addition to this recent CD, Collazo — a psychologist and a Rastafari — has recorded the albums Mi testimonio (2008), El legado (2009), and La raiz del cambio (2011).