Akwid is a Mexican hip hop group combining hip hop-style vocals with regional Mexican music. An earlier incarnation of the group was known as Juvenile Style. Rappers Francisco "AK" Gómez and Sergio "Wikid" Gómez, who make up Akwid, are brothers, originally from Jiquilpan, Michoacán, now live in Los Angeles, California. Before becoming Akwid both "AK" and "Wikid" were part of a former rap group named the "Head Knockerz" with other group members Sabu and John John
Early life
Sergio and Francisco Gómez were born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, Mexico. Relocated to the United States of America at the ages of five and three years. They are not twins, Sergio is older. They grew up a mile West from Down Town LA in an area now known as Westlake South. Sergio Gomez and his siblings attended 10th St Elementary and Berendo Junior High. Educated later on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, they discovered a musical talent and a great concern among the worlds of Hip Hop. They were recognized and aggressively pressed the fusion of music and culture. Akwid gave life and the identity of people who today represents youth between communities worldwide. Appointed pioneers of the genre, humbly Gómez brothers are in the world of creation and expression through music. Conquering one to see with a unique style to others.
Discography
Their Second album, Proyecto Akwid, won two Billboard Prizes and a Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Their 2004 albumHoy, Ayer, and Forever remixes several songs from the album2002 A.D. using their more recent style, incorporating regional Mexican music. Their 2004 album KOMP 104.9 Radio Compa is in the form of a broadcast on a fictitious radio station that plays only Akwid, and their 2005 album Los Aguacates De Jiquilpan is in the form of a fairy tale explaining their arrival from Mexico to the U.S.. They are currently signed to Universal's Machete Music. Their song, "¡Chivas Explosivas!" is the official anthem for Club Deportivo Chivas USA of Major League Soccer. Akwid's music, such as their song "No Hay Manera," has had heavy cultural and musical impact, and was part of a Mexicanization of Los Angeles into "Nuevo L.A." "No Hay Manera" first became popular in 2003, and was played on both U.S. urban and Mexican regional radios, which, at the time, was a breakthrough for Mexican-American hip-hop. Furthermore, "No Hay Manera" began the slow addition of hip-hop into Mexican music. The song features rapping, in Spanish, over a distinctly Mexican style of band music. Ethnomusicologist Josh Kun separates "No Hay Manera" into three different musical layers: the hip-hop style lyrics, the use of a banda orquesta sample, and the use of "Te Lo Pido Por Favor." Each of these layers has its own influences, and all together, create a hybrid of Mexican and American styles. The lyrics of the song draw heavily from an African-American hip-hop style, and also from the popular Chicano style of rapping. The banda orquesta, on the other hand, is a Mexican band that mixes the structure and sound of American big bands with Mexican orchestras, and quickly became the symbolic music of Mexicans living in the U.S. in the 1990s. Lastly, "Te Lo Pido Por Favor," sung by Juan Gabriel, was regarded as a national symbol of Mexican music. Its use indicated a meshing of Mexican and American identity. These layers are important, because Los Angeles was the center of Mexican and African American or American music. Akwid's music is a representation of the strong Mexican identity within Mexican-Americans living in the United States. Unlike many other immigrants, Mexicans retain a deep connection with Mexico, and frequently visit the country or send money back home. Kun calls this a cross-border continuum, in that Mexican immigration to the United States is circular rather than one-way. Mexican immigrants themselves were also very reluctant to give up their culture and assimilate into the United States. In "No Hay Manera," Akwid raps about refusing to assimilate, and reconnecting with their Mexican roots. Overall, Akwid's music is representative of the cultural hybridity occurring in Los Angeles in the late 20th century.
