Bravery and resilience in Despierta by Snow Tha Product

Suzette Attopley

The adoption of Hip-Hop musical culture by Mexican-Americans dates back to the 20th Century. The same period marks Mexico's official acknowledgment of Africa as the third root of its mixed cultural composition (McFarland 939). Furthermore, a not-so-recent study showed that second-generation Hispanic immigrants in the US tend to resort to "expressive entrepreneurship" as a means to "circumvent labor market uncertainties" (Fernández-Kelly and Konczal 1154). Specifically, it showed that they support artistic expressions such as Hip-Hop, created by urban black youth. This choice offers them "a way to express dissension without danger, resistance without risk." Such alignments demonstrate how these immigrant minorities identify and associate with similarly situated members of native groups in host societies. Thus, they provide a clearer insight into the array of old and contemporary Latino Hip-Hop music that criticizes and condemns the sociopolitical injustice faced by the Latino diaspora in the US. Contemporary artists such as Residente, Calle 13, Immortal Technique, Snow Tha Product, and Taina Asili have addressed issues of ethnic and racial prejudice encountered by their fellow compatriots in American society. They also addressed the internal loops impacting their home societies negatively.

This analysis focuses in Despierta by Snow Tha Product, né Claudia Alexandra Feliciano.

Consequently, it will examine how the singer addresses the issue of Mexican-American marginalization and how she collectively urges the Mexican diaspora to eschew deep-seated internal discrimination. In the subsequent paragraphs, the analysis will take the form of a simultaneous breakdown of the lyrics and music video.

Starting with the title of the song, Despierta, which in English translates as "Wake up," Snow throws a directive to the Mexican enclave in the American society to wake up from its seemingly perpetual slumber. With each passing moment in recent times, the Chicano society seems to be losing its grip on fervent efforts to keep up with protests of its inclusion in American society. However, concerted efforts have also been made in the past. Therefore, this big urgent wakeup call goes to get the Chicanos to stay woke and keep striving towards progression. Furthermore, it encourages them to maintain the legacy of social justice that their predecessors have left behind.

The opening scene of the music video alludes to the issue of linguistic oppression as one of the principal mechanisms of the deculturation of the Mexican immigrant community.

In the video, Snow, who is to be interviewed by a television network correspondent in the oval office, pretends not to speak Spanish and warns that it is forbidden in there. Her ostensible fear of being found out reflects the kind of fear many Chicanos have experienced when faced with the challenge of disclosing their true identity. Much as they are confronted with a dual identity, they would uphold instead the American identity, which offers them security and inclusion into the dominant society. Like Anzaldúa posits, "… Chicano Spanish … is illegitimate, a bastard language" (38), a forbidden language which is associated with the vilified minority, "… los jardineros y los maids y son los Latinos que hablan español" ["... the gardeners and the maids are the Spanish-speaking Latinos"], as Snow raps.  Again, Snow associates learning English to doing away with the original Chicano culture when she says, "… aprende el inglés and you forget about home". Indeed, using code-switching in this phrase depicts the transition from Spanish to an assimilation of the dominant culture that begins with a language change. It turns out to not be a mere language change but an implicit strategy to rip a community off of its cultural capital.

Socioeconomic assimilation of the Mexican immigrant group is another aspect Snow addresses in this song. Studies have shown that after the second generation, Mexican immigrants do not continue to upgrade their levels of skilled labor and, therefore, are unable to exit poverty (Bodvarsson and Van den Berg 322). In a similar vein, the line, "… aquí me pagan por limpiar … " [" ... here I get paid to clean ... "] reiterates such notion. The Mexican-Americans are considered the right people for such menial jobs as gardeners, maids, and cleaners due to the low-level human capital base of the Mexican enclave. With the second generation also demonstrating a lack of interest in furthering their education, one would wonder the impact of older affluent members of the Mexican community on the lives of the younger generation. Also, this presents the need to assess the availability and accessibility of community resources and structures put in place to achieve progression. In this regard, progress is an assured outcome so long as unity exists, and we will evaluate how Snow addresses this in the subsequent paragraph.

The adage, "together we stand, divided we fall," never gets old. Likewise, in immigrant community contexts, there is a need for members to forge close-knit ties to promote unanimity in achieving a common goal. Similarly, Snow condemns the Chicano community for the fragmentation that exists between them. Indeed, I concur with her when she says,

… sí, tenemos el mismo objetivo pero los hispanos se apachurran entre ellos, aquí no tenemos plan de ataque pero sí de recordarles que entre ustedes hay mucho resentimiento… (yes, we have the same objective, but the Hispanics are squeezing each other, here we have no plan of attack, but we do remind you that among you there is much resentment... )

If there were indeed unity amongst them, there would consequently be cause for alarm over non-inclusive members. Unfortunately,

No, no, no nos preocupamos por la gente que no se va a unir aunque les recen (No, no, we do not care about people who will not join even if we implore them)

and en fin,

… algunos latinos metieron a Obama en esta misma silla y deportó más que todos los presidentes … [... some Latinos voted Obama into power, and he deported more people than all the other presidents ....]

Truly, unity is crucial in stirring up perspicacity.

… Yo soy Mexicana y no me asusto. Todos los latinos somos unos, si no se despiertan pronto pues ya nos llevó el chamuco … (I am Mexican, and I do not get scared.  All Latinos are one, if they do not wake up, soon they will get carried away by the devil)

These final words of the song sum up Snow's reminder to the Mexican-Americans of their bravery and resilience as a people. The words also urge them to believe and practice the desired unity necessary for their progression.

In summary, Despierta is a powerful tune to which we do not only groove, but also, it is a thought-provoking piece that reflects the plight of the Mexican-American. It takes into consideration both the perpetrator and victim of injustices in American society but focuses more on calling the victimized group to order. Heeding the lyrics of this song contributes to fulfilling its intended purpose.