One term that is being used more and more in the Latin music world is "urban regional." Combining the terms "urban contemporary" and "regional Mexican," urban regional generally refers to Mexican-American rappers and singers who have been influenced by Latin music (especially regional Mexican) as well as R&B, hip-hop, and perhaps dance-pop. The term has often been used in connection with rappers like Jae-P,
Akwid,
Kinto Sol, and
David Rolas, and it has also been applied to
Yolanda Pérez (an adventurous banda singer with R&B and hip-hop influences). Of course, Mexican-American rap isn't something brand new; the trailblazing
Kid Rock wrote the book on Chicano hip-hop back in the '80s. But while
Rock -- like
Cypress Hill,
Tha Mexakinz, and
Lighter Shade of Brown -- favored mostly English lyrics,
Infierno a la Gloria and many other urban regional discs are totally in Spanish. This debut album by the southern California-based
Locura Terminal is very much a product of a Mexican-American environment; the rap trio's members sound like they grew up in an area where you were likely to hear
Dr. Dre and
Snoop Dogg in the streets and
La Banda el Recodo or
Los Tigres del Norte at home. Though the lyrics are strictly en Español, the grooves and beats have a strong
Dre/
Snoop/
Warren G flavor -- which isn't to say that this CD is strictly G-funk with Spanish lyrics. Musically,
Locura's tracks have plenty of Latin influences as well; the MCs aren't afraid to incorporate some cumbia and salsa as well as Mexican norteño. In fact, "Me Vale Madre" even features the norteño group
Oro Norteño. Some of the tunes tackle social issues ("Aborto," for example), while others are party jams. But either way,
Infierno a la Gloria is a generally decent, if slightly uneven, example of the Mexican-American/urban regional side of Spanish-language rap. ~ Alex Henderson