Kumar is a Cuban musician who was born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

in 1984. He also appeared as an actor in

Benito Zambrano Benito Zambrano (Lebrija, 20 March 1965), is an awarded Spanish screenwriter and film director. His film '' Habana Blues'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. He studied at Escuela Internacional de Cine ...

’s movie ''

Habana Blues ''Havana Blues'' (''Habana Blues'') is a 2005 Spanish and Cuban film by Benito Zambrano which tells the story of two young musicians in Cuba. The film revolves around their music and contains criticism of problems in Cuba such as poverty and elec ...

'', and his song "No Se Vuelve Atras" is featured in the movie’s soundtrack.

History

Kumar started his career in 1998, performing in a collective called Duros Como el Acero (Hard as steel). At that time, Kumar adopted his first rapper nickname, “El Menor”. He became part of the Familias Cuba Represent collective and appeared on several albums and compilations. This collaboration was the trigger that reinforced his decision to make his living playing music. In 2003, he produced his first solo songs’ demo under the name of Kumar. He is currently part of the artist’s collective Interactivo, which involves famous Cuban artists from the new fusion scene such as Yusa, Telmary, William Vivanco and producer Roberto Carcassés. Very close from other Cuban artists of his generation, Kumar participated in the Havana Cultura Tour in Ibiza during summer 2008, accompanied by the R&B style singer Diana Fuentes and the DJ Erick Gonzalez.

Performances and Releases

In 2004, Kumar recorded the song No Se Vuelve Atras with the artist

Telmary Diaz Telmary Díaz (March 10, 1985), better known as simply Telmary, is a Cuban rapper, musician, and spoken-word artist. Early life Although now hailed by many as the most authentic rapper in Cuba, Telmary began life quite differently. Born in Cuba ...

and the band Qvalibre. This song was included in the soundtrack of the movie ''

'', in which Kumar played a supporting role. In April 2005, he recorded the song Rompe Cadenas, along with the Spanish group

Ojos de Brujo Ojos de Brujo was a nine-piece band from Barcelona who described their style as "jipjop flamenkillo" ( hip hop with a little flamenco). The band sold over 100,000 copies of their self-produced ''Barí'' album and received several awards, among t ...

. The song featured Roberto Carcasses (

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

) and

Yusa Yusa is a Cuban singer and songwriter, born in the Buena Vista district of Havana, Cuba. Her music is recognised worldwide : in 2003, she was nominated at the prestigious BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in two categories (Best Newcomer and Best o ...

(bass) and was recorded in the Abdala studios. The first solo album of Kumar, ''Película de Barrio'', was released in 2009 under the independent label Diquela Records/Universal. He features several collaborations with Cuban artists and the Spanish group

Awards

*2004 : Nomination at the Lucas Prizes (Cuban video clip festival) for the song Ves. *2006 : “Best Rap / Hip-hop Demo” and “Audience award” at the Cuerda Viva Prizes.

References

havana-cultura.com

External links

youtube.commyspace.comcubanmusicawards.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar 1984 births Living people Cuban rappers Musicians from Havana 21st-century Cuban male singers