Máxima Alerta is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cubans, Cuban desc ...

fusion music band known for its merging of Cuban

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

, or

Cubaton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

, with traditional

Cuban music The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban mu ...

and other Latin musical genres.Sullivan, Al (October 16, 2016)
"Trash truck worker competes for a Latin Grammy: Local Cuban exile fulfills dream as musician"
. ''

The Hudson Reporter ''The Hudson Reporter'' is a newspaper chain based in Hudson County, New Jersey. ''The Hudson Reporter'' publications mainly focus on local politics and community news. The oldest newspaper in the chain is the '' Hoboken Reporter'', founded in 1983 ...

''.van Boeckel, Rik (September 19, 2006)
"Reggaeton a lo Cubano: From Cuba to the Rest of the World"
'LA'Ritmo.com: Latin American Rhythm Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2018. The band, founded in 1999 by Ray Machado in

Santa Clara, Cuba Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara Province, Villa Clara. It is centrally located in the province and Cuba. Santa Clara is the List of cities in Cuba, fifth-most populous Cuban city, with a population of nearly ...

, is credited, along with the band

Cubanito 20.02 Cubanito, also known by the former name Cubanito 20.02, is a Cuban reggaeton/ cubaton band. The band is credited, along with the band Máxima Alerta, with popularizing cubaton, though Cubanito is influenced more by Jamaican music, whereas Máxim ...

, for popularizing Cubaton. Stylistically, it is known for its incorporating

son Cubano Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are th ...

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

, merengue, and

Cuban rumba Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, ...

, as well as styles and forms such as

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

."Everyone's invited to a special concert by Maxima Alerta"
''The Hudson Reporter''. August 5, 2017."Maxima Alerta"

Lusafrica Lusafrica, full name: Productions Lusafrica (French for ''Lusafrica Productions'') is a multinational independent record label company based in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1988 by José da Silva (born in 1959 in Praia, Cape Verde), ...

. Retrieved March 21, 2018. After the band was banned from performing in Cuba, Machado emigrated to

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where it resumed performing in 2011, playing in local venues such as the

Park Performing Arts Center The Park Performing Arts Center is a cultural center located at 32nd Street and Central Avenue in Union City, New Jersey, United States. Originally built by a church parish, it became a non-profit organization in 1983, and hosts appearances of l ...

and Maxwell's, and at New York City locations such as

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...

History

1999 — 2011

Ray Machado, the founder and lead singer of Máxima Alerta, was born in

, a busy city in the center of Cuba where

music gained popularity among the young, often marginalized and vilified youth culture (and where it is sometimes spelt "regueton" or "reggae town"), and merged with local influences to be called

. Machado graduated in 1997 as an audio engineer from the Instituto Cubano de Radio y Television in Havana. He worked as a concert sound engineer for acts including Cándido Fabre, Paulo FG, and El Chispa y sus Cómplices. He founded the

fusion band Máxima Alerta on June 20, 1999 in Santa Clara, serving as lead singer, musical director, and composer of most of the songs for the group. For four years Machado (aka "El Italiano") and his bandmates, Francisco Pantaleón (aka "El Panta") and Yoslin Aleman (aka "Mister Show") practiced together, working to develop their unique sound and build a following. Marcos Daniel Prado, a singer trained at the Fagot school, joined them in 2002. In 2003 Máxima Alerta debuted on national radio and television stations with two songs, "Echar pa' lante" and "Adegüello 1895", both of which attained national popularity. According to Machado, hip hop began to gain popularity in Cuba in the 1980s, though rap was forbidden by the Cuban government because it was feared that it could be used for counter-revolutionary activities.

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

changed his mind when hip hop became popular among the Cuban youth, especially among black Cubans. In time, the

Castro government The political career of Fidel Castro saw Cuba undergo significant economic, political, and social changes. In the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and an associated group of revolutionaries toppled the ruling government of Fulgencio Batista, forcin ...

came to see rap music artists as potential new revolutionaries, provided that they produced lyrics that cast the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

in a positive light. While still in Cuba, Machado touched upon this by saying, "We don't rap about the political situation. Rap is a special way to talk about the situation in the country. On Cuba there are about 300 hip hop groups; and they all take a different line. We like more commercial raps. We want our raps to also be heard outside of Cuba. Cuban hip hop and reggaeton is strong enough to get success outside of Cuba just like what happens today with son and salsa." During a concert in

Cumanayagua Cumanayagua () is a municipality and town in the Cienfuegos Province of Cuba. It is located in a valley near the Guamuhaya Mountains (usually these mountains are referred as Escambray Mountains, east of Cienfuegos, the provincial capital. Histor ...

, the band met Flipper, a member of the reggaeton band

, who told them that the Cubanito label was looking for other groups. At a later anniversary concert for the Radio Taino program ''Cuba tonight'', the band was noticed by the artistic director of the French record label

, and arranged for the band's first CD, ''Llegaron los Alertas'' to be recorded at

Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his int ...

's Abdala Studios. It was released in April 2005. The album features such singles as "Echar pa'lante" ("Go Forward"), which mixes an old revolutionary ballad by

Carlos Puebla Carlos Manuel Puebla (; 11 September 1917, Manzanillo – 12 July 1989, Havana) was a Cuban singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a member of the old trova movement who specialized in boleros and patriotic songs. Biography Born into a mo ...

about

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

with hip hop and

; and "Machete", a crossover of

and salsa trumpets with a hip hop beat that centers on an old farmer cutting sugar cane with a machete. The album was nominated for Best Album Rap, Dance and Hip Hop at the Cubadisco awards festival. In 2009, the band's song "La Figura" ("Ay Lola"), which Maxima Alerta recorded with the

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

group Gente de Zona, rose to the top of the charts. In 2011, Máxima Alerta released the CD ''Alertas para Todos'', recorded and produced by Nando Pro in Havana. Six of the fourteen tracks on the album featured special guests Yulien Oviedo and Dante; Alexander Delgado y Randy Marcos; Sisto Llorente "El Indio". The CD also features a song dedicated Cuban baseball player and Olympic gold medalist

Victor Mesa The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

. Around this same time, at the height of the band's popularity,

Cuban government Cuba has had a socialist political system since 1959 based on the "one state – one party" principle. Cuba is constitutionally defined as a Marxist–Leninist state. The present Constitution of Cuba, which was passed in a 2019 referendum, also ...

informed the band that a lyric in one of its songs, which mentioned "Cuban girls wanting American men," was incompatible with

communist philosophy Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...

. Machado refused to modify the song, and the group was banned from performing for eight months. Machado, then 39, emigrated to the United States, where he applied for

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

in 2011.Di Ionno, Mark (November 29, 2016)
"Fidel Castro is dead, but scars remain in Union City"

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

2011 — present

Maxima Alerta performing at a SOLD OUT concert at La Havana 59

In the United States, Machado moved into a basement apartment with his father in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.West New York West New York is a town in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 52,912. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates ...

, and found work as a day laborer, and then as a sanitation truck driver for the Union City Department of Public Works, in order to support his wife and two daughters. Machado has commented on life in his adopted country by saying, "People say that I am the happiest garbage man they've ever see. And some ask me how I can do that kind of work. I tell them, I am proud and grateful to have a job by which I can support my family. How can I not be happy? I'm blessed. Listen, I live in the greatest country in the world. I have two beautiful daughters, and a loving wife. I love what I do. What else can I ask for?" Nonetheless, in regards to his music, he stated, "After four years of not performing, I thought my dream was gone." After Machado's father died, he decided to reform Máxima Alerta. In October 2015, the band performed in two sold-out concerts in New York City with merengue singer

Fernandito Villalona Fernando Villalona, the first artist named "El Mayimbe" (born in Loma de Cabrera, Dajabón Province on May 7, 1955, Ramón Fernando Villalona Évora), is a Dominican merengue singer who began singing in the early 1970s, his popularity started ...

. In 2016, the band released the song "Vive la Vida", its first song recorded in the United States. In subsequent months, the group sold out concerts at

Maxwell's Maxwell's, last known as Maxwell's Tavern, was a bar/restaurant and music club in Hoboken, New Jersey. Over several decades the venue attracted a wide variety of acts looking for a change from the New York City concert spaces across the river. Max ...

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

, and another concert with Latin bachata singer Anthony Santos at Union City's

. That same year, it played at the New York City venues Drom and

, performed during the Cuban Parade of New Jersey, and made television appearances on stations including

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...

and

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

. That same year, "Vive la Vida" was included in the first round of voting for the

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

for Best Urban Fusion. In 2016, the band released the single "Que Viva USA", a tribute to its adopted home country. The video for the single, released in October that year, was directed by Brandon Medina, and produced by Melu Films,Medina, Brandon (October 22, 2016)
"Que Viva USA"
Máxima Alerta/Melu Films,

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. Retrieved March 21, 2018. the production company of actor/singer/filmmaker

Lucio Fernandez Lucio P. Fernandez is a Cuban-American politician and entertainer, who works as the Commissioner of Public Affairs in Union City, New Jersey, where he serves under Mayor Brian P. Stack. He is also an artist, author, singer, actor, dancer, playwrig ...

, the

Commissioner of Public Affairs The Walsh Act is a legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits local government, municipalities to adopt a non-partisan City commission government, commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey W ...

in Union City,DeChiaro, Dean (March 24, 2013)
"The dancing commissioner: UC's Lucio Fernandez heads the arts renaissance in North Hudson"
. ''The Hudson Reporter''. who also serves as the band's manager and one of its vocalists. Fernandez's wife, Megan, a dancer and instructor who appeared on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'', appears as one of the dancers in it.

Influences and style

The band is credited, along with the band

, of popularizing the Cuban form of

, or

, and is known for its incorporation of musical genres that include

, and merengue. It also incorporates musical styles and forms such as

and

. Machado described Máxima Alerta's fusion of genres by saying, "We mix American hip hop with son, salsa, merengue, cumbia and reggae. Today, we call our music reggaeton." Compared to Cubanito 20.02, Máxima Alerta is influenced more by traditional

than by

Jamaican music The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles. Reggae is especially popular through the international fame of Bob Marle ...

. The band's music pays homage to

Elio Revé Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dr ...

, the singer of the

changüí ''Changüí'' is a style of Cuban music which originated in the early 19th century in the eastern region of Guantánamo Province, specifically Baracoa. It arose in the sugar cane refineries and in the rural communities populated by slaves. ''Chang ...

, which, like son Cubano, originated from the

Oriente Province Oriente (, "East") was the easternmost province of Cuba until 1976. The term "Oriente" is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country, which currently is divided into five different provinces. Fidel and Raúl Castro were born in a sm ...

, the eastern part of Cuba. Machado comments however, on the necessity of judiciousness when merging styles so that they complement one another, saying, "It's not easy to mix hip hop with Cuban music. You have to listen carefully to see if it stays in the same line with the Cuban clave, the basis of our traditional music. You cannot copy gratuitously another style. There are rappers who try to imitate American gangsta style. That's ridiculous because there are no gangs here. Others' raps deal with living in the ghetto and working in the sugar industry as well as about going to the beach, parties, beautiful women and the beauty of Cuba."

Discography

Albums

*''Llegaron Los Alertas''"Maxima Alerta Discography"
Discogs. Retrieved March 21, 2018. *Alerta Para Todos (2011)

CD Universe CD Universe.com is an e-commerce site that sells music CDs, mp3 downloads, movies, and video games worldwide. CD Universe also offers a wide selection of miscellaneous items such as stuffed animals, jigsaw puzzles, board games, etc. History CD ...

. Retrieved March 21, 2018. *''Vive La Vida'' (2015)"Maxium Alerta Album Discography"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved March 21, 2018.

Guest appearances

*''Cuban Reggaeton CD'' (2009) *''Oro: Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor CDs'' (2012)

Singles

*"Llegaron Los Alertas"

Awards and achievements

*Named Latin Group of the Year by Communitarian Media Network *Premio ARTE 2017 award for Best Latin Band *Named New Jersey's Best Latin Group by Cine & Novelas *Union City Artist Award *Final entry at the 2016

for Best Urban Fusion

References

External links

*
Official blog
on

Blogger A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

Official page
on MySpace *Officia
Maxima Alerta
page on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

(English) *Officia
Maxima Alerta
page on Facebook (Spanish)

Videos

"Vive la Vida"

.
"Ay Lola 'La Figura'"
YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Máxima Alerta Musical quartets Cuban musical groups Reggaeton groups Cumbia musical groups Merengue music groups Son cubano groups Salsa music groups Cuban rappers Ballad musicians Musical groups established in 1999 1999 establishments in Cuba