Tego to Minneapolis

We need you. I need you.

It all started with a little Tweet after I began following Tego Calderón, the greatest reggaetón artist in the world, on Twitter. Feeling particularly empowered that day, I declared the kick-off of my mission to bring Tego Calderón to Minneapolis.

See, Latino artists don't make it up this way much and Tego, along with several other musicians that I absolutely love, has never been here. This is a damn shame because the Twin Cities are packed with lovers of reggaetón, dancehall, salsa and good hip hop; just check out one of our weekly Latin dance nights. (Actually, check out AQUA downtown this Friday. They're kicking off a new weekly "Caliente" dance night that will be an ass-shaking mix of reggaetón, salsa, bachata, hip hop and top 40. There are also 2-4-1s and $3 Coronas until midnight. It should be really hot, and you will hear plenty of Tego Calderón.)

It's also a shame because it's not just Latinos that listen to this incredible dance music. M.I.A. (maybe you've heard of her) has been borrowing beats from the Caribbean since "Hombre," which is a straight-up reggaetón song. In fact, I've been trying to figure out why Tego hasn't reached the level of popularity that world artists like M.I.A. and Damian Marley have.

Is it because he doesn't rap in English? I say who the heck cares when the man can make music like this:

(The chicken meets his end in that video, just to warn you.)

In addition to being one of the world's most talented artists, Tego is also a conscientious celebrity. In 2007, he was asked to appear in a film called "Bling", a documentary about the high price of blood diamonds. Using the hip hop culture's obsession with bling as a springboard, the film follows Tego, Raekwon and Paul Wall as they head to West Africa to talk to miners, amputees and former child soldiers who were used to plunder the blood diamonds of Sierra Leone.

But back to my mission. Joining forces with my pal and fellow mega-Tego fan Guptan, we've started a Twitter account and a Facebook group dedicated to the cause. We've got both vita.mn and District Del Sol on board to help spread the word once we find a promoter and a venue committed to a show. Any help in the promoter/venue department would be much appreciated so, if you've got contacts, please let us know. We can reach the vita.mn readership and a huge chunk of the Latino community, which are both major assets in trying to book a show here.

Oh, and Tego? He replied to my Tweet to say "I'm down!" We're going to email him this week or next, to tell him how much the Twin Cities really wants to bring Tego to Minneapolis. But we need a little help-- we need strength in numbers!

If you love Tego, please join up with us on Twitter and Facebook. We promise we won't clutter up your pages with a bunch of unnecessary crap, we'll only keep you updated on bringing Tego to Minneapolis.

If you're not sure if you love Tego Calderón or not, Tweet at us, leave a comment on Facebook or just leave a comment here saying so. We can help you out with that by recommending a few songs to download.

We can do it! We can bring Tego to Minneapolis!

Comments

[Seriousfunmpls]

Working on the business cards. I will have a few more designs for you by the end of the day.

[Christian]

That was an intriguing damn video, and I'd like to hear more of this guy. I know nothing of reggaetón except a vague memory of Mpls.' growing pains at its eruption.

[Alexis]

OK, other Tego songs that I love that I think you will enjoy:

"Llora, Llora"
"Bureo, Bureo"
"Tradicional del lo Bravo"
"Slo Mo'"
"Loiza"
"Salte de Medio"

[Deb]

I would definitely see this guy if he came to town - loved the video.

[Nite Nurse]

I am sure Maya Santamaria Lopez would love to work with you on this-she has been a musician/promoter here for years-owns El Rodeo on Lake and might soon own a spot in the warehouse district.