------------Los Traficantes have now two cds under their belt. This one was released in 2001 and it is again all in Spanish. This time, los Traficantes came on 12 tracks, with 42 minutes of total music. There is one short intro by Sir Dyno, but after that, it is actual songs. On their sophmore release, the veterans of the Darkroom come through with Spanish lyrics. They are short at least one member (E-Clips), but anyone could see that coming. The members who are left, plus a few new ones like Negocio (Duke), bring together 100% Spanish lyrics with classic DRF production.
____The starts off with that intro by Sir Dyno. Like some of the clips used in some songs and some songs themselves, the subject is about the racism towards the Indians in the Mexican country side. This is what the Zapatista Movement, that the Darkroom supports, is all about. The name of this track is "Mensaje" and has a weird sounding beat to it (in that it isn't a rap one, necessarily). "La Policia", like a few other songs on this cd, was already on another one, Duke's re-released "To Live and Die In the Bay". Just like before, this song is tight and has a solid bassline with lyrics to match. Next up is "Mi Cuerno" (which, from what I understand, is another name for a shotgun). It is a decent song, but not the best on the cd. The song afterwards was already featured on the A.L.G. solo "The Right To Remain Violent". The actual song is called "Nuestra Vida" and it is all about drug dealing, with the chorus (with Dyno hittin' it up) "Chivas, mimota, y cocaina... nuestra vida". Its a heated track, even though I'm pretty sure that the bassline is off of a Marc Anthony song, but I can't be too sure about that one. "El Corrupto" comes up next and continues "El Mensaje"'s cry of injustice, coming through with smooth flows and a bassline that stands strong. The message continues with the next song being "Soy Zapatista". This song uses some samples of old Mexican movies, or maybe a T.V. show, of guys standing up to the corruption of the government.
___Track number 7, which in my opinion is the best track originally on this cd, is called "Para Mis Amigos". This song features Dyno on both the mic and the console. The content of this song is about the life of Dyno, what could lie in the future, and how he plans to deal with it. The beat is laidback and the flow is as smooth as can be. He really raps about deep issues, saying things like "No se que pesa mas// Mis libras o mis lagrimas". Up next is Negocio, with the help of J-Loc on the machines, on "Las Putas de un Traficante". I literally fell to the ground laughing because this is the funniest song I have ever heard in Spanish. In classic Duke form, and if you know the language or slang, you already know that this song is about hoes. The first line starts it all off: "Quiero una puta, con tetas grandes, como melones// Que no tenga miedo cuando le bajes los pantalones". That is the funniest shit, not just the content, but how it sounds in Spanish. These two are the best songs on the cd, transplanted songs notwithstanding.
___The next three songs, "Traficando Es Mi Negocio", "Mis Valas Tienen Tu Nombre", and "La Pura Neta", are all about traficking and what the DRF would do to those who get in their way. They hold their classic gangster edge down with these songs. However, on the very last song, I have no clue what the DRF was thinking. To tell the truth, I didn't even listen to this song in its entirety. The name of it is "Vamos A Jalar" (from the little Mexican slang I know, jalar is to fuck). The beat is just plain horrible. After showing what they can do on the previous 11 songs of the cd, this song has no business being anywhere on the cd, espcially not at the end. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth and leaves you walking away from the cd with a bad feeling when listening to it for the first time.
___Besides that one horrendous song and a few samples, this is a pretty successful cd. Most of the beats are done by either J-Loc or Dyno or both. THe flows come through smoothly for most of the tracks. But for being such a short cd, they should not have had the songs from other cds. Every track should ave been original and tight. However, for a cd all in Spanish, the beats are very accessible to everyone. If you know the language, you really learn something about the corruption in the government and some of the injustices in Mexico, the reason why the DRF support the Zapatista Movement in their music and on their site. As for the raps themselves, the Darkroom shows they are no lightweights when spittin' verses in their patternal language.
