With a Mexican identity, and using music as the backdrop, Los Nativos brings a new element to Hip Hop. Los Nativos was established in 1996 in St. Paul, Minnesota and was also one of the original groups in the Head Shots crew (later to become Rhyme Sayers Entertainment). Since that time, they have been nominated by the Minnesota Music Awards for "Best New Band" in 1996, "Best Hip Hop Group" in 1999, and "Best Hip Hop Recording" in 2003.
The group consists of Felipe Cuauhtli, Xilam Balam Ybarra & DJ Tekpatl. Both Felipe and Xilam being the lyricists, Cuauhtli often lends live percussion talents, while Balam (the mastermind behind the production) conducts the keyboard. Needless to say, Los Nativos transports an aboriginal musical alliance while staying genuine to the Hip Hop culture. Throughout their 10+ years in existence, Los Nativos have polished their craft by taking all the music they have experienced to develop a Hip Hop structure accented by a broken Spanish and English flavor. With a conscious message, the lyrical style adds a political motivation, community awareness and current events of the world to give the listener a sense of what's going on in their world. By integrating Hip Hop, Jazz, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Tejano, Mariachi, Salsa and Cumbia, the groups delivers an original musical collage of their own.
