La Manada: “The Pack” is Making a Name in Quibdó Rap
The Quibdó Based music group is making an impact through a bold sound and even bolder vision.
Written by Edi Moya
“We envision ourselves as a school, as a platform for artists.”
-Nina Kerra
This emerging music group is making waves in Quibdó due to its originality and its eagerness to "take on the world." With a strong inclination towards rap, La Manada identifies itself as a disruptive collective in the region.
"We had our beginnings in 2020 when a group of young people, inspired by the rapper from the Cauca Department, Gran Mago Rap, gathered on Sundays at the malecón of the Chocoan capital to engage in artistic activities, not just freestyle," recounts Nina Kerra. She is one of the 11 members of the group and is known for her fashion sense and strong personality. “Back then, Chocó ArteSano (a community space for the arts) brought together a crowd at the site. Every Sunday, Chocó ArteSano was vibrant with talent as young performers filled the space.” Chocó ArteSano was an artistic project bringing kids from 10 different neighborhoods of Quibdó together for the purpose of artistic education. The goal of this project was to give artistic opportunities to kids that may otherwise fall into a lifestyle of crime.
“Initially, there were only three people,” explains JD Molana, another member of the group. “But more joined, and every Sunday without fail, we organized events in the city square.” Molana is one of the more active musicians of La Manada and has been immersed in music and theater since age 14. “However, after clashes with artisans and changes in the atmosphere, some left. To keep the spirit alive, a few of us, including myself, formed a group called LA MANADA.RAP, born out of the need to continue making music, art, and sharing with others.”
“Initially, there were only three people but more joined, and every Sunday without fail, we organized events in the city square.”
-Nina Kerra
After splintering off from Choco ArteSano, La Manada grew into a collective based on shared values. The official creation of the collective was in 2022, and they adopted the name "La Manada (“The Crew” or “The Pack”) suggested by Zander el Demente, a member of the collective, after a lengthy discussion. Within the "crew," there is a subgroup called Las Féminas de Rap. They are the women of La Manada, responsible for the work of visualization and female empowerment.
The aesthetic of La Manada is characterized by technical raps and cypher-style performances. The different members trade bars over a genre of beats ranging from Boom-Bap to Reggaeton. The group's video for Ubuntu #2 (their latest release at the time of writing) features the group rapping over a melodic trap beat. It's evident that the members are influenced by black American rappers who had a significant impact in the 90s. They draw inspiration from 2Pac, Ice Cube, and other Spanish-speaking rappers like Nach, Aldo, and El B, the latter two from Cuba. “There's a group that keeps us converging and keeps us going,” explains Molana, “and that's the Wu-Tang Clan. Because we also see ourselves as a Wu-Tang Clan, so we listen to them and try to absorb their energy."
The artistry of La Manada cannot be separated from their commitment to community engagement. They are a group that is above everything committed to making their home Quibdó a better place and are ambitious in their desires to do so. In their video "PROYECTO DE FORMACIÓN MUSICAL DE RAP ARTESANAL: QUIBDO OYERÁN DECÍ" (ARTISAN RAP MUSICAL TRAINING PROJECT: QUIBDO WILL HEAR WHAT WE SAY), they propose a project to create training schools for the development of musical projects, including production and distribution. The group argues that Quibdó is a city in which the people are violated of their rights. As many of the poorer neighborhoods of Quibdó are made up of families that have had to relocate due to violence, local governments have enacted laws that effectively colonize the relevance. Through these proposed training schools, the group aims to curb the rise of criminal gangs in the area, which they attribute to a lack of opportunity. “We aim to create "Ubuntu,” JD Molana states, “expressing unity and the strength we can achieve together, embracing our African heritage that we've overlooked while challenging the comfort of conforming.”
La Manada represents a new movement in the Latin American hip-hop scene. They see themselves as that pack of wolves that ventures out to explore the world, each with diverse personalities but sharing a common goal. "We envision ourselves as a school, as a platform for artists," explains Nina Kerra. “We aim to communicate a message of struggle, resilience, overcoming challenges, and we articulate this through our music.”
The following are the members who aim to show the country that transformation happens begins from the arts and within:
