This style, “like rumba and son before it, was marginal until the market made it profitable,” complains ’Cubadebate’
14ymedio, Havana, 25 May 2025 — As a genre, musical style, or a breeding ground for certain social attitudes—such as aggression or sexuality— the “reparto”* is under scrutiny by Cuban cultural commissioners. Several reports and ministerial meetings have taken place in recent weeks to address this “issue,” and this Wednesday, Cubadebate also brought it into the spotlight.
The official fear, spoken in whispers and acknowledged by Randy Alonso’s digital channel, is that the reparto will become the musical chronicle of a country in total crisis, just as reggaeton did in the past. Born and raised in that crisis, the singers have made it their main theme. They were born in humble environments, and now their music is “consumed” by everyone, “even high-level professionals,” laments the text.
The only thing left is the “cultural battle,” a duty to which the Ministry of Culture seems committed without a clear strategy. For now, the official press is leading the debate, arguing that reparto may have once embodied a form of “resistance” against the hardships of daily life in Cuba. However, they now claim it has become a defining trait for any young person, reflecting the environment they navigate.
“Prohibit or apprehend” are the two terms of the equation that the Center for the Research and Development of Cuban Music has put forward to deal with the reparto and, in general, with all urban music. The state entity attributes external origins to the phenomenon, especially in Puerto Rico and Panama.
The ’reparto’ imitates “foreign patterns” with simple, repetitive electronic bases.
Like reggaeton in the past, they claim, the reparto imitates “foreign patterns” with simple and repetitive electronic bases. Cubadebate points to the controversial “repartero” Chocolate MC as the father of the genre and creator of its most recognizable characteristics: a repertoire born from the orality – and even vulgarity – of Cuban slums.
These characteristics have made Chocolate – currently imprisoned in the United States and the source of countless controversies, crimes and rumors, including that of his recent faked death – a very popular figure among young people.
With a “crude, sexualized and sometimes violent” repertoire, the reparto represents the normalization of vulgar Cuban language, according to musicologist Xiomara Pedroso. “They are the reflection of a society where the daily struggle is in every verse,” she assures. As an example, Cubadebate also quotes a single mother, interviewed in Arroyo Naranjo, who summarizes her opinion on the topics addressed by the reparto: “How can we criticize that they talk about sex or money if that is what is missing at home?
The official press also reaches a problematic conclusion: The reparto is popular because it sells. However, they do not explain who is selling or what rules determine the market in a country where the music industry — if the term is applicable here — does not function the same way as in the rest of the world.
It also claims that more than 90 percent of Cuban teenagers prefer reggaeton and that there are no significant differences in musical taste between young people in cities and in rural areas. Incomprehensibly, they invoke the increased consumption of Latin music on Spotify, which Cubans cannot access, and mention the growing popularity of singers such as Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Anuel AA.
Cubadebate’s handling of the disturbing notion of “official values,” to which the reparto seems to be alien, dictates that cultural spaces such as the Houses of Culture, Cuban Television, and the Lucas Awards should promote alternatives to a problematic musical genre. However, it is paradoxically in these spaces where representatives of the reparto are most promoted.
“A genre born in the slums is now heard in the Lucas. Like rumba or son before it, the reparto was once considered marginal until the market made it profitable,” complains the media.
“The ’reparto’, ’trap’ or reggaeton are not the problem per se; they are rather reflections of complex social realities.
The fact that last Wednesday’s report in Cubadebate was written by multiple authors seems to explain the coexistence of divergent views within the text. While the first part of the text appears to take a critical approach to the Reparto, the second part — which views the Reparto as a “symptom” — is surprising for its sympathetic paragraphs about what the genre represents.
“The reparto, the trap or the reggaeton are not the problem per se; they are rather reflections of complex social realities. Their content should not be seen as a lack of values, but rather as a consequence of deeper issues: the rise in poverty, the lack of opportunities, and the emotional exhaustion that weakens the ethical foundtions of society.”
The university magazine Alma Mater took a more open approach to the subject. Several days ago, it claimed that it had no intention of defending or criticizing the Reparto, but rather of gathering situations that bear its imprint on today’s Cuba.
It was, ultimately, a sarcastic portrayal of the repartero Bebeshito—as controversial as Chocolate—in which the intention was to synthesize the entire guild. However, Alma Mater subtly hinted at what appears to be the State’s true concern regarding reparteros.
It is not just a matter of ethics or civility, but also of relationships with small and medium-sized enterprises and private businesses, which favor the performances of these musicians. However, even here, the official press does not dare to settle its differences with a musical proposal that it criticizes as an institution, despite the fact that—on a personal level, and these texts are the greatest evidence of it—all its journalists listen to and enjoy it.
*Translator’s note: In Cuban music, “reparto” refers to both an urban genre influenced by reggaeton and the working-class neighborhoods where many of its artists originate. This link between music and social identity shapes its lyrics and cultural impact.
Translated by Gustavo Loredo
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