Culcha Candela

Culcha Candela is dancehall/reggae/hip-hop group hailing from Berlin, Germany. The band’s lyrical themes cover a range of issues from politics to party songs. The name “Culcha Candela” translates roughly into English as “hot” or “bright” culture. The band sports multicultural memberships, a sociopolitical agenda and a musical amalgamation of racy hip-hop, reggae and catchy Latin rhythms. Formed in Germany in 2003, it is very tough to pigeonhole this group due to their diverse genres which they incorporate into their music. The singers Larsito, Don Cali and Lafrontino hailing from Colombia; vocalist Johnny Strand is from Uganda and singer Itchy band is from Poland; vocalist Mr.Reedoo from Germany and DJ Chino con Estill from Korea. The band’s NEXT generation, the second album garnered critical acclaim for their catchy rhythms and clean production.

The music reflects the multi ethnicity, the lyrics are sung in German, English and Spanish interwoven with Jamaican and Latin rhythms, all along maintaining an addictive and distinct hip-hop sensibility. The group released its debut album, Union Verdadera in 2004, followed by “Next generation” a year later. Their greatest and probably the most famous single have to be the Reggae ton-Remix “Sientelo” with Speedy and Lumidee.