Catching Calle 13 On Their Own Terms

Led by step brothers rapper/lyricist Residente (Rene Perez Joglar) and multi-instrumentalist Visitante (Eduardo Martinez), Calle 13 has defied being pigeonholed by creating original politically and socially charged music that isn’t easily labeled as hip hop, reggaeton, electronica, pop or electronica.

They create sophisticated dance music that speaks to the mind as well as the feet.  The duo has been nominated for 10 Latin Grammys for their latest recording “Entren Los Que Quieran”.

Calle 13 brought their highly anticipated show to The Fillmore last week.  After making the crowd wait more than an hour, a shirtless Residente stormed on the stage, showed off his rippled abs and fired off rhymes like smoking bullets.  He was backed by a full tight band consisting of drums, bass, guitar, two horns, female rapper (their sister Iliana “PG-13”) and two percussionists led by Visitante on guitar, keyboards and electronics.   Residente led the sold out Fillmore crowd on a exuberant call and response on many recognizable tunes from their past recordings as well as “Entren Los Que Quieran”.  Although the energy of the show recalled a high wired hip hop show, the music reflected the many diverse influences that Calle 13 integrate into their sound.