Trueno Celebrates Global Hip-Hop History — And The Future — On 'El Último Baile'

When argentine rap The Trueno star stepped into the studio to do just that El Último Bailehe knew he wanted to use the record to pay homage to hip-hop's storied, diverse history.

“It started as a way to celebrate the first 50 years of hip-hop,” he says Rolling rock. “But I also feel a responsibility to represent the new school, the sound of the future.”

Across 13 songs, Trueno infuses sounds ranging from old-school funk to techno-house to straight '80s hip-hop as he takes his signature rap style out of its comfort zone. On some songs, like the standout 'Plo Plo!', he tries out his own song with Bizarrap, rethinks it and delivers something completely new. “We're the ones who have to bring the new hardware for the next 50 years,” he says.

El Último Baile marks the end of a trilogy of albums from Trueno: first came the autobiography Atrevido in 2020, led by “Sangría” with WOS. then he arrived Bien o Mal in 2022, which he says helped put Argentina's hip-hop scene on the global map. and last month, Trueno went down El Último Bailewhich he considers a tribute to the genre as a whole.

“I tried to add anything hip-hop that was influential in my life and make it a little more personal,” he says of the new LP. “It's dedicated to all the things I've learned from that culture and all the genres that are a part of it.”

Even the album cover — which sees a baby Trueno rocking braids and photoshopped piercings — is an homage to the “baby rapper” covers featured in Lil Wayne's artwork. Carter IIICome on Illmaticand the Notorious BIG's Ready to die. “It's an iconic part of hip-hop. You see a cover with a baby rapper and you quickly realize it's a hip-hop album,” he says. “It also shows with that little kid I used to be, dreaming about everything that's happening to me right now.” changes the words of the infamous sticker to “Argentine content”.

From his home in Buenos Aires, before embarking on his Latin American tour, Trueno met Rolling rock to analyze five songs from El Último Baile.

“Rain III”

This is a song that wasn't meant to be on the record. It was essentially a demo, but it also speaks to the not so party and bright side of hip-hop. I like that the album is not only a celebration because people can see what goes behind the curtain, what happens after the party, who is the person behind the music, their feelings, their bad times. Hip hop is about freedom of speech, protesting, showing the world how you feel without censorship and barriers, being 100 percent real. So I think “RAIN III” is the track where I feel completely honest, where I show my wounds to the audience with some blues that is a pivotal part of hip-hop culture. I'm talking about mine [late] a little bit [friend] Chutsu. I am talking about what has been happening to me in recent years. I'm talking about my mom, I'm talking about when I left the barrio. It's something that comes from honesty, and it's genuine.

“The roof is on fire”

“The Roof Is On Fire” was the last song we had for this record, but it was really important for me to add it because it's the style I grew up with, like the kind of beats Pharrell made with the Neptunes. I was a huge Nelly fan when I was little. I grew up with this 2000s style, with this club. It's a song I really enjoy playing live because it has so much energy. It's short and maybe has that little weird jam and structure, but that's how it was meant to be. It's definitely one of my favorites.

“When El Bajo Suena”

This is like a techno-house track. Maybe it's more techno than house, but I haven't worked on such a pure electronica track, so it was great to have Technotronic's “Pump Up the Jam” as a reference. It was from Europe: the music was different, but it was also part of hip-hop culture, so it shows how global the genre has always been. Hip-hop culture is not only from the USA but also from other countries. I wanted to show that perspective of my music, especially with something I hadn't discovered yet. We were working with different genres and all the music I was listening to, and it's great to represent those different styles

“Plo Plo!”

I think this is the craziest track on the record. We created this song together with El Guincho, who is an amazing producer. It includes three different rhythms in a single track. I think this is the song that goes into the future and doesn't pay homage to the past. I can show many ways of rapping with trap beats that are kind of weird, with different BPMs, but also sampling my Bizarrap session. It has such a special energy and vibe. Samples are usually very difficult, but for me this was very easy. The freestyle session with Biza was my first big hit that people outside of Argentina connected with, so it was great to report that. People were saying: “This guy from Argentina is doing something, he's breaking boundaries with this freestyle, let's support him to make it!” It's something I felt I had to bring back to life. The Biza session marked a before and after in my career.

“Tranky Funky”

I wanted to try some gangsta-funk — P-Funk with a more groovy sound. This music has azúcar. I did “Dance Crip,” I did G-Funk: I did “Lo Tengo” with JID, I did “GPS,” but I didn't get a chance to take it to the next level. “Tranky Funky” has funk at its core and then we add every hip-hop style. I love it because it represents, not the genre, but a style that I wholeheartedly enjoy in the boom-bap hip-hop scene.