The origins of the group are in hip hop. In the mid-1990s, the three members, Haniel Gonzalez Martinez, Javier Duran Webb, and José Angel Sastre Perez, were listening to rap sounds coming from the U.S. They shortened their names to Flipper, El Doctor, and White, and they got themselves some bandanas, baseball caps and extra-baggy jeans. Their first group was called Primera Base and they scored a direct hit with their performance at the Havana Rap Festival in 1995.
The formation of Cubanito 20.02, formed by ex-members of Primera Base, was one of the first major significations of the switch from hip hop to reggaeton in Havana. Despite the lyrics from the first album's title track ("I'm a rapper first and foremost, whether you like it or not..."), their first big radio hit in Havana, Matame, features a reggaeton sound.
The switch from “underground” hip hop with Primera Base to the sensual beats of reggaeton with Cubanito 20.02 was controversial because reggae was seen by many "pure" hip hop artists as having a "retarding effect" while "eroding traditional genres". The popular hip hop group Los Aldeanos (group site) released a parody of Matame as a criticism of the burgeoning popularity of reggaeton over hip hop.
With the new reggaeton sounds influenced by Jamaican ragga, Cubanito 20.02 became more financially successful by appealing to the youth culture. Through Cuban communist government funding, Cubanito 20.02 was able to produce multiple hit albums and even go on tour in some European countries. On the other hand, government regulations can be seen in their lyrics, which do not contain the typical reggaeton blatant sexuality and emphasis on the female body and intercourse nor does the music evoke a certain politically, socially, and culturally liberating or freeing quality that is more prevalent with reggaeton from Cuba that is not sponsored by the government. For example, in their song Pideme, the song says “soy sincero cuando digo que te quiero” (I am sincere when I tell you that I love you) and “eres la flor en mi jardin” (You are the flower in my garden). Cubanito 20.02 don’t claim to tackle issues of race or violence, but rather they attempt to evoke love, happiness, and dance to their listeners.
"We wanted to do something New-York-style, something danceable, but also something Cuban," recalls Flipper. "We are a group from the barrio, from the streets. We were all friends, and we still are. We used to rap together when we were taking the bus."
Their second album, Tócame, was released in 2006.
Matame
Cubanito 20.02 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coro 1: UH LACA, LACA LAH, UH LACA, LACA LAH, UH LACA,
LACA LAH , AY AY AH AY
Coro 2: Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar
Mátame, mátame,mátame las ganas de amar mujer
Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar
Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar mujer
Quiero que sepas que soy tuyo mi amor
Y que por siempre contigo voy a estar
Si tù me quieres yo me dejo matar, mujer
No dejes que el tiempo,
Nos elimine este precioso momento
Y si te quieres quedar
Es para hacerme feliz a la hora de amar.
Coro 2: Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar ....
Hoy quiero que me mates, quiero que me ates
Quiero que me vuelvas loco y que me arrebates
Bien elegante yo moriré de una forma delirante
Vamo' a ver si tù estas tan loca
O si tienes ¡con que¡
Si tienes el valor de sofocarme nene
Sabes que...
¿Qué estas diciendo?
Que si me matas me mataste
Así que mata, digo mátame.
Coro 2: Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar
Coro 1: Uh laca laca la, Uh laca laca, la ...
Quiero que sepas que soy tuyo mi amor
Que tú eres la dueña de mi corazón
Y que por siempre contigo voy a estar
Si tu me quieres yo me dejo matar, mujer
No dejes que el tiempo
Nos elimine este precioso momento
Y si te quieres quedar
Es para hacerme feliz a la hora de amar.
Coro 2: Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar ....
Si me besas me mataste
¿Sabes què?
Tremendo lió te buscaste
No sè porque
Tù tienes el poder de asesinarme
Sòlo con tus besos mira pueden conquistarme (bis)
Y me vas a conquistar mujer (OH YEH)
Tus lindos besos me saben a miel (OH YEH)
Sòlo en tus brazos puedo fallecer
Y yo me quiero morir de amor (bis)
Coro 1: Uh laca laca laca, Uh laca laca laca
The lyrics of Cubanito 20.02's song "Matame" are all about the desire to love and be loved. The phrase "Matame las ganas de amar" literally means "kill my desire to love," which may seem counterintuitive given that the song is all about expressing love and devotion. However, the lyrics suggest that the intensity of these feelings is almost overwhelming, to the point that the only way to escape them is to let them consume you entirely. The singer implores his lover to take control, to hold him close and to be the one to ultimately give him release from the longing he feels.
The chorus of the song, which repeats multiple times throughout, emphasizes this concept of being consumed by love. The phrase "uh laca laca la" is a nonsensical phrase that is meant to emulate the sounds of passion and desire. The repetition of this phrase, along with the repeated lines about killing the desire to love, create a sense of intensity and urgency that is reflected in the frenetic beat and fast-paced rhythm of the song.
Overall, "Matame" is a passionate and intense track that captures the exhilaration and desperation of being in love. The lyrics speak to the desire for intense connection and the willingness to be consumed entirely by the object of one's affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Coro 1: UH LACA, LACA LAH, UH LACA, LACA LAH, UH LACA, LACA LAH , AY AY AH AY
Repetitive chorus with no clear meaning, only serving to add energy to the song.
Coro 2: Mátame, mátame, mátame las ganas de amar
Kill (metaphorically) the desire to love inside of me.
Mátame, mátame,mátame las ganas de amar mujer
Specifically asking a woman to kill the desire for love inside of the singer.
Quiero que sepas que soy tuyo mi amor
I want you to know that I am yours, my love.
Que tú eres la dueña de mi corazón
You are the owner of my heart.
Y que por siempre contigo voy a estar
I will be with you forever.
Si tù me quieres yo me dejo matar, mujer
If you love me, I will allow myself to be 'killed' by you (metaphorically speaking).
No dejes que el tiempo, Nos elimine este precioso momento
Don't let time take away this precious moment we are sharing.
Y si te quieres quedar, Es para hacerme feliz a la hora de amar.
And if you want to stay, it's to make me happy when we love each other.
Hoy quiero que me mates, quiero que me ates
Today, I want you to kill me, I want you to bind me.
Quiero que me vuelvas loco y que me arrebates
I want you to drive me crazy and take me away.
Bien elegante yo moriré de una forma delirante
I will die stylishly and insane.
Vamo' a ver si tù estas tan loca, O si tienes ¡con que¡
Let's see if you're as crazy or as brave as I am.
Si tienes el valor de sofocarme nene, Sabes que...
If you have the courage to suffocate me, you know...
¿Qué estas diciendo?, Que si me matas me mataste, Así que mata, digo mátame.
What are you saying? That if you kill me, you've killed me. So go ahead, I mean, kill me.
Si me besas me mataste, ¿Sabes què?, Tremendo lió te buscaste, No sè porque
If you kiss me, you've killed me. You know what? You've gotten into a big mess. I don't know why.
Tù tienes el poder de asesinarme, Sòlo con tus besos mira pueden conquistarme (bis)
You have the power to 'kill' me, just with your kisses, you can conquer me.
Y me vas a conquistar mujer (OH YEH), Tus lindos besos me saben a miel (OH YEH)
And you're going to conquer me, woman. Your sweet kisses taste like honey.
Sòlo en tus brazos puedo fallecer, Y yo me quiero morir de amor (bis)
I can only die in your arms, and I want to die of love.
Coro 1: Uh laca laca laca, Uh laca laca laca
Repetitive chorus with no clear meaning, only serving to add energy to the song.
Contributed by Micah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cristianmedina7095
Alguien en el 2024 ?
@user-ww1yc3fc6h
Yo!!¡ t repito los años que agan falta esto es un clásico!!!!
@luissabari262
Aquí 😂😂
@jesperashera
Aquí estamos papa!!! Activaos!!!
@jesperashera
Me fui pa Miami en el 2003...y este tema estaba en su punto!
Hace como 20 años que no escucho esta cancion...pero me suena un poco diferente a la que ponían en la calle y en las fiestas 🤔
@yadirbatista6721
Donde están los q casi somos unos puritos en 2024 jjj
@gilbertorodriguez4523
Escuchando en 2024
@khalifawd440
Cuando la música de Cuba servía y se podía oír
@luissabari262
Mi tema favorito ❤️ 2024
@lamasyinda
Uf que recuerdos❤ 2024