Cuban Musician Sang at the White House During Black Heritage Celebration

A popular Cuban musician sang at the White House, as part of the celebrations in the United States for Black Heritage Month, as reported by island and foreign media.

The artist is Erik Rodríguez, better known as Cimafunk, who performed the song Faustino Congo, during the moment that paid tribute to the contribution of the Afro-Latin community in the northern country.

Cimafunk referred to the opportunity as something special and thanked the invitation to the celebrations at the executive mansion, while commenting that soon the song he performed will be heard on the street.

Cimafunk, a native of the Cuban province of Pinar del Río, born on April 7, 1989, expressed that his roots and ancestry always go with him, for which he also appreciates what it has contributed to his work as an artist.

The musician, who is self-taught and also works as a record producer and composer, became very popular with the song “Me Voy“, from his 2017 album Intensive Therapy.

Reviews about the island artist indicate that his music also has the influence of Americans like George Clinton, James Brown, Al Green, among others, and from the Caribbean island of the popular Benny Moré, Juan Formell, and Bola de Nieve.

The activity, which in 2024 had as its theme African Americans and the arts, took place in one of the rooms of the office complex that is part of the iconic government building.

The Cuban began his artistic career in 2016, under the name of Cimafunk, which alludes to the combination of cimarrón (runaway slaves) and funk music. His second album, El Alimento (2021), was ranked as the third best Spanish album in 2021. The man from Pinar del Río won first place in the Primera Base contest, at the Havana World Music Festival 2018.

Among other personalities from the international cultural world who shared in the space were the Colombian actor Mauro Castillo and the Puerto Rican actress Paige Hurd, in a ceremony that, according to reports by American media, made the White House vibrate to the rhythm of funk, salsa, among other sounds.