The House of Hip-Hop Making Waves in Medellin

The Comuna 13 neighborhood is a symbol of a dark era in the history of Colombia’s second-largest city. But a group of elite rappers and creatives has created a new identity, inspiring a revolution

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Welcome to the Casa

“Ciro” grew up on the streets of Comuna 13 deeply immersed in hip-hop culture at a time when Medellín was known as the most dangerous city in the world. In the late 1990’s, Ciro — an artist who goes by only one name — was a young street rapper in a group called “Censura Extrema,” making music in a neighborhood that became the epicenter of “Operation Orion,” a controversial government initiative involving paramilitary groups in brutal fighting that killed dozens in the first four days, and resulted in hundreds of residents “disappeared,” in ongoing daily battles against drug lords.

Two decades later, both Medellín and Comuna 13 have changed considerably. Ciro attributes that change to a bottom-up cultural shift featuring hip-hop music…