Las Cafeteras Imagine a Better Tomorrow on ‘If I Was President’ Remix
By Luis Linan
What would you hope to accomplish if you woke up tomorrow and found you were the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world? Work to end poverty? Homelessness? Hunger? Right racial wrongs? This idea is pervasive through, L.A. based band, Las Cafeteras latest single “If I Was President”, the third installment of their electoral anthem series.
The concept of what one would do if placed in a position of power has a long history in Latinx music. Las Cafeteras, who are students of Latin music history and cultural importance, take the song and update it for the current day. So much has happened in the past four years, and more specifically the last four months, that the journey of the song and their electoral anthem series as a whole are a musical touchpoint that will serve as the latest chapter in the Latinx songbook.
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The story of “If I Was President” starts long before January 2017 when Las Cafeteras’ first version was originally released as a musical form of protest to Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day. There are two previous songs that were likely major influences for “If I Was President”. The first is Mexican folk standard “Señor Presidente” which has long existed as a piece of traditional protest music. The song was recorded by the Son Jarocho group Los Cojolites on their 2008 album No Tiene Fin (Las Cafeteras recorded their own version on their 2017 album Tastes Like L.A.). The other song is Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean’s song by the same title released in 2004 who in his version focused on feeding the poor and ending war.
The 2017 Las Cafeteras version largely follows the tradition of the two songs mentioned above, featuring acoustic guitar playing over a traditional rhythm section. Lyrically the song mentions topical subjects like Flint, Michigan’s water situation and drone strikes. Tonally there is a feeling of resilience even if there may not be much tangible optimism, which was common at the beginning of Trump’s first and now possibly only term. In many cases the song served its purpose at the time, and captured the belief that at times survival for tomorrow is all we can hope for.
By late 2020 the mood among marginalized communities was markedly different, likely due to the 2018 election results and growing, yet cautious optimism in those who hoped to oust Trump in the upcoming election. In October, the group released “Long Time Coming” featuring performances from fellow L.A. artists Degruvme, La Mera Candelaria, Scarub, and Klmsly. The song is an absolute disco burner with the aim of motivating Black and Brown voter engagement across the country.
All the vocalists make a call to take action for racial and gender justice, looking to further the renewed racial reckoning the U.S. experienced in the summer of 2020. After the general electoral dust had mostly settled and all eyes were turned to Georgia for their senate runoffs, the band released a cover "Georgia on My Mind" the 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and popularized by Ray Charles. In their version Las Cafeteras recruited QVLN and Sergio Medoza to be featured on the track. The band said they hoped the song would get Latinx voters to turn out in the Georgia senate runoff elections and to represent the solidarity of Black and brown unity.
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Four years after the release of their 2017 version, and a national election which saw record turnout for the election by BIPOC communities, Las Cafeteras decided to remix the song. The 2021 rendition of “If I Was President” could not be more different than the 2017 version. The updated version brings a celebratory hip hop energy while still highlighting the needs and demands of the communities who shifted the outcome of the election. This version of “If I Was President” has appearances from Sa-Roc from Atlanta, Georgia, Boog Brown from Detroit, Michigan, and QVLN and Mega Ran from Arizona. Taken together the song features 5 Black and Brown artists from 4 cities and 3 Swing states.
All the performers were excited to be on this track together. Hector Flores of Las Cafeteras remarked about the song, “Chuck D once said that hip-hop was the CNN of the streets. We wanted to keep that sentiment alive and have artists from swing states share what kind of future they would like to see over the next 4 years.” Sa-Roc said, “I’m part of a community that has historically borne the brunt of oppression and injustice sanctioned by the laws of this nation, yet thrived and played such a fundamental role in its development. It was dope to imagine what could be possible if there were an administration that actually valued and served the needs of the people who’ve formed the very bedrock of this country”.
For Boog Brown she felt privileged to contribute bars, “We know the power of the collective voice and to be a part of sharing such a profound message with such a powerful purpose is an honor.” Arizona based artists, QVLN and Mega Ran, who were part of the historic elections which flipped the swing state’s electoral vote, were also invited to add their voices to the track. QVLN comments, “it’s been my mission as a performer to create and drive a positive narrative to the masses.” Phoenix rapper Mega Ran added, “It's a question I ask myself every day; what I would do if given the highest office in the land? I was so excited to be a part of the song! It's an honor to be a part of this track with some highly esteemed artists that I'm a fan of. Much love.”
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Las Cafeteras have crafted a song that is a celebration of the resilience and hope demonstrated by Latinx and Black communities of the past 4 years, a celebration that we certainly have earned. However, in his victory speech in November, President Joe Biden said to the Brown and Black communities, “you've always had my back and I will have yours.” It will be our job to hold him and his administration to that promise or else we will keep writing updates to “If I Was President” rather than seeing those aspirations realized.