Ever since her first performance at SXSW in 2009, Niña Dioz has been giving us much to talk about – both good and bad. Her detractors on the web sling fierce criticisms – namely that the Monterrey native’s music is too “fresita” to be categorized in the same scene as other Mexican hip hop greats (like Control Machete). Like her style or not, the girl’s got some serious swagger and she’s spearheading the female MC movement in Mexico.
I have to admit that the first time I heard Niña Dioz spitting rhymes into a mic, I was a bit wary about her style. “Prefiero el asfalto,” from the Rudo y Cursi soundtrack was my first taste of her music and, frankly, I was underwhelmed. Nonetheless, I gave her another chance and was surprised at how good she can be at combining hard rap with pop rhythms and old school rap synths.
Her new album is slated for release in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime we get to hear “Indestructible,” her collaboration with fellow Mexican pop princess Ximena Sariñana. The song, about a dying relationship, features Sariñana doing background vocals to Niña Dioz’s rhymes. Both singers sound pretty sweet over some West Coast rap inspired synths, which, in my opinion, never get old.
We’ll have to wait for the whole album to see if she keeps it up, but in the meantime, check out “Indestructible” below.