Dominican rapper Jenn Morel has been staking her territory since making the jump from video star to empowered emcee over the last year. Her addictive single “Ponteme” scored her tours in Europe after fans caught on to her relentless, lightning-quick flow and punchy, defiant delivery. Now, she’s stepped her game up: She just released “Kumbara,” a dembow-driven blast that gets her uptempo and heated for a glorious two and a half minutes.
This style works for Morel. Her rhymes shoot out ruthlessly, a raucous rampage splayed out over thudding bass and wild strains of electro. The song turns into a complete livewire, and in the accompanying video, which she’s premiering on Remezcla today, Morel amps the energy up even more. The clip is dripping with bold, bursting colors, a rainbow-bright dembow shock wave. Her playful neon rolos add a touch of Dominican iconography and call to mind the work of designer Tony Peralta.
In an email to Remezcla, Morel shared more details on “Kumbara.” “The word itself to me is an act of freedom of expression and inspiration,” she writes. “It’s a reminder to not take life so seriously…The video complements all those dope positive human emotions with vibrant, beautiful colors and a gang of powerful queens helping me raise the volume on the message,” she adds.
With its effervescence, the video relishes some of the qualities that have made Morel a social media star. But most significant of all, it shows her ability to really rap. Morel isn’t afraid to stretch the bounds of her sound, and that’s a sign that there’s so much more to come from her.
Watch the video for “Kumbara” below: