Papi Brandao is like the father of Panamanian cumbia and his version of the standard “Bilongo” is widely considered a foundational track for the genre. Indianapolis’ K.Sabroso just released this dancefloor-friendly funky rework of the folk classic and we’re giving it away for free here in Remezcla.
Now you probably never heard of Brandao or his “Bilongo” and you might not even know what “Bilongo” means (I don’t), but you’re definitely familiar with this tune, otherwise known as “La Negra Tomasa,” that’s been covered an infinite number of times by everybody and their mothers, from rockeros to reggaetoneros. Even in the ñu-cumbia field, Argentina’s El Hijo De La Cumbia built his early hit “La Mara Tomaza” (included on ZZK’s first Cumbia Digital compilation) around a sample of it.
Still, this is a fresh new take of the over-played tune, mainly because it ignores everything done by Caifanes and finds its sources in the old Panamanian version (and gives due credit to the interpreter). It also adds a bunch of flavor with guest R.I.C.O. (a Mexican MC) dropping some rhymes with distinctively old-school flow over it.
