BY FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ
Former No Borders Music Academy’s operations director, Mike Henry, a very talented musician in his own right, is a retired business developer and former Captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Living in Cabo San Lucas for several years now, Mike is the founder of Firefighters Down, a non-profit organization that supports injured firefighters nationwide in the U.S.
“We were open to anyone who wanted to support the No Borders Music Academy program and were very thankful for our volunteer music teachers. I have always thought that a music star could potentially come out of this place. Someone who hasn’t been discovered but could be living right here in Cabo,” said Mike 14 months ago.
True to his belief, there have been some musically talented youngsters who have quickly and quietly ascended into the echelon of this new brand of music and musicians.
Musicians no longer must cut deals or wait to sign with a major recording company. With technology and the sharing of content via TikTok, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube, popularity can be accomplished through any of those mediums.
One such story is that of a young 17-year-old Cabo San Lucas kid maintaining his private identity with a public persona known as Dxxnez His simple public statement is, “I make music.”
His song, “Para Siempre” (Forever) was an immediate underground favorite among his friends and fans and then became a popular Mexican song on Spotify. The little tune starts with a sweet jazzy beat and flows flawlessly through its nice rhythm and impressive lyrics sung in a rapid rap-like radiant sequence.
His other tune, “No Kiero De Ti” (I Don’t Want from You) is equally mellow, with a slower melancholy love ballad sound. In all, Dxxnez has written and produced 10 songs.
“I’ve been creating sounds and new music with special guests and showing a side of me different to what I’ve put out before. Not yet an album, just a little teaser of better things. Hope you like it,” he said via TikTok.
The other eyebrow-raising talent is a family of five, originally from Ensenada, known as Kid’s Monster, who have been taking Southern Baja California by storm. Beloved favorites of fans that have seen them perform in La Paz, Todos Santos, San Jose del Sabo and Cabo San Lucas, they perform cover songs from every genre like classic rock, jazz, soul, and a South American sound known as Andean. They have 10,7000 Facebook followers.
“Amazing talent! Amazing band! Amazing love & respect for music,” said Chuy Camarena.
“On my trip to San Jose del Cabo, I found this incredible and talented band of five. What’s amazing is that they all are brothers & sisters. The youngest one is 13 years old and the oldest is 25. They all sing, and play instruments like guitar, piano, saxophone, violoncello, drums, flute, piano, and some other ones. Some of them learned how to play some of the instruments on their own. They played all types of music. I had the honor to meet them. They’re very sweet, polite and down to earth. Let’s support them by following their social media and by also sharing their videos.”
“You are a great band! And a great familia! Much success to you all,” noted Larry Carr, a Government Relations Director, Pacific Region at Boys & Girls Clubs of America and San Jose State University Alumni. “I was lucky enough to meet them and I tell them they will go very far. They are extraordinary. I loved the vibe. They transmit a lot of talent,” added Gaby de Alanis from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
And they, too, are a band that visited No Borders Academy and met Mike Henry, who has supported them 100%.
When they started in Ensenada, the girls were under 10. At 14, Nikeyt is their lead singer who can really throw it down with a Falsetto range that is incredible. Anyone who appreciates Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey understands how sweet the youngster’s voice really is when she performs so many sweet songs by some of the greatest. ”At 14 years old, I continue to live every moment of my life and my passion is to be happy and to see people smile. And when I sing, the public pushes me to achieve my dream, and you as an audience are the reason for my success,” said Nikeyt.
Nirvana and Genesis are the two older girls who play everything from lead guitar, to the saxophone, bass and flute. Their 25-year-old brother is the composer, lead guitarist, and plays the piano.
Alemán, whose real name is Erick Raúl Alemán Ramírez, is a rapper from Cabo San Lucas who started his career as part of a rap group called Doble Rima before gaining notoriety as a solo act. He is part of the Homegrown Mafia collective, which has put together 10 songs.
”The hip-hop movement, which started in Atlanta, has since spawned microgenres around the world. At first, the idea of rap mixed with corrido (Mexico’s accordion-laced regional folk ballads that date back to the 19th century and include “La Cucaracha”) might seem unlikely to work. But for pioneers in the genre such as Alemán, the rapping duo La Plebada, and nuevo corrido band Grupo Codiciado (who recently collaborated with emerging rap star Gera MX) the combination was meant to be,” noted the Spotify media room platform.
“One day, we recorded with a guitar, the next day with a beat, and the next day we invented a genre that didn’t exist,” Fntxy the musician told Spotify.
“As a singer, you can share messages. The next generation, they don’t know, but they can learn from your path.”
Navigating the expectations of both genres has been part of the process. However, at least according to La Plebada, the reaction has been enthusiastic, even from those who didn’t expect to like their music.
And it’s this new generation of young, talented Cabo San Lucas musicians that have been reaching for the stars. Check out Dxxnez on Spotify. For when Kid’s Monster plays next, please visit their Facebook page under the band’s name. Alemán’s rap music can be heard on YouTube.
