Live at Knight

Cimafunk & La Tribu

Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons–Cubans of African descent who resisted slavery–and music and showmanship that reembodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon who unites and celebrates Blackness across borders, oceans and languages.

With his unmistakable Afro-Cuban sounds, no-holds-barred live show and multiple Grammy nominations, Cimafunk is redefining what the planet understands as Cuban music. Cimafunk’s debut album, Terapia (2018), with its groundbreaking No. 1 single “Me Voy,” followed by his breakout performance at SXSW 2019 and widely praised NPR Tiny Desk Concert, started a movement of converting millions of people to the religion of groove, one live show at a time. The Afro-Cuban rock star has moved the spotlight well beyond the Buena Vista Social Club, salsa and reggaeton.

From a local sensation on Havana’s small alternative music scene to global success, Cimafunk’s ascent has been as dizzying as an F1 race. Performing with La Tribu (The Tribe), his nine-piece band from Havana, Cimafunk has electrified global audiences on massive stages and worldwide temples of music, making a name for himself as one of the great showmen of today. From New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to Lollapalooza Chile and becoming the first Cuban-born artist to play Coachella, this undisputed star of Afro-Latin music has earned the adoration of musical icons such as Argentine Fito Páez, who has hailed him as "one of the lights of the continent's future”; the Godfather of Funk George Clinton, who refers to him as “the next one”; and Chucho Valdés, who credits Cimafunk with masterfully and organically blending “Afro-Cuban with African American, converting this into a new school that until now I haven’t heard done.”

Cimafunk’s distinctive musical fusion continued to grow in its artistry with the release of his second album, El Alimento (The Nourishment), which was met with an abundance of critical praise that included Best Albums of the Year lists from Rolling Stone, NPR and others, as well as an equal volume of glowing reviews for his unrivaled live shows, which quickly made him one of the most in-demand festival performers.

After the success of El Alimento, Cimafunk delves even further into his exploration of the intersections between funk and the sounds of the continent and gives us Pa' Tu Cuerpa (Mala Cabeza Records), his most polished and mature production to date.