New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Raer One is the son of first generation Americans. His Mexican-American family originally migrated to the City of Angels for a better life, and soon found themselves deeply submerged in East Los Angeles sureno culture along with the bitter feuds and politics that come with the territory.
Raer has unfortunately suffered from the negative externalities of this way of life first hand, with the tragic loss of his father in 2003 to gang violence, just months before his 3rd birthday. Though he was only three, Raer was greatly impacted by that day in Boyle Heights and carries the memory of his father in his campaign and exhibition as an artist that is largely centered around unity for the East LA
Latino community. Raer still managed to celebrate the rich culture of the neighborhood and tells the stories, both good and bad, that define the lives of so many Angelenos.
In a society where gang violence (especially in LA) is increasingly glorified in popular music, video games, and movies; Raer One offers a rare glimpse at the real life casualties of the real people behind those scenes. Families torn apart like the 3 year old child in 2003 who was left fatherless at the hands of what has today been exposed as a CIA psychological operation, COINTELPRO, targeted towards the black and Mexican communities in Los Angeles. Many today regard the government's actions against the Chicano/Mexicano and
Black Power Movements between the 1950s-1970s as crimes against humanity. By that logic, you could also deem people like Raer's father death as being the responsibility of the US government.
This is a subculture that Raer One doesn't shy away from in his music, that has a lot of depth from his upbeat party music to the other side of the spectrum exploring themes of loss, frustration and even societal sentiments that are more relatable to young people in LA than the average rigamarole and cliche talk of jewels, foreign cars and working over as many women as you possibly can.
Living up to his name, Raer clearly has the highest regard for not only his image, but that of all East LA. His great care for his culture is reflected in his work and engagement within the community of East Los Angeles.
