A chain for "The King of Distribution"

The jewelry, particularly the gold chains hanging around the neck of any Cuban, has long become an unmistakable marker of an “unofficial identity.” This is not only true in the Caribbean but also in much of the world. “That one over there, do you see him? He’s definitely Cuban,” many say upon seeing a fellow countryman adorned with the popular accessories, and also when they hear him speak or perhaps walk.

For many decades, people received them as part of a generational heritage or wore them as a symbol of having attained a higher social status. An investment that proclaimed to the world: "I have money." And it wasn't necessary for the person to belong to or be raised in the underworld, or to be a neighborhood celebrity like Yarini, to wear them. The distinction often lay in whether they were worn discreetly underneath clothing or openly for everyone to see.

Chains made of precious metal have both identified and gotten into trouble, not only with famous kings throughout history but also with more than one neighborhood butcher in Cuba, dethroned from his empire of frozen chicken injected with water in some "Plan Maceta." The chains “speak,” sometimes even more than the tongue itself. And the tongue, “the tongue speaks and hides… and the body suffers,” goes a popular saying.

That was in the past, but in modern times, urban artists, primarily from the United States, have embarked on this new wave—like the new "kings"—in which it seems, or still seems, that they are striving not only for awards in record sales but also for the accolade of the most robust and trained human neck. And the more expensive the jewelry, the more precious stones it contains, the heavier it is in kilograms, the better the original design… the more sophisticated and costly they become. They cost a fortune. Make no mistake about it. Sometimes it's the work of an entire lifetime. Be aware of that. Sometimes it's not just one lifetime; it can be two, three, or many lifetimes. It can even represent a perpetual labor.

Currently, there is also an exclusive guild of jewelers specializing in turning the idea of the “artist” into reality. Naturally, this “movement” also included representatives of urban and Caribbean music, especially Cubans, who already had a well-developed background in the chain-making craft and additionally have two locations where these pieces gain special prominence: Havana and Miami. Among all these so-called “street artists,” we will focus on the so-called “reparteros” and, among them, on one in particular, the one who self-designated himself and whom many of his followers know as Chocolate MC, “The King of Reparto”, who also flaunted those eye-catching massive chains.

Rise and fall of a monarch

There are kings who rise to power by their own right, those who are imposed by monarchy with thrones inherited through blood. Others who are self-proclaimed, and often end up becoming the worst dictators. Taking advantage of their own merits or the identification of their followers with the lifestyle during their reign. Sending others' heads rolling left and right. Thinking that they will never fall and that there will be no consequences.

The Cuban we all know today by his stage name, which identifies a cacao derivative produced in Eastern Cuba, began a "legacy" worthy of a movie script. With a musical history of questionable quality for many, emerging from a difficult and marginalized environment, and after trusting in his own talent, Chocolate achieved fame, both among admirers and detractors. But with that fame also came drugs, an inflated ego, the adoration of others, bad company, poor social behavior, and frequent visits to jail as if it were his palace quarters. And amidst all this, "the masses" watched, watched and let be, laughed. Because there will always be some jesters applauding and enjoying the "antics" of the monarch.

For some time now, his domain has shifted from being a clandestine recording studio in Cuba or a legal one in Miami to a stage provided by a smartphone loaded with applications for weaving social networks, where he could ruthlessly and freely voice his thoughts without limits. And there came the major problem for this “king.” Because when he realized that his territory among Cuban neighborhoods on the Island had become confined and clashed with the government’s laws as well as the unwritten rules of the streets, he felt he needed other lands, more lands, with different laws. He confused freedom with the revolutionary libertinism of France and additionally believed that there would be no consequences for dealing with his rivals, using what he had at hand to threaten or demonstrate his power. The phone.

It is not the same to feel powerful as it is to have power. He also forgot that what you post on social media stays there. No one told him that, in other lands, there are different laws and a different rule of law. Or perhaps someone did tell him, but he ignored it. This is a typical attitude of all monarchs on their thrones. Today, many regret that a jury found him guilty and that they are asking for one of the most hated sentences for him, the one that lacks shine, the one that dulls your life: life imprisonment.

Chocolate MC and the rest of the so-called urban artists are learning today a tough life lesson. It's like reading a hated scroll, unfurled and pinned to the wall, that explains how a phone can land you in big trouble. A moral that helps you understand that now, you don’t even have to watch out for your supposed enemies in the "genre," but rather for yourself. For your own actions, for your own words. There were no betrayals or conspiracies surrounding the sovereign.

Empathy towards him. Of course there is. This is a young Cuban who could languish in the U.S. prison system for life. He is someone's child, brother, father, friend, with noticeable popularity; he has also brought joy to many people who follow him through his music, both emigrants and those on the Island. But for those within the U.S. penal system, this is irrelevant; what matters there is your “record” of social behavior, not the times you made people dance or enjoy themselves. If you threaten and order someone to be killed, promising a reward in the process, that is a real crime, even if you are doing it in jest or "inflating" it in the virtual world. And what might seem like a bad joke, a madness, or a clown act is taken very seriously.

God save the King

The course of history never stops, and it remains unclear who its heir will be. Supporters wonder if the king will emerge alive from this brutal legal campaign. They long to see him, as they have so many times before, when he rose victorious and promised a new beginning. The truth is that many more skirmishes or bloody and costly appeals lie ahead; but let’s be honest: the terrain looks bloody and unfavorable for His Majesty.

It has been recounted since ancient times that in the face of great problems, men, and especially kings, would turn to the gods for solutions. We have seen this here as well. In the last days of his imprisonment, the so-called "repairer monarch" has shown signs of wanting to be saved by the Supreme. He and his "followers" want, before the judge's final ruling, for "God to save the King."

But long before the desired divine intervention occurs or the hope that the judge will consider the alleged history of addiction and mental health issues put forth by the defense becomes a reality, the harshness of the lesson paves a clear path for the new generation of "urban artists" and also for the rest of us mortals:

If you do not have sufficient professional and cultural preparation, or appropriate emotional intelligence, once you achieve fame or popular recognition, you must consciously learn to be "managed" or hand over your public image under contract to a specialist in the field of social media, thereby avoiding becoming a prisoner of your own words. This is an unavoidable condition in today’s world.

Once they ascend to the throne and the striking golden chains are placed around the necks of these new "kings," they must lift their gaze and observe where the true virtual and physical boundaries of their realms lie. If they are wise, they should never become angry with their advisors when they approach and say: Your Majesty, please put down your scepter, or rather, your phone, at this moment.