Yulién Oviedo set social media ablaze this Sunday by posting a reel on Instagram where he can be seen dancing to "Guachineo," one of the hits by Chocolate MC, alongside a chimpanzee in a cage at the 26 Zoo in Havana. The clip, lasting just six seconds, gained over 22,000 views, nearly 1,300 likes, and 371 comments within a few hours.
The video didn't need words for most people to understand it. Released days after Chocolate MC was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Miami, and amid a documented rivalry between the two artists, the choice of that specific song to dance alongside a primate was immediately interpreted as a direct jab at the incarcerated artist.
Yulién built anticipation before posting the clip with a question in the description: "I'm scared to post this, what do you think, should I post it or not?", which was enough to stir excitement among his followers. Once it was published, the comments quickly confirmed that the message had been received loud and clear.
In the comments on the reel, there was a mix of reactions. Some followers laughed at Yulién's joke and the double meaning of the clip, but many others criticized the singer, pointing out that making fun of a man serving a ten-year sentence is an unnecessary and distasteful provocation, regardless of the rivalry that separates them.
"Hey, how can someone mock the misfortune of a person who is imprisoned... in life, one must have empathy"; "Not even to an enemy should you do that. The decline of the Cuban has reached a very low percentage. In life, one must have empathy. First, you compare him to a monkey, and secondly, you make fun of the conditions he is in, imprisoned"; "Dude, what a terrible person you are; that's why no one listens to you even if you release 70 remixes of 'El Yaris,' which is the only hit you've had," wrote internet users.
At the beginning of March, Chocolate MC —whose real name is Yosvanis Arismín Sierra Hernández— was sentenced in Miami after pleading guilty to solicitation of murder against Damián Valdez Galloso, linked to the death of the artist El Taiger, as well as kidnapping and robbery in a hotel.
Oviedo had already reacted with mocking messages, writing: "This is so you learn not to mock anyone anymore." The video from the zoo came as another chapter in that same story.
What is clear is that Yulién left no room for doubt about his intentions in the comments of the video itself, confirming that the clip was a direct jab at Chocolate. Whether this move will gain or lose him followers remains to be seen, but the debate is already on the table.
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