A refrain of just four lines has the entire Cuban community on social media repeating the same thing: "You are all fish / and you fell into the trap / we left / we are leaving." The song "Ustedes son peces" by JL el Callejero, produced by Volty Las Manos Mágicas, became the most played audio among Cubans both on and off the island in just a matter of days.
The origin of the phenomenon lies in a challenge launched by Osniel Kimii, one of the most active names in contemporary Cuban music, who invited rappers to create a remix of one of his songs to see who would stand out the most. Among all the participants, JL el Callejero was the one that took off, and for good reason: the rapper has a unique style that immediately sets him apart.
"I create melodies, I sing with a raspy voice, I sing with a high voice, and I also improvise just like them," explained the artist in a recent interview. That ability to master three different vocal registers in the same song is precisely what left many people astonished.
The results speak for themselves. The video on YouTube surpassed 16,000 views in just a few days, while the Instagram post where JL el Callejero expressed gratitude for the support garnered nearly 5,000 likes and over 200 comments. Osniel Kimii himself joined the celebration by posting a video featuring the audio of JL el Callejero, a validation that is hard to ignore coming from the person who initiated the challenge.
What followed was an avalanche. Content creators, business accounts, dancers, and figures from the Cuban urban scene rushed to make their own videos with the audio.
For JL el Callejero, "Los Peces" represents his third major viral moment, and the most widespread so far.
The artist has already confirmed on Instagram that the song is available on all digital platforms, and he teased that the remix is on the way.
"Thank you all. You fell for it," wrote JL el Callejero. And indeed, they fell for it.
Filed under: