Maykel Castillo Pérez, better known as “El Osorbo” or Maykel Obsorbo, is a Cuban protest rapper born in Havana on August 20, 1983. Coming from humble beginnings and being self-taught, Obsorbo, along with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, is one of the leaders of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) in Cuba and a prominent figure in the struggle that increasingly younger Cuban activists are waging against the regime on the island.
In 2015, Maykel was imprisoned for his controversial song "Por ti señor," in which he accuses Fidel Castro of being responsible for the suffering and precarious situation facing the Cuban people. "Por ti señor, it is because of you that injustice exists; for you, sir, my people feel sad. You were the one who promised things you did not fulfill."
On September 25, 2018, after performing a concert at La Madriguera (the headquarters of the Hermanos Saiz Association in Havana), where he joined other artists in speaking out against Decree 349, Maykel was arrested at his home. In March 2019, he was tried and sentenced to a year and a half in prison (six months longer than the prosecutor's request), under the alleged charge of assaulting a police officer. Maykel was released in December of that same year.
Since that moment, his tireless work as an activist has resulted in a string of arrests, police abuses, and harassment directed at his friends and family by the State Security organs. He has also personally endured mistreatment and assaults from Cuban police officers.
In August 2020, he made headlines for sewing his mouth shut in protest against the constant harassment and repression he was facing.
On November 18, 2020, they went on a hunger and thirst strike alongside Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara at the headquarters of the San Isidro Movement, after State Security agents cut off their food supply and took away the food and money from the neighbor who was helping them. Later, writer Katherine Bisquet Rodríguez, Iliana Hernández, activist Esteban Rodríguez, and self-employed worker Osmani Pardo also joined the strike.
Alcántara and Obsorbo showed signs of a deteriorated state of health. The main demand of the protesters was the release of Denis Solís, also a member of the San Isidro Movement.
In December 2020, Maykel participated in the collaboration between the popular Cuban groups Orishas and Gente de Zona, who recorded the song "Ojalá Pase" together with him and Funky
Obsorbo and Funky have also joined their voices on tracks such as "DIAZCARAO," where they criticize the management of Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel and the entire group leading the Cuban government, as well as on "De que me van a hablar," in which they demand freedom for Cuba and advocate for their struggle for democracy and human rights.
His latest track, alongside Funky, "El Aletazo de Alpidio," was released in response to the events of November 27, when the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso, used violence against demonstrators gathered outside the Ministry of Culture to demand the release of several detained artists and activists.
On February 5, 2021, alongside Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, after evading the surveillance imposed on them in their respective neighborhoods, they arrived at the Capitol in Havana to demand the resignation of the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso.
