Who is Rubén Albarrán, the vocalist of Café Tacvba that AMLO questioned

Rubén Albarrán is a musician and composer known for being the vocalist of Café Tacvba, an alternative rock band that emerged in Ciudad Satélite, Naucalpan, in the State of Mexico; the group has great hits such as Hopefully that llueva café and Las Flores.

Recently, the name of this tacubo became a topic of conversation because President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) called it “pseudo-environmentalist” and “conservative”, since it belongs to Sélvame del tren, an initiative of several famous people who criticize the cutting of trees to build the Mayan Train.

He also noted this for not having spoken out to defend Lake Texcoco when the government of Enrique Peña Nieto began the construction of an airport.

These statements by the president of Mexico sparked a lot of criticism, as the public of Albarrán knows that the singer has been characterized by active and direct participation in various social causes, is usually critical of governments and is not a simple position against AMLO or its projects.

The vocalist of Café Tacuba has consistently positioned himself in favor of environmentalists from indigenous peoples, feminists, the LGBT+ community and even displaced people, because in 2018 even had a meeting with the migrant caravan and gave them support.

Another example of this is that in 2019, Albarrán composed a song for Tomas Rojo, “Water Defender, Peace Builder, and Leader of the Yaqui Tribe”, whose remains were found in Guaymas, Sonora in June and had been missing since May.

“Likewise for all the Defenders of the Territory and the Sacred Elements Giving Life, Earth, Air, Water; like Luis Urbano, another Yaqui fighter killed in days past. The Struggle for Water and the Sacred Elements belongs to Everyone. Stop Violence.”, wrote the singer on his Instagram account when he presented the song.

On the other hand, she acknowledged that one of her most popular lyrics should be modified in empathy with the various feminist movements and, of course, women victims of violence.

This is La Ingrata, one of her stanzas said “Ingrata! Don't forget that if I want to; for if I can hurt you; I just need to want to hurt you and humiliate you.”

The new version was performed with Andrea Echeverri and also includes an “ingrate”, part of the modification reads as follows: “I am not your half rib, and as a mother I demand not one more is what I ask and not an abusive male will rape a girl”

“We were very young when it was written and we were not sensitized to this problem as we all are now,” Albarrán explained during a 2019 concert, referring to the high numbers of violence and femicides reported, since his song seemed inadequate.

According to the book Café Tacvba: Dancing on Our Account by Enrique Blanc, the 55-year-old musician had been in contact with this art since he was a child, as his parents sang very frequently and he decided to dedicate himself to it professionally at the age of four. This happened specifically with the song Aquarius (Let the Sunshine in) by The Fifth Dimension.

After playing in several bands such as Grupo Torah during his teenage years in Ciudad Satelite, he began his musical career with the nickname Pinche Juan and made a difference between his clothes and the outfits attributed to rockers in the early nineties, as he wore a hat and coat.

The first group in which Albarrán sang was called Alicia no longer lives here, in this band she played alongside Joselo Rangel and his brother Quique, but the group did not have the desired impact and they declined to be called Café Tacvba.

Rubén Albarrán has not stopped being the vocalist of that band, as they have even won 8 Grammy Awards, but he also founded another group called Hoppo! On the other hand, he has collaborated with artists and groups such as Control Machete, Inspector, María Barracuda, Calle 13, Celso Piña, Lila Downs and Enanitos Verdes.

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