Modern Day Mambo Craze: Lou Bega

Modern Day Mambo Craze In the year 1999, the songs that were topping the charts included “I Want It That Way” from the teen heart-throbs The Backstreet Boys, “Baby One More Time” from pop princess Britney Spears, and the oddball out: “Mambo No. 5” by the previously unknown Lou Bega. This hit song stood out for its Mambo based rhythm and style. Since the 1950’s Mambo Craze, Mambo has been a global phenomenon with its infectious rhythm and danceable beat. However, after the Craze faded, Mambo was not as popular among the general western population until Lou Bega brought it back to mainstream culture with his catchy Latin pop song. Despite being known for Latin music, Lou Bega was born in Munich, Germany, at the heart of Bavaria. Bega is of

Many people take advantage of this view on Mamba and often take it to extreme clichés. Lou Bega’s album is just one of many examples of exploiting Cuban stereotypes to be successful in the Western world. However, using these clichés as a marketing technique diminishes the history and complexity of Cuban culture and music. Mambo originated in the 1930s as a global genre, with Latin, European, and African influences. It is commonly believed that Mambo is, and always has been, centered in Cuba. However, when Mambo first emerged, many Cubans saw it as a foreign genre due to its jazz elements and were worried about it corrupting their current musical culture. Mambo developed as a local evolution of previous forms of Cuban music; “now it has also become an object of reification, fascination, and

Caribbean music, on the other hand, is rich with aspects of the unique cultural and historical circumstances surrounding Caribbean countries. However, when Westerners borrow Caribbean culture they often replace the meaningful context with cliches. It is easy to brush off the use of stereotypes for entertainment because it is hard to see the damage perpetuating these stereotypes have. Lou Bega and many others made a very successful career out of it, the world got a hit dance song, and Cuba received recognition and fame from the music. However, it is unfair to the Cuban people to confine their culture into a one-dimensional mold. Cuba is much more than a carefree, tropical island full of macho men and sexy women. It is an island of fascinating culture, history, and people that deserves to be seen as more than just a vacation destination with catchy