Molotov (band)

Molotov is a Mexican rock and hip hop band formed in Mexico City on September 23, 1995. Their lyrics feature a mixture of Spanish and English, rapped and sung by all members of the group. Musically, Molotov blends heavy baselines with heavy guitar riffs. Many songs, such as "Gimme Tha Power" and "Frijolero", are politically inspired, addressing issues such as disenfranchisement within Mexico and immigration in the United States. The band's lyrics are risqué, playful, and frequently aggressive.

Biography

Molotov's debut album ¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas? was a massive success both in Spanish and English speaking countries. However, their lyrics, mostly a mix of politics, sex and Spanish profanity meant they were banned in their home country of Mexico and faced a lawsuit from Spain. On a superficial reading, their first album's title, which translates literally as "Where Will The Little Girls Play?" parodies the album ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños? ("Where Will The Kids Play?") by the Mexican rock band Maná. There are different layers of meaning to Molotov's title, however, since "niñas" is also a slang term for prostitutes. To underscore this aspect, the cover features a young woman's legs seductively displayed in school uniform. Indeed, the cover resulted in a lawsuit from a Catholic school who claimed that the school uniform worn by the woman on the cover was an exact match to their own uniform, but it's the exact model for Mexican official State Schools Uniform, which means the girl is younger than 18 years old.

Controversy

The band also faced a further hurdle when one of their songs was interpreted as a slur against homosexuals. The song Puto (literally man-whore; femine "puta" meaning bitch; "puto" in Spanish means gay male, similar to the American slang word "faggot") was actually supposed to be about those who will not stand up for themselves, since in Mexico, like in other parts of the world, homophobic slurs are also used to refer to "unmanly" behavior, such as cowardice or cheating. However, this information was not widely circulated until later. The result was that Molotov's first tour in Germany was met by crowds of angry gays and lesbians with their arms folded.

In defense of the band and their use of the word "puto", producer Gustavo Santaolalla told an interviewer from the Spanish language rock and roll magazine Retila:

"Lo de 'homofóbico' te lo aclaro ya: en la canción 'Puto', la palabra, de ninguna manera está utilizada como un ataque a la comunidad homosexual, para nada. Se usa como se utilizaría en Argentina al decir 'turro', por ejemplo, un tipo que es un ...qué sé yo... un miserable, un 'loser', un tipo mala onda. No es un insulto a un homosexual. La letra dice, 'Puto el que nos quita la papa/el que creyó lo del informe...' Está dirigido específicamente a ese tipo de persona. Y por el lado de lo de sexista, las canciones están hechas con humor y dirigidas, precisamente, a toda esa mentalidad machista y latina."

"About the homophobic thing, I'll clear that up now: in the song 'Puto', the word is in no way used as an attack on the homosexual community, at all. Its used like the word "turro" would be in Argentina, for example, a guy who is ...hmmm... a wretch, a loser, a bad-vive guy. Its not an insult to a homosexual. The lyrics say, 'Puto, who takes away our grub/Puto who believes what's on the news...' Its directed specifically to that type of person. And as for the sexism, the songs are all made with humor and aimed precisedly at all that Latin machismo mentality."

Santaolalla further compares the use of "puto" to Mark Knopfler's use of the word "faggot" in the Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing", which he (mistakenly) states was not criticized.

Despite these initial problems, the band pulled itself together leaving its more major controversies behind. Since then it has produced popular albums with their most recent release Con Todo Respeto ("With all due respect") in late 2004. Molotov's music has a large following in Mexico (where it is played frequently on some Mexican radiostations as well as prominent films such as Y tu mamá también along with the United States and to a lesser degree, Europe.

Members

Current members

• Tito Fuentes - Singer/Guitar (1995-)
• Mickey "Huidos" Huidobro - Singer/ Bass Guitar (1995-)
• Paco Ayala - Singer/Bass Guitar (1996-)
• Randy "El Gringo Loco" Ebright - Singer/Drummer (1996-)

Former members

• Javier de la Cueva - Bass Guitar (1995-96)
• La Quesadillera - Drummer ( 1995-96)

Discography

• ¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas? - August 1997
• Molomix - November - 1998
• Apocalypshit - September 1999
• Dance and Dense Denso - February 2003
• Con Todo Respeto - October 2004
• Con Todo Respeto Unlimited Edition - September 2005

Awards

¿Dónde jugarán las niñas?:

• Double Platinum Record in Spain
• Quadruple Gold Record in Mexico
• Golden Record in Argentina and Colombia.
• Platinum Record in Chile and United States.

Dance and Dense Denso:

• Latin Grammy for Best Music Video (Frijolero).

Trivia

• The song Frijolero is featured in soundtrack of the movie A Day Without A Mexican.
• Several songs including Molotov Cocktail, No Manches mi Vida and Cerdo are featured in the soundtrack of the videogame Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico
• The members of Molotov all play guitar, bass, and drums, often switching between the three in concert.
• Molotov`s song, Voto Latino is feautered in the movie The Big Hit
• Randy Ebright is the only American band member.
• Randy Ebright co-wrote Frijolero.
• The band broke up on Jan 12th 2007 this rumor has not been confirmed.

External links

• Molotov Official Web Site
• Molotov Official Fan Web Site