Machetes and Michelada: Toxic Masculinity at its Worst or its Best?
The Mexican-American rappers' latest album is unapologetic about delivering satirical misogyny and political criticism.
Coyote’s latest album Machetes and Micheladas is toxic Mexican machismo at its worst or its best, depending on which way you choose to look at it. This is unapologetic rhyme spitting; the wordplay is layered with entendres, complex metaphors, and laugh-out-loud similes.
There’s cringeworthy satirical misogyny that pushes the boundaries of decency. At its most vulnerable, honest, and at its most artistic, this project processes pain, struggle, and the shared experience of being raised by immigrant parents in a dangerous environment. It provides guidance for navigating life and complex situations with integrity and a moral compass, offering future generations a valuable resource. It’s great art. Machetes and Micheladas is raw, unfiltered, and an instant classic in any era, worthy of lengthy conversation and analysis among any rap circles.
“My heart is black on both sides, that’s Mos Definite”
As a fan of hip hop, that line alone should win you over.
The coup de grâce of this project is not shying away from controversial featured artists like R.A the Rugged Man and Locksmith on the same track “What’s Peace?” which pays homage to Notorious B.I.G’s “What’s Beef?” It’s a declaration of war. It’s a bold political statement etched in stone at a time when hip hop has had little to say about the state of the country. This is the kind of song that will probably get everyone involved placed on an FBI watchlist. It’s that ballsy, that poignant, and that anti-establishment.
Steel sharpens steel, a concept not lost on true hip hop that shines through on this entire album. Other features include B Real, Sick Jacken, Psycho Realm, Conway The Machine, Daylyt, Curren$y, and a few others. The production by Statik Selektah provides a cohesive East Coast gritty/boom bap soulfulness that allows the words of Hawthorne brothers/rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco AKA Coyote w glide and cut through the field of current rappers.