Rafa de la Santa and G_Rebel Draw the Line From Santa Clara to Jazz-Tinted Hip-Hop on Tierra
A Cuban Rapper and an MC-Producer Co-Write a Hip-Hop Single with Jazz and Lo-Fi Colours
Tierra starts in Santa Clara, Cuba, and draws a line out to the jazz-tinted, lo-fi edge of hip-hop. Rafa de la Santa made the music and wrote the lyrics with G_Rebel, an MC, beatmaker and producer. The pair released the single on 24 May 2024.
Rafa de la Santa & G_Rebel’s Tierra is in the playlist below, beside the conscious and jazz-leaning rap it belongs with, and more of their coverage is kept on the Rafa de la Santa and G_Rebel profile. The single came to this desk through PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news desks. Press play, then read on for the lineage behind it.
The Credits Behind Tierra
The credits come straight from the official visualizer on Rafa’s YouTube channel. It went up two days later, tagged hip-hop and Cuba. The music is by Rafa de la Santa, while the lyrics are by Rafa de la Santa and G_Rebel. That split matters, because it tells you what kind of record this is. In short, it is a co-written rap single built on a producer’s ear, not a background beat.
The Wave This Single Rides
The sound sits where several waves meet. Cuban rap, for instance, has a long underground history. At the turn of the century, Orishas carried it to a global audience by mixing rap with son and other Cuban styles. Meanwhile, the Japanese producer Nujabes shaped the jazz-sampling, laid-back hip-hop that later grew into the lo-fi beats scene. Tierra draws on both lines: Cuban hip-hop in its roots, and the soft, jazz-leaning colours that lo-fi listeners know well.
Rafa de la Santa Fits a Cuban Hip-Hop Lineage That Mixes Rap With Reggae, Jazz and Funk
His YouTube channel describes Rafa de la Santa as a young rapper, singer and composer. According to that bio, he lives in his home city of Santa Clara. The same bio also says his music moves between reggae, jazz, funk and Cuban styles. In addition, it notes a concern in his writing about the dehumanisation of society. His X profile repeats that bio and lists Santa Clara, in the province of Villa Clara, as home.
Even the name is local. In a December 2025 interview with Folded Waffle, he explained that Rafael is his real name. Santa Clara is the city where he was born, so he simply joined the two. That interview also shows where he wants to go. Music had recently taken him outside Cuba for the first time, he said. As a result, he was now writing in a new country and a new context. The message he wants to share is love, peace and harmony. Beyond that, he wants to show how people can be happy in many circumstances. Asked about a dream collaboration, he named the Puerto Rican band Cultura Profética. Their sound, he said, keeps him close to his Caribbean roots.
Tierra fits that picture. The title means earth or land. It arrives as a grounded record from an artist who keeps his city in his name. His wider catalogue also backs this up. For example, his 2020 album Performance, which is on Spotify, runs to eleven tracks. It includes Repartiendo Luz, which has its own official video, and Estamos Bien with Dani the Killer.
The Adjacent Acts Around Rafa de la Santa Show a Wide Network of Hip-Hop Collaborators
Rafa rarely works alone. His Spotify catalogue includes collaborations with MalinChe on Abstinencia and with 120 on Nunca Necesité Tanto. There are also tracks with Lof.Mu on Classic and with LESTER MONTANA on Half Moon. In addition, he has recorded an acoustic live session of El Mejor día with Zammys of Los Locos Tristes. Altogether, those names form the circle this single comes out of.
G_Rebel, meanwhile, brings a second network. On Instagram, G_Rebel is listed as an MC, beatmaker and producer. The profile also names G_Rebel as a member of the Bloodaz Crew and director of Proyecto Vitarima. In other words, Tierra is a meeting point between two working hip-hop artists and their circles. So far, Tierra is the only release on G_Rebel’s Spotify artist page. That makes this single the clearest entry point to their work.
From the BlackSounds.News curator team: “Listen to Tierra as a co-write. Rafa’s music sets a calm, earthy pocket. The shared lyrics give two voices one subject, which is how a strong local scene sounds when it starts reaching outward.”
Where to Hear Rafa de la Santa and G_Rebel
This single suits listeners who follow Cuban hip-hop and Spanish-language rap beyond the mainstream. It also suits anyone who keeps a jazz-hop or lo-fi playlist and wants music with a real place behind it.
Follow Rafa de la Santa across platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Linktree. For concert news, follow him on Songkick.
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