Cimafunk/La Tribu

Biography

Cimafunk (born Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, 1989) grew up in Pinar del Río, Cuba's westernmost province and tobacco heartland, absorbing a dual musical diet of traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms and American funk cassettes — James Brown, George Clinton, Marvin Gaye — that his uncle played in the car. He studied medicine briefly before dropping out, working as a car painter and buffer until he caught a break as a backup singer for Pinar del Río native Raúl Paz. In 2014 he moved to Havana and joined Interactivo, the eclectic jazz-timba-funk collective led by pianist Roberto Carcassés, which sharpened his musicianship and exposed him to Havana's avant-garde scene before he struck out solo in 2016.

Under the name Cimafunk — derived from cimarrón, the Cuban term for enslaved Africans who escaped to form free mountain communities — he released his debut album Terapia in 2017/2018, and the single "Me Voy" became ubiquitous across Cuba. Billboard named him one of the Top 10 Latin Artists to Watch in 2019. His 2021 album El Alimento deepened his international profile, and in 2022 he relocated to New Orleans, reorganizing his nine-piece backing band as La Tribu. His 2024 album Pa' Tu Cuerpa — featuring George Clinton, Big Freedia, and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba — is his most polished and genre-spanning work yet, performing at Coachella, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Carnegie Hall, and Lollapalooza Chile.

Cimafunk's sound fuses Afro-Cuban timba, rumba, and son with American P-Funk, hip-hop, and Afrobeat in a way that feels simultaneously rooted and global. Frequently called "the James Brown of Cuba," he is widely regarded as the most significant new voice in Afro-Cuban music of his generation. His stage name is an explicit political statement about Black Cuban identity and resistance, not just a stylistic brand, and his relocation to New Orleans was deliberate — the city's African diaspora roots, second-line culture, and funk tradition directly mirror his Cuban heritage.

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Fun Facts

• Dropped out of medical school and worked painting and buffing cars in Havana before landing a backup singing gig — one of the more unconventional origin stories in contemporary Latin music.
• His stage name 'Cimafunk' is a deliberate political act: cimarrón referred specifically to enslaved Africans who escaped and formed armed free palenque communities in Cuba's mountains — not just a cool word but a statement about Black Cuban identity and resistance.
• George Clinton publicly endorsed him as the future of funk and collaborated with him on multiple recordings, treating Cimafunk as a P-Funk heir from the Afro-Cuban tradition.
• His relocation to New Orleans in 2022 was a calculated move — he recognized that the city's African diaspora music, second-line brass band culture, and funk roots are structurally parallel to Cuban timba and rumba, making it a natural creative home.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Roberto Carcassés - Cuban jazz pianist and leader of Interactivo collective; direct mentor who shaped Cimafunk's fusion of jazz, timba, and funk during his 2014–2016 tenure with the group [2014-2016]
• George Clinton - Parliament-Funkadelic founder who embraced Cimafunk as a protégé, publicly called him the future of funk, and collaborated on multiple tracks including 'Funk Aspirin' (Pa' Tu Cuerpa (2024), Funk Aspirin) [2020s]
• Juana Bacallao - Late Cuban cabaret legend who taught Cimafunk about Afro-Cuban roots and performance traditions

Key Collaborators

• Big Freedia - New Orleans bounce artist featured on Pa' Tu Cuerpa (2024) (Pa' Tu Cuerpa)
• Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Cuban jazz pianist featured on Pa' Tu Cuerpa (2024) (Pa' Tu Cuerpa)
• Chucho Valdés - Legendary Cuban pianist who collaborated on 'Mambo Influenciado' (2025) (Mambo Influenciado)
• Trombone Shorty - New Orleans jazz/funk artist; friend and collaborator in the New Orleans music scene [2022-present]
• Lupe Fiasco - Collaborated on the track 'Rómpelo' (Rómpelo)
• Omara Portuondo - Buena Vista Social Club alumna; influence and collaborator representing Cuba's deep musical tradition

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia