ABSTRACT
In the second half of the 1990s, the signs of the end of the relative tolerance of the authorities announced by the polemics on ‘La bruja’ rapidly became real. While the police launched repressive raids against prostitution, the press increased its attacks on MB musicians. They were now not only blamed for the lyrics of their songs, but also accused of betraying the spirit of Cuban music, and compared to speculators who had grown rich by trafficking with tourists. Previously encouraged by the state with generous economic incentives, timberos were now portrayed as individuals devoted to the cult of success and money, proto-capitalists representing a seminal form of new bourgeoisie.
