ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the history of hip hop in Medellín and the historical and political events that have shaped the movement in Comuna 13, a marginalized area of Medellín that has been considered one of the most dangerous in the city. The author argues that this genre has enabled young people to reappropriate the history of the Comuna, providing a cohesive testimonial discourse that confronts official accounts of the area and its inhabitants, many of whom are victims of forced displacement. Upon taking office in 2002, ex-president Álvaro Uribe (2002–2010) concentrated on his security agenda, launching Operación Orión, the first military operation in the history of Colombia to be dispatched in an urban area. The civilian cost was enormous, and today the population demands justice for hundreds of victims of homicide, extrajudicial execution, torture, arbitrary arrest, and forced disappearance. As a result of Operación Orión, young people have gathered through the hip hop movement to make the Comuna a place of artists whose commitment to nonviolence is indefatigable.
