On the other side of the phone, Mala Rodríguez could perfectly pass for a 25-year-old girl. "I speak like you speak on the internet. I am always updating myself; this year I've done 44, like a gun, and I feel like Magnum".
Back from just about everything, her art ranges from hip-hop and trap to electro-Latin, she defends herself in Spanglish, knows the ins and outs of social media, and even opened an OnlyFans account to showcase her voluptuous sensuality because it made him hungry. The UMusic Hotel in Madrid hosted the presentation of his new work in a night graced by Marie Brizard and the magic of master cocktail maker Javier de las Muelas. In the single No molestar, in collaboration with Polimá Westcoast, María Mala Rodríguez (Jerez, 1979) previews her next album: the Spanish rapper no. 1 is back.
La Mala responds to La Vanguardia with the spirit still shrunk by the disappearance of Tina Turner: "She is the representation of a fighting woman. Of a rabid human being, full of energy and who does not give up. I was inspired as a child and also later by her Buddhist mantra [ Nam Mioho Rengue Kio ], which helped her leave behind the toxic burden of her marriage. From there I began to take an interest in Taoism and other Eastern philosophies." And at that moment, Mala refers to the work of Lao Tzu as one of her readings.
It is not posturing but genuine confession. Example: Mala is on Barack Obama's Spotify playlist. “Looking over your shoulder for this? Iar aaa... I'm not like that. Only when I act a little silly, but I'm not like that at all. In fact, I think why does this happen, if life puts us through trials. For me, the world is like a multiplayer video game in which you have to go through screens where everything is tests”.
We leave the Matrix to return to the earthly plane and talk about Do Not Disturb: "In all the songs there is a part of me. This specifically talks about ghosting [in an incipient relationship, disappearing without giving explanations]. If you don't know what's happening to you, you can go crazy and that's what we show in the video clip: we deserve a little emotional responsibility on the part of the other."
A Grammy, two gold records, double platinum with Juan Magán, National Current Music Award 2019... All in all, in the Flemish city of Jerez they are happy that their, perhaps, best-known artist is dedicated to hip- hop and Latin electro: “They love me a lot; in fact, last year I received an award for my career and the impetus I have given to women and freedom. Today we focus too much on the negative comment, but for me the positive is more important, the fact that there are girls who feel strong and courageous if they have references like Tina Turner or what I was able to do leaving the field. That I'm a farmer, huh? Also, guys who feel lost and don't know how to express themselves. That's why I like that at my concerts there are people of all kinds, ethnicities and conditions".
Mala Rodríguez naturally defends the erotic side of her character. "What I do on OnlyFans are pictures in lingerie: since I'm a bit of a fetishist and I have a lot, a lot, that's how I monetize. Everyone plays their cards and everything else is envy. There are those who are interested in the body and those who find the mind very exciting. Will having a physique make you better at work? It may be yes or it may be no. It's clear that I don't have to prove anything, I already did. In fact, it blows my mind. It blows me away quite a bit and at this point I strictly do what I like. There is a very beautiful song by Los Punsetes and it is Tu opinion de mierda. I want to close the interview by saying that you shouldn't cry, that life is a carnival".
