National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Americans tend to think of hip-hop as a black, urban and male dominated genre - forgetting that more than a few hip-hop legends, from MC Lyte to Nicki Minaj, don't exactly fit the full profile. And as hip-hop becomes increasingly internationalized, that paradigm is breaking down even further. In fact, one of the most anticipated new hip-hop albums of 2012 comes not from New York or L.A. or the Dirty South, but from Santiago, Chile - home to a 34 year old woman whom many consider the best rapper in the Spanish language alive today: Ana Tijoux.

Tijoux was born in 1977 to Chilean parents living in political exile in France during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Her family returned to Chile after the restoration of democracy in 1990. At the age of 13 she emerged herself in Santiago's close-knit hip-hop scene; rhyming first in French, then in Spanish. Her trajectory into the rap game began in 1998, when she formed the group Makiza, later releasing three records before breaking off to begin her career as a solo artist. Her first release, 2006's Kaos featured her first hit single, "Eres Para Mí" with Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas.

In 2009 she released 1977. Named for the year she was born, 1977 was Tijoux's most personal album to date, as well as her international breakthrough. In 2010 it was picked up and released internationally by L.A. based Nacional Records; it was a critical success and a fan favorite. 1977 was later nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album in 2011.

This week, Tijoux's politically-charged third album La Bala (The Bullet) made its U.S. debut. The album was recorded last year amid the ongoing Chilean student movement for equal access to education. In the video for her first single, "Shock" Tijoux documented the protests to spread awareness both at home and abroad.

While on tour in South America, Tijoux sat down with Nat Geo music to discuss the making of her album, and how the creation of it is not her own personal story this time; but instead, "more of a reflection with what is going on in the world."

Nat Geo Music: What was the writing process like for your new album?

Ana Tijoux It was a very different process in comparison to making my last album, 1977. I made part of the lyrics thinking of images and video which I never done before. So it has been a very beautiful process of creation that I think I will have to push more in my next projects.

What made you name the album, La Bala?

Like 1977, it was intuitive. Honestly, [I'll have a better] explanation in a couple of months, when I will understand more about this intuition. The same happen to me with 1977, it's so emotional sometimes that I need to have time to understand the whole package.

How do you write lyrics for both your Chilean and international fans?

Well for example, to make lyrics like "Shock" it was totally inspired by the students and of this social earthquake that has made a whole country wake up. What happens after, with the fans or if the people like or not is a only consequence of that inspiration; and you have to be prepared to have critics that come in all sense. That is part of the process where the music is not mine anymore - it then belongs to the people.

What was the biggest difference between the making of this album and your previous album?

1977 was a reflexive album, where there were a lot of personal questions floating around in my head. La Bala in that sense is different - it is more a reflection with what is going on in the world.

Why did you record in Detroit, what was the experience like? Are there any music scenes/bands from Detroit that you're into?

Detroit is one of the major cities of music for me. I was searching for a very specific sound to mix and master the album. In that sense it was very important to work with the same team that has worked with so many artists that I admire. And I can say that the experience was really amazing. I'm very much a fan of so many artists of that city and its crazy to see how they have left it alone in the middle of a crisis where so many talents walk the streets.

For those unfamiliar with the Chilean student uprising, can you explain what's going on? What's your involvement, and how is it affecting you as an artist?

First of all I think that musicians and artists in general are the art-ivist of what happens in our societies; it is impossible for them to not be influenced by the political or social situation because that affects all of us as a community. And as musicians we are part of that community. We got the mission to communicate and speak in our own language the reflection and ideas of the people.

Chile is a country that in a very harsh way lived through a dictatorship that privatized education and many other facets of public life; like health care and things that most people think should be more communal. Even though we then had democratic government for almost 20 years, they never changed that privatization. So we have lived a very hard deception for many years.

Before the dictatorship, we used to have free education. This new generation of students understands that we can't continue to live under these rules that affect our whole society, where its not only that studying is very expensive, but that we are also living in a moment where corporations are grotesque. This is not a democracy is a corporative dictatorship.
I'm a mother, I'm a musician, I'm a citizen ? and in that sense all that happens with my people and my community affect me. Its what you talk about with your friends, what you talk with your family; it's not just politics on the TV - it's what we live every day. The students were one of the first groups to rise up and say "basta" - enough.

Who are you currently listening to that you share a common ground with in raising social awareness?

I will say that my major influences have been Chico Buarque, Ruben Blades and Fela Kuti -- even if I don't make that kind of music. The way that they write lyrics and how they compose their texts wake me up in a double sense, with my brain and with sensibilities. They are artists that I have listened to since I was a kid and have made me change my creative vision and how to use "music is a weapon".

You have a great lineup of collaborators on your album; how did these collaborations with Currumin & Jorge Drexler come about? Can you tell us a little bit about Javier Barria & Los Aldeaneos?

To make a collaboration is to have a conversation with someone through music. It's a dialogue with the other artist and in that sense all those collaborations make me see and understand music and life with a different point of view, the same way you might change your point of view after a great conversation with someone. There are so many ways to live the music, so many ways to understand it, so many ways to talk with music that there is not only one true vision -- there are so many points of views and sensibilities, and each one is true for different people. With Javier it was amazing to make him sing in another style of music that we laughed a lot and we wanted to do more and more songs. And with Los Aldeanos it was one of those magic moments where it was 3 MC's and one idea in mind that we just put pure passion into the song.

What was the experience shooting the video for "Shock" like?

It was amazing to meet students, talk with them, share dreams, hope of changes, music? share ideas as citizens, as human beings, that we all deserve more justice, that we all deserve the hope that free education promises, where we all can have the same opportunity without separation of social classes.

It was amazing to see conviction in their eyes that this fight is a fight for the world, the fight of a global community, that this fight is the fight of the people. The fight to have that option of how we want to live this life, how we want to move forward and how we want to educate our kids. This video means a lot for me, if you can't tell..

What do you think of the Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S.?

With my work I get the opportunity to travel a lot to so many different countries, and there is something that always surprises me -- that really "the world is a ghetto." Some codes repeat themselves in so many cities: favelas in Brasil, poblaciones in Chile, ghettos in USA, cites in France. Codes of poverties, codes of how this system pushes us to the limit where we don't all have the same opportunity. Wall street is like the mouth of this monster where so many economic decisions affect the whole world, cause millions to go hungry, kill thousands in wars, etc?so this Occupy Wall Street is clearly very strategic in the sense that it has been very inspirational in helping to wake up the whole world. But we have to remember: to be rebellious is not just a moment, it's not just right now. To be rebellious is an act for life, for the love and well being of all humans.

Is there a difference between performing in Chile and internationally?

I will say that the difference is when we play outside of Chile, in a way it is to show our language and culture as hip hop from Latin America to the world. We are ambassadors, and although it is not something we asked for, it is something that we take seriously. We have to represent all of our brothers and sisters-from Chile and from all over Latin America-who don't have the opportunity to travel and present their voices to the world. We can't forget that. I've been very lucky to have traveled so much, and hopefully with my work I can open doors for others to do the same.

It is also important for us to take back to Chile what we see around the world, to not only be the voice for those who can't leave Chile, but also their eyes and ears, and bring back our experiences for them.

And well...when we play back at home in Chile, it's much more relaxed?just us and our fans having a good ol' time...