After more than a decade at the forefront of Spain’s thriving hip-hop scene, Cruz Cafuné is taking his electrifying bars and richly layered instrumentals to an international stage with his first-ever European tour. This April and May, the Tenerife-born trailblazer will bring his unmistakable sound to five major cities, kicking off in Berlin and culminating in a thrilling finale in May.

Cafuné’s music is a captivating fusion of laid-back melodies and razor-sharp lyricism, forming an ever-evolving, genre-blurring catalogue. His latest EP, “blu€s”, is a boundary-pushing masterpiece that seamlessly weaves together sultry drill, infectious jerk, soulful blues, and pulsating dancehall, resulting in a bold and dynamic project powered by his magnetic presence.

Listen to the EP…

Ahead of his highly anticipated London show at Village Underground on 10th May, we caught up with the multifaceted Spanish artist to discuss Spain’s evolving relationship with European sounds, the true essence of reggaeton, and the art of aging gracefully while continuing to make effortlessly cool music.

Read the interview…

After years of shaping Spain’s hip hop scene, what made you decide that now was the right time to expand internationally with your first European tour?

Thank you so much for the compliment about “shaping the Spanish scene.” Honestly, all we’ve ever tried to do here is create the music we love with passion and heart, and thankfully people have responded and embraced the wave.

Expanding internationally felt like a natural next step. We’re big fans of the UK scene, especially London’s, not to mention the huge influence that Parisian rap had (and still has!) in Madrid, and the way Marseille’s sound has been shaping cities like Barcelona for a few years now. Deep down, I feel a strong urge to show the world what we’re doing, to introduce our vision to these scenes we’ve been following closely, and then let them decide if they’re rocking with it or not.

My goal is to deliver the best show possible—make sure people have fun and enjoy themselves. If, by the end of the concert, there are at least three Londoners who connect with the vision and start following my music, I’ll consider it a success.

What can fans expect from your live performances on this tour? Are there any surprises or new elements to be introduced?

Our shows in Spain and Latin America are usually heavily focused on the latest projects we’ve released, because thankfully people already know us there. For this European tour, the setlist is designed more as a showcase of what we can do, highlighting the different genres we love and create, and offering a journey through my personal favorite tracks from my catalog. I’m genuinely excited because there are songs even I had forgotten about—tracks I stopped performing for reasons I don’t fully understand—maybe they’re six or seven years old, but I still vibe with them. I’ve included all these tunes with the intention of giving the audience a small tour through my story and favorite songs.

You blend rap, Jersey Club, reggaeton and R&B on the album, what drew you to these sounds?

It’s the music I love, the music that’s on my playlist. Sometimes it’s natural, like with rap or reggaeton, because that’s where I come from—that’s my background. In the case of rap, I’ve been doing it since I was 13. And with reggaeton, Tenerife (well, Canary Islands) has had a deep connection with it since the 2000s. We’re drawn to that pure, street-oriented sound—the true essence of reggaeton “de la mata.”

For other genres, when I step into a style I haven’t explored before, I make sure to do it as authentically and respectfully as possible. I honor the culture, the scene, and the architects who brought it to life, while still having fun in the process. I never want to appropriate an identity that’s not mine—that’s why I only have, say, one drill track or one amapiano song. It’s like saying, “This is my take on a genre I love,” but at the end of the day, I’m a rapper.

In an era of globalised music, where do you see Spanish hip hop fitting in internationally?

I’m not entirely sure. I mean, I know how to place and map Spanish hip-hop within the Spanish-speaking world, but I don’t really know how it’s perceived beyond that—that’s exactly why I’m so curious about this tour. I want to see firsthand how our music resonates with people elsewhere.

I know Morad packs venues everywhere he goes in Europe; it’s incredibly inspiring to watch him do his thing, staying true to his vision, and seeing people genuinely connecting with it. He’s a reference point in many ways, but especially in this one. And obviously Rosalía marked a paradigm shift for all of us—she’s one of my main inspirations for at least attempting to take my music outside of Spain. It almost feels unfair to mention her, because she’s the biggest Spanish artist ever in terms of global reach and exposure; she’s become so huge that bringing her up can seem a bit cliché, which is why I say it’s almost cheating to talk about her. Still, I always like to acknowledge her because, aside from being incredibly talented, I know for a fact she works harder and has grinded more hours than anyone else to get where she is. If I could emulate even 10% of her blueprint and work ethic it would be a massive win.

It’s equally inspiring to see the opposite—when British, French, or Italian artists come to Spain and sell out shows months in advance. That hustle and movement is something I deeply respect. I just want to emulate that.

I felt it for the first time when I attended Paris Fashion Week and saw how European rappers all knew each other, collaborated, hung out together, traveled freely around the Schengen zone, and formed genuine connections. Meanwhile, Spanish rappers aren’t really in that conversation yet. It made me wonder if there was something I could do to change that, and this small European tour is just the first humble step—part of a longer process that obviously requires more work down the line.

Are there any artists outside of Spain you’d love to collaborate with in the near future?

A thousand. Putting aside the usual suspects—the artists everyone dreams of sharing a studio with (Dave, Skepta, Cench, Nines, Jorja, J Hus, Luciano, Tiakola, Aya Nakamura, Niska, Capo Plaza, Sfera… I could go on for hours)—right now I’m listening heavily to Knucks, BXKS, Jim Legxacy, and Bawo from the UK; reezy, Summer Cem, and Pajel from Germany; T-Rex and Plutonio from Portugal; or Sayf from Italy, just to name a few.

Still, I believe connections should happen organically, without forcing anything. If I started making music in a purely commercial way, thinking about expansion just for expansion’s sake, it wouldn’t make sense—that’s not how I want to navigate my journey. I don’t think anyone does.

For any readers who haven’t heard you, what is the one track of yours that you’d want them to hear?

Wow. I don’t know. I couldn’t pick just ONE song that represents everything I like. Five: Mina el Hammani, s3_e07_theboondocks_dvdrip.mpeg, Cangrinaje, Te Enamoraste de un G, Folelé. That would do it

What does the rest of the year have in store for you?

Making my new album. I have a lot of music stored in the vault, and I could easily release something right now—in fact, I already announced I’d be dropping new music this year—but it wouldn’t make sense, neither for me nor for the people who follow my music, to put out Me Muevo con Dios 2. It just wouldn’t feel right. I want to take risks, bring something fresh to the table, and create something that’ll age well—something that allows me to grow older gracefully, both professionally and personally. I want to keep rapping until I’m 45 or 50, and if I’m going to do that, I have to stay consistent with my sound and my message.

It’s challenging because in the Spanish-speaking world we don’t really have a role model who’s aged gracefully while continuing to make genuinely cool music. We don’t have a Giggs, a Pusha T, or a Freddie Gibbs, so I’m still figuring out what steps I need to take to lay down the foundation for that.