La reclusión es mi punto de encuentro/ me ubican dentro de lo marginal (Imprisonment is my point of contact/ I fall into the marginal) they sing in one of their countless hits. And rightly so, even though unimagined, it does not seem strange that outspoken and multiple Latin Grammy-winning band Calle 13 and public enemy number one Julian Assange have paired on a new endeavour.
Rene Perez Joglar, a.k.a. Residente, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange met Wednesday night at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London (Assange's refuge for almost a year now), and chatted during four hours to work together on a song that will condemn the role massive media have today. According to a statement released by the band's publicist, they intend to strike a blow for free speech and against censorship, "disinformation and media manipulation".
During their meeting, Residente himself kept his 5 million twitter fans posted through their official Twitter account (@Calle13Oficial). "We support Assange because he is a victim of media manipulation. He is accused of releasing information to which we should have had access, because we deserve to be well informed. He brought out in the open a lot of people and he’s being blamed for that, when it is not Assange who is killing people. Assange just revealed information about what governments are doing. Those who do not support him are attacking their own human rights, fundamental rights,” Residente is quoted as saying.
After their get together, both parties took part in a live streaming where they answered fans' questions through the hashtagg #JulianAssangeCalle13.
Fans can follow the collaboration online. Meanwhile, Calle 13's fifth studio album is expected out this fall.
