Latin Roots: Ana Tijoux

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Ana Tijoux.

John Vettese/WXPN

World Cafe features a special live edition of Latin Roots with a performance by the French-Chilean hip-hop artist Ana Tijoux. The set, which contains music from her latest album Vengo, was recorded at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Vengo is the product of a fascinating evolution for Tijoux, who asked herself why Latin hip-hop didn't feature more indigenous acoustic instruments in its backing tracks and decided to incorporate them. Her band uses samples of these sounds live.

Tijoux was born in France, where her parents were forced to move during the dictatorial regime of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Growing up in both France and Chile, she's often said that hip-hop has given her the cultural identity she'd otherwise lacked. Her first success came with the group Makiza before she launched her solo career in 2004.