Mateo Palacios Corazzina grew up in the heart of La Boca, a notoriously working-class barrio (neighbourhood) in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. Among houses of vibrant colors, and the persistent echo of tango, every day he would pass by an image that had little to do with local folklore, but which ended up becoming an icon of the area: a gigantic mural featuring all the characters of Gorillaz.

15 years later, and now rapping under the name Trueno, Corazzina is about to open for Gorillaz at their biggest London show to date: Tottenham Stadium, in front of 70,000 people this Saturday (June 20). That childhood connection is why, more than just a huge international showcase for the Argentinian rapper, Trueno sees the show as an opportunity to strengthen his connection with his roots, with his barrio. “The fact that they were animated characters was captivating for our generation,” he tells Dazed. “I think it was something all the pibes [Argentinian slang for ‘kids’] grew up with in Argentina.” 

This goal has defined his career from the very beginning. At age 14, Trueno first reached virality thanks to El Quinto Escalón, the Argentinian rap battle league that, between 2012 and 2017, transformed Buenos Aires’ central Parque Rivadavia into the epicentre of Argentinian rap culture. Although Trueno arrived on that stage as a child, his lyrics displayed a maturity beyond his years, capable of describing the spirit of Buenos Aires, defending its cultural pride and spitting lines as hard-hitting as a Riquelme football shot.

“I want to subliminally leave a piece of Argentina in every place I go,” Trueno explains.  “My three previous albums focused on things that shaped me: the first for my neighborhood, the second for my country, and the third for hip-hop.” Now, fresh off the release of his fourth album, Turrazo, he takes the next step: “I’m representing Argentina, but how do I want to do it in front of these people who may not be from my country, but who listen to me and discover other Argentinian artists because of me?”

And one person who discovered him was Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, who sought out Trueno to perform alongside the late, legendary Detroit rapper Proof “The Manifesto” off their latest album The Mountain. “Music can say something very profound and important simply by showing it,” says Albarn of the collaboration. “You don't need to become a big activist or be very political. If you’re on stage and you have a balance of cultural identities there and everyone is working in harmony, I think the message is very clear. What I love the most about Gorillaz is that it allows me to work with anyone, from any background." Perhaps, the mural in La Boca is due an update, then, this time to add local hero Trueno to the mix.

Below, Argentinian hip-hop heavyweight Trueno explains how he came into contact with Gorillaz, Argentinian tango legend Carlos Gardel and his viral freestyle at Quilmes Rock Festival. 

How does it feel to find success in England as an Argentinian? 

Trueno: It’s amazing, it’s beautiful. The crazy thing is that when Damon Albarn invited me to improvise during his show in Quilmes Rock Festival, one of the biggest in the country, in 2022, the first thing that came out of my mouth was: ‘From Buenos Aires to London, thanks to this microphone there are no more wars.’

I’ve been a strong advocate for the Falklands-Malvinas issue, but we also need to understand that healing is necessary and that music can create connections and bridges. Everywhere I’ve been, both in England and in Great Britain, the respect has been immense, and that’s when you realise that many prejudices stem from things that happened years ago.

It’s incredible that when you go to England, you realise that the English love us and have no problem with Argentina. People came up to me and congratulated me after the show. I met Gorillaz fans who told me, ‘You’re amazing’ because they loved the vibe, the message. Music creates a connection that politics can’t. I want to be a parallel force that inspires respect, which is the most important thing, and I felt that everywhere I went.

“I want to leave a piece of Argentina with every new person who listens to us”

In Turrazo you sample only classics of Argentine popular music: Andean Cumbia, Tango, Soda Stereo, Andrés Calamaro, Piazzolla, Los Wachiturros. Was that intentional?

Trueno: Argentina has always been a breeding ground for iconic figures in sports, society, and the arts. It’s a country with some truly remarkable images that have left an indelible mark on history. The internationalisation of the genre made it crucial for the hip-hop method, sampling and sound appropriation, to become Argentinian. I decided I wanted to create a label for what Argentinian hip-hop is: sampling our past.

I want to leave a piece of Argentina with every new person who listens to us. And also make an invitation for my generation to learn the basics, so that previous generations can be happy to see their music being reinvented. It’s about trying to teach people a little about Argentinian national music.

It’s important to talk about Argentine music because the contributions of figures like Carlos Gardel, tango icon and one of the biggest pop artists of the 20th century, feels criminally under-recognised.

Trueno: ‘Por una Llanta’ ends with a lyrical homage to [Gardel’s 1935 tango classic] ‘Por una Cabeza’ because, for me, Gardel is the image of Argentina to the world. What represents us most is tango, and I come from a tango-loving neighbourhood. For me, the most important thing was to be able to include Gardel on this album, and we even achieved that with the sample on ‘Rain IV’.

You came into contact with Gorillaz through Damon’s daughter, Missy, right? 

Trueno: Yes, Missy speaks Spanish, and that’s Damon's connection to Latin music. The first thing she showed him was my freestyle with Bizarrap, and I think that’s when he got the idea and said, ’I saw this kid’s freestyle, he should do one at the concert.’

She convinced Damon to invite me, and for that I’ll always be incredibly grateful. She’s amazing. After that, we maintained communication. I went to London, and the band invited me to the studio. They said, ‘Hey, we want to try out this song, with you.’ I wasn’t familiar with the concept; they explained it to me right there, and I started writing like crazy, with so much enthusiasm. It was an incredible feeling. I spent 12 hours in [Gorillaz’] Studio 13, and they gave me total freedom, as if the song were my own.

Then they invited me to open the tour, and finally Damon and Jamie Hewlett told me they wanted ‘The Manifesto’ to be the first single from The Mountain. I was incredibly grateful because it was all their idea. I went along with it, enjoyed myself, and poured everything I had into the song, the album, and the shows.

You went viral when you performed at Quilmes Rock Festival alongside Gorillaz in 2022. Did you receive any feedback from Damon?

Trueno: Of course, in a friendly way, he told me: ‘Your style is very fresh, I loved what you did.’

What I tried to do in that freestyle was to make him feel at home, to tell him that the people of Buenos Aires were his people. We both felt the energy of the audience’s euphoria, of not understanding why Trueno was collaborating with Gorillaz, and what it meant for the country to do something with this band.

In short, and in typical Argentinian Spanish, Albarn told me he was flashado [Argentinian slang for ‘blown away’], that he thought it was super crazy, and thanked me. At that moment, I said to him: ‘Thanks to you, you didn’t have to invite me but you did.’

Trueno performs alongside Gorillaz once more at Tottenham Stadium in London this Saturday.