Vengo is Chilean hip hop artist Ana Tijoux's fourth solo studio album,[1] released in March 2014. Its debut single "Vengo" was released on Spin in January of the same year.[2][3][4][5]Vengo was nominated for a Grammy Awardfor Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 2015 Ceremony.[6]
A reviewer at NPR called it "virtually flawless",[9] and MTV said it was "some of the most dazzling hip-hop this year".[10]
Several reviewers noted the inclusion of Andean music elements, especially the pan flute. NPR's reviewer said it was "refreshing" and noted Andean music has been "often done a disservice by "world music" labels."[9] Of the flute, the MTV reviewer said "it's a bit challenging to extricate the instrument from its associations with corny new age compilations ... Tijoux is attempting a tough task to take back and breathe new life into music that has a rich heritage, but has been commercialized and marginalized into schlock."[10]
The album's instrumentation is completely done with in-studio recordings, often with traditional South American instruments. Unusually for modern hip-hop recording, there are no samples used on the album.[13][12][1] One reviewer said that it contained elements of folk music and jazz.[13]
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