María Rodríguez Garrido (born February 13, 1979), known as Mala Rodríguez, is a Spanish Latin hip hop rapper based in Barcelona. She appeared as a judge on Spain's La Voz prior to releasing her first album in seven years, Mala, in May 2020. Rodríguez released her memoir, Cómo ser Mala, in June 2021. Rodríguez is also the first female artist to win both Best Urban Album and Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards, as well as the first urban artist to win Spain's National Music Award.
Early life
Maria Rodríguez was born in Jérez de la Frontera (Cádiz) on February 13, 1979.[1] She grew up in Seville and became involved with the city's thriving hip-hop scene as a teenager.[2] The daughter of a hairdresser in an Andalusian family, she describes herself as being from a working-class family, saying, "My mother and I are both young, and all I know is that my family experienced hunger back then [her parents' times], and that sticks with you. I didn't grow up with luxury, but I never missed a meal either."[3] At age seventeen, she performed onstage for the first time, and adopted the stage name La Mala.[4]
Musical career
She rose to prominence in the late 1990s alongside fellow Sevillian hip hop acts such as La Gota Que Colma, SFDK, and La Alta Escuela.[2] After she adopted the stage name La Mala, she appeared on La Gota Que Colma's album Mordiendo el Micro on the songs "No Hay Rebaja", and "Dando Guerra". She also appeared on SFDK's Siempre Fuertes and La Alta Escuela's En Pie de Vuelo on the song "Espectáculo en la Gancha". She made her solo debut with A Jierro/Toma la Traca, a maxi-single released by Zona Bruta in 1999. The song was originally planned for release by Zeroporsiento, a Sevillian label for which she had recorded the tracks.[2] In 2000, she signed to Universal Music Spain, and released her full-length debut album, Lujo Ibérico.
In 2001 Her song "Tengo lo que tu quieres" was part of the BSO of the Spanish movie Sex and Lucia.[5]
Her second album, Alevosía, featured the single, "La Niña". The song gained notability when its controversial music video was banned from Spanish TV because of its depiction of a young female drug dealer.[2]
In 2008, Rodriguez was invited to join Julieta Venegas for her MTV Unplugged performance singing the song "Eres para mí".[7]
She performed with Maroon 5, Björk and LMFAO at the Festival Imperial[8] in the Autódromo La Guácima racetrack in Alajuela, Costa Rica in March 2012.[9]
In April 2013 she revealed on her Facebook page that her album, Bruja, would be released on June 18. On September 12, 2013, she went back to Costa Rica.[10]
In 2015, Mala Rodriguez was one of the many artists featured on President Barack Obama’s Summer Spotify playlist.[11]
NPR named one of her earlier singles "Yo Marco El Minuto" as one of the 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women.[12]
After a four-year hiatus, Mala released the single "Gitanas" on July 6, 2018. Pitchfork called her vocals "bold and unflinching, when she boldly asks 'Quién me protege?' ("Who will protect me?") you can almost feel the ground quake beneath her feet.[13] Mala already knows the answer to her question. Without missing a beat, she cries out, "Yo!" ("Me!"), daring anyone to doubt her." In 2019 Rodriguez became the first urban artist to win Spain's National Music Award and was a judge on Spain's La Voz (The Voice) leading up to her first album in seven years, Mala, released in May 2020. Rodriguez released her memoir Cómo ser Mala in June 2021.
