Latin America
''For Freedom'': Daniela Jordán and El Enano Cuba, taking freedom at its word
When she came to see me in Norway, it had been more than ten years since we had last seen each other in person.
The Spanish version is currently in BETA mode.
Daniela Jordán and her father El Enano Cuba release For freedom, a unique collaboration born from a family story marked by distance. Unveiled on January 22, 2026, the music video took shape during a reunion in Norway, more than ten years after the last in-person meeting between father and daughter.
Active since the late 1990s, El Enano Cuba has built his path through writing, live performances, and collaborations with several figures of Cuban rap, while also taking part in recognized events, including Red Bull Cuba. On her side, Daniela Jordán represents a new generation, whose public voice began to emerge in 2021, within a strong political context.
Interview with El Enano Cuba
Magazine Hip-Hop met with El Enano Cuba to look back on the genesis of For freedom, his journey, and what this artistic collaboration represents for him.
Before returning to the creation of For freedom, it is necessary to place El Enano Cuba’s journey in context. Active since the late 1990s, the Cuban rapper has moved between writing, performances, and collaborations, while developing an artistic approach strongly connected to the social and political context of his country of origin.
Magazine Hip-Hop: El Enano, before talking about the track, can you briefly remind our readers of your journey?
El Enano Cuba:
I was born in Havana in 1982. I wrote my first verse in 1999. I studied visual arts at the National Academy of Arts, while continuing to write. From a very early age, my lyrics were linked to the social and political realities of Cuba. I participated in several rap battles, including Red Bull Cuba, and I've collaborated with artists like Los Aldeanos, Raudel, Kamankola, Silvito the Free, and also Al2 El Aldeano.
The song For freedom is also part of a family story marked by exile. El Enano Cuba’s daughter left Cuba when she was only one year old, but the bond between them was never broken. Despite the distance, the transmission of paternal love continued all the same.
Hip-Hop Magazine: For freedom is directly linked to your daughter's background. How did her interest in music manifest itself?
El Enano Cuba:
My daughter left Cuba when she was only one year old. Despite the distance, we have always stayed in touch. From a very young age, she showed abilities in music, dance, and drawing. We have always exchanged and communicated, even from afar.
Magazine Hip-Hop: In what context did she start writing and rapping?
El Enano Cuba:
In 2021, the Cuban political situation triggered a wave of major protests. It was in this climate that (my daughter) Daniela Jordan made her voice heard publicly for the first time.
After the protests of July 11, 2021, she felt the need to write. She was very attentive to what was happening in Cuba. Artists like Al2 El Aldeano influenced her a lot, notably with the song Patria y Vida. She recorded her first verse directly on her phone, without thinking about what would come next.
The video, filmed spontaneously, quickly circulated online. It went beyond the family circle and attracted attention far beyond social media.
Magazine Hip-Hop: This first video then gained widespread distribution. What were the consequences of that?
El Enano Cuba:
The video circulated widely and was even broadcast on television. Afterwards, she was able to record the track professionally at La Cueva studio in Tampa, which belongs to Al2 El Aldeano. It was an important step for her, both artistically and symbolically.
Magazine Hip-Hop: For freedom was born during your reunion in Norway. How did that moment influence the track?
El Enano Cuba:
When she came to see me in Norway, it had been over ten years since we'd seen each other in person. We met up, talked a lot, and the idea of doing a song together came about naturally. There was no strategy or specific plan. It was just the right time.
The piece is then structured and finalized with a small team, in a deliberately simple setting, far from a heavy or calculated production.
They simply wanted to create a song together, but ended up giving birth to a work of art that unites them once again for life.
Magazine Hip-Hop: How did the work on the song and the music video go?
El Enano Cuba:
The production was handled by Salvador Sánchez Weishaupt, who immediately understood the spirit of the project. The video was directed by Jan Erick Gino, here in Norway. Everything came together naturally, without pressure.
Beyond the artistic aspect, For freedom carries a particular emotional weight, tied to a relationship built despite physical absence and years of separation.
Magazine Hip-Hop: What would you like the public to remember from For freedom ?
El Enano Cuba:
That, despite distance and years, it is possible to create something real together. Music can reunite people whom life has separated.
For freedom is also a broader message: no matter the oppression or the difficulties, we only have one life.
The question is simple: do we choose to remain constantly oppressed, or to seek freedom in order to finally live, instead of merely surviving?
No one should survive; life is not a privilege.
A relationship built despite the distance
Without being able to hug each other or share certain essential moments in person for years, El Enano Cuba and his daughter nevertheless managed to build a strong bond, sustained by exchange, transmission, and creation. For freedom illustrates this unique relationship, where art becomes a meeting point.
The song is now circulating far beyond Norway and is beginning to find an echo in North America.
To be continued….
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Lissette Martínez Perez
January 25, 2026 at 11:59 AM
La separación tena y will tend to forever political walls, but el amor siempre los sobrepasa
Vera mi nieta junto a mi hijo cantándole a Cuba me emociona, siempre temí k mi nieta no amará sus raíces, siempre le hablaba de Cuba y su historia y lo logré además agradecida también de su mother k la educó amando el café cubano y la ropa vieja