// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did TalentoCubano.net say to its rival site? You're net working.
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TalentoCubano.Net is a Cuban cultural website created by Adrian Monzon to document and promote Cuban musicians.[2] The project was launched at Mediamatic Bank in Amsterdam in March 2010. [3] In 2014, it was included in an Associated Press investigation into a USAID-funded program involving Cuba's underground music scene.[4] [5]
History
[edit]Mediamatic described TalentoCubano.Net as a web database intended to promote Cuban underground musicians internationally.[3] Before the launch, a team of producers and artists traveled to each province of Cuba, documenting musicians from different styles. An archived February 2014 version of the website displayed a catalog of 283 artists.[1]
In a 2012 interview with Havana Times, Adolfo Cabrera said that the concept originated with Adrian Monzon. He connected the project with concerts and promotional activities involving artists, including Los Aldeanos, Anónimo Consejo, and Etian.[2]
As of July 2026, the official TalentoCubano.Net website describes the project as a "living archive" and an atlas of Cuban art around the world.[6]
2014 Associated Press reporting and response
[edit]In December 2014, the Associated Press reported that Monzon worked with Creative Associates on a project that its longer English and Spanish reports identified as TalentoCubano.org. A separate AP explainer identified the network as Talentocubano.net, described it as connecting approximately 200 young people, and reported that contractors hoped it could encourage a social movement.[4][7][5]
The Associated Press also reported that contractors underwrote an arts and music festival organized by Pablo Milanes' family so TalentoCubano.Net artists could appear. Suylén Milanés told AP that officials warned her before the event.[4]
In response to the AP article, Monzon told the Miami Herald that TalentoCubano.net was his own initiative and denied participating in a USAID project intended to overthrow the Cuban government. He described the project as a map and open network intended to help Cuban musicians connect and distribute their work.[8]
In 2018, VICE en Español revisited the controversy, described the website as having been created by Monzon in 2010, and reported his denial of the allegations connected with the USAID program.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Talento Cubano - El mapa de todos los músicos cubanos del mundo". talentocubano.net. Archived from the original on 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- 1 2 Robinson, Circles (2012-04-18). "La Alternatividad en Cuba: abrir un hueco en la burbuja". Havana Times (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 "Buena Vista Hidden Club". Mediamatic. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 3 "USAID op undermines Cuba's hip-hop protest scene". AP News. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- 1 2 "5 things to know about USAID's Cuban hip-hop plan". AP News. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ "TalentoCubano.net - Mapa del talento cubano en la tierra". talentocubano.net. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- ↑ "EEUU atrajo a raperos cubanos para provocar cambio". AP News. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ "Cuban music producer denies having 'worked' for USAID". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-12-27. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Ramírez, Sebastián López (2018-09-27). "¿El rap cubano estuvo infiltrado por el gobierno de EEUU?". VICE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-07-15.