“It comes from the heart”
Gonzalo works for the IT department at Hellmann in Santiago de Chile, but, when he clocks out after his daily shift, the computer expert swaps his suit and laptop for hip-hop clothes and a mic.
For more than 20 years he has been writing and composing his own rap songs. In Chile, he is well known under his artist name NegroKal and his songs can be streamed on all common platforms.
His teachers already discovered his talent from an early age due to his impressive storytelling abilities. At the age of nine, he started to write and as a teenager, he kick-started his rap career.
“As an adolescent, my music allowed me to express my feelings and release tension and anger, which thus gave me the balance to be a good student, “ he remembers.
After 20 years of making music, he can now proudly look back on four albums. He’s been touring the entire country, inspiring young people with his lyrics. For Gonzalo, rap is a way to fight crime and oppression with words and to overcome violence. He demonstrates this in his song 'Esto tiene que acabar' ('This has to stop') which was inspired by the death of a young orphan girl. He invites the audience to step into the shoes of ill-treated and abandoned children, shedding light on the issues they face and the urgency for the state to do more against these kinds of problems.
His commitment doesn’t stop at concerts or recording his music. He is also an active member of his neighborhood council. Born and raised in the suburbs of Santiago de Chile, he grew up surrounded by violence and juvenile delinquency. Today, at 39 years old, and as a father of two girls, he wants to help the youngsters of his community:
“I want to show them that it’s possible to get out of where they are and the problems they’re facing, by using peaceful outlets for their negative feelings.
His social engagement began in 2016 when the city’s development plan included the demolition of a local overgrown park and sports field. This triggered a huge movement in the community. People organized protests and wrote to solicitors and ministries. Gonzales joined the protest with his songs and met many like-minded neighbors. With their peaceful movement, they successfully kept the city from building upon abandoned parks. Instead, the parks were restored for public use. Today, Gonzales is an active member of the “Alberto Larraguibel Neighbors Council”. The association organizes music and theater workshops for youngsters as well as training sessions for soccer and basketball teams.
Gonzalo is the soccer trainer in this association and he loves to partake in and give back to his community:
“I am very well respected in my neighborhood. They know I am not looking for a monetary profit. My dedication and the effort that I am putting in this social work – it all comes from the heart.”
His passion for helping others also shows at work, where everyone knows Gonzalo, aka NegroKal, and admires his music and engagement. As the IT supervisor, he checks the systems in every department, every day, to ensure that they are all working properly, and he is always available to assist his colleagues, solving any issues they might have. He supports the whole team, enabling all users to keep up active communication, much like how he supports his community.
Being an IT expert, rapper, community worker, social activist, and above all, a family man, it’s safe to say Gonzalo wears many hats! People around him wonder how he manages to stay so motivated and put his undivided effort into such important projects, but he humbly admits that it’s just his way of being.
“There were, of course, times when I felt overwhelmed with responsibility, but I am always rewarded with the satisfaction of the results and I fight every day to achieve my goals.”
With the support of his wife, his friends, his community, and of course his escape through music, he manages to throw his energy into everything he does and keeping spirits high.
