Chicano Rap artist Payaso915 celebrates cultural roots through music – El Paso Times
Representing Ysleta, Chicano Rap artist Fabian Primera, or Payaso915, proudly embraces his cultural roots. He takes great pride in showcasing his identity wherever he travels, a commitment evident through his tattoos — ‘Ysleta’ above his eyebrow, music notes on his ear, a catrina on the back of his head and a ‘915’ displayed on the side of his face.
As a kid, he grew up listening to oldies with his uncles and cousins at family gatherings in Ysleta. Once he was older, Payaso started listening to Chicano Rap, a genre that sparked the creative flame and influenced the sound he produces today.
“Everywhere I would go, my whole family would be bumping oldies.”
The 42-year-old rap artist started his musical journey in 2012 by accident. “I just recorded one time. I just put like an oldie beat, and I recorded one of those old computers with a little plastic microphone, and that’s it. I put it on YouTube, and people asked me for more, y aqui andamos.” He hasn’t stopped since.
In 2014, Payaso915 signed with the record label “Manicomio 5150.”
This past summer, the artist reached over 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. A plaque was sent to him to recognize his accomplishment.
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In 2016, Payaso, along with producer Dikae Abrahan Prieto Figeroa and rapper Jizzy Tee, formed a three-man crew and took on a hands-on approach to their craft. From recording music in a small shed behind Payaso’s Ysleta home to shooting music videos across El Paso, the trio demonstrated their self-sufficiency. Support from friends was evident as they offered lowriders for videos and provided spaces like art galleries and tattoo shops for filming.
Turning up to support his friend, Dreamer, Payaso attended the grand opening of Garden of Dreams Cannabis, a new dispensary in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Oct. 28. Payaso showed up with his friends for a meet and greet, taking photos with fans and signing posters for fans.
Although rapping about the daily life and struggles a Chicano lives and the Mexican American culture, Payaso has fans worldwide. Murals painted of his iconic Chicano look can be seen in the streets of London, UK, all the way to Michoacán or Guadalajara, México. People from around the world also get his face tattooed on their bodies.
“Luckily, I have a lot of people that support me, and not just cholos, or you know what I mean, I have lawyers, doctors that are really into me and like my music, like ‘Disfruto’ or ‘Love Hurts’ type of songs. We get a mix of everybody supporting us, not just cholos, we make music for everybody,” says Payaso.
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Even though Payaso also performs in New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Mexico, he makes time to show up for the city he is proud to be from. In July, he performed alongside Duende, also from El Paso, at the Higherlevels Carshow and Concert at Ascarate Park. Chicano hip-hop artists Lil Rob of San Diego and MC Magic of Phoenix also performed at the concert, celebrating lowrider culture.
Outside of music, Payaso spends most of his time with his family. He takes his grandson Jacob Jeremiah Rivero to Pueblo Viejo Park, where he used to go a lot growing up. He’ll have people recognizing him or friends saying hi while running errands washing his car at the Self Service California Car Wash, or going to the corner store next to the iconic Virgencita mural in Ysleta to grab a beer after a long day at his daily job. Payaso and his dad, Larry Primera, will also work on his 1953 Pontiac at his garage in Ysleta.
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