La Sinfonia

The roots of the L.A.-based Latin rap trio La Sinfonia can be traced back to the underground hip-hop crew Los Mafiosos. Future La Sinfonia members Seis (Alfonso García) and Arsenal (Luis E. Bañuelos) were members of Los Mafiosos, and while their poignant words won them a cult following, the backstabbing music business and too many deadbeats to mention brought the crew to a premature end. Seis and Arsenal decided to carry on. They began considering a new direction when Arsenal mentioned that his sister Vanessa Bañuelos might be interested in working on a hip-hop project, something quite different than the mariachi and banda bands she had been working with. She dubbed herself Vane, joined the group, and La Sinfonia were born in 2003. A year later, their debut, La Lucha, el Dolor, el Triunfo, appeared on Sony Discos. The album featured the bitter "Respira," which recounted the struggles Los Mafiosos had faced, along with the infectious single "Inseparable." In 2006 the single "Mi Tierra" announced the group's sophomore album, City of Candles.