Champeta

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Champeta is a lively music and dance from Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It started in the early 1980s in Cartagena, growing from an earlier style called chalusonga that came from Palenque de San Basilio in the mid-1970s. Chalusonga fused Colombian chalupa with Afro-Cuban percussion, and when it moved to Cartagena it evolved into champeta, shaping Afro-Colombian identity and drawing on African and Caribbean influences.

The sound is heavy on rhythm. Typical instruments are voice, percussion, bass, electric guitar, synthesiser and keyboard. Champeta usually has three parts: the intro, the chorus, and a strong, repetitive section called el Espeluque.

Lyrics often express the pride and struggles of Afro-Colombian communities in Cartagena, sometimes addressing social and economic exclusion or dreams of change.

Origin of the word champeta: it used to refer to a curved knife, and the term champetudo described poorer, Black residents in Cartagena. Over time, champeta became a cultural label tied to a community with a history of slavery and mistreatment. In the 1970s, champeta culture grew as dancers performed to loud music from big sound systems called picós. Early dances were called “therapy” for their relaxing escape from hard living.

Around 1981, creole therapy emerged as a formal musical style, mixing African rhythms (soukous, highlife, mbaqanga, juju) with Caribbean and Afro-Colombian sounds (ragga, compás haitiano, bullerengue, mapalé, zambapalo). This blend came to be known as Colombian therapy and later champeta.

In the 1990s, champeta incorporated digital techniques and placas (rhythmic interruptions). It met both fans and critics among Colombia’s social elites. A major breakthrough came around 2000 with artists like El Sayayín, helping champeta spread beyond its coastal roots.

Today champeta centers on four ideas: musical expression, a distinctive street language, the powerful picós used at gatherings, and the dance style called perreos. It has also influenced other arts such as cinema, literature and visual arts. In Colombia, champeta remains strongest in cities like Cartagena, Palenque de San Basilio and Barranquilla, with many performers achieving fame. The genre has even influenced mainstream artists, with some incorporating champeta sounds into their work.