Pioneering Havana-based hip-hop duo Obsesión (formed in 1996) have played a leading role in Cuba’s hip-hop movement, helping to establish the genre as a legitimate expression of the island’s popular culture. For them, hip-hop is a way to talk about every-day issues; their music offers critical perspectives on Cuban society through the lenses of race and gender. In 2006 Billboard magazine selected La Fabri-K, an album co-produced by Obsesión and Doble Filo, from among 1,300 contenders as one of the six finalists for the Independent Music World Series. Obsesión has a history of collaboration with local neighborhood organizations, cultural centers, and prisons involving popular education projects.