February is Carnival season in the Dominican Republic, with costumed performers taking over the streets to celebrate the country’s identity and independence. Right now, an uproar of cowbells, timbales, tambores, and congas is ringing out in La 42 de Capotillo, a neighborhood notorious for its “bajo mundo” (dembow “underworld”). There, the incendiary Flow 28, fellow Afro-Dominican dembowseros Braulio Fogon and Kiko El Crazy, and producer Leo RD urge Carnival-goers to “dale paca” (“come over and party”), summoning you to dance and make love like tomorrow’s the start of Holy Week. 

As “Dale Paca” revs up, Leo RD calls on the orisha Yemayá—a patron water spirit referenced across many Yoruban-based religious practices—activating a vicious blend of acoustic mambo and merengue. You can almost feel the mamajuana settling in the pit of your stomach, the warmth of cloves and honey on your breath. In his nasally, cool tone, Flow 28 invites you to give in to the spirit and the substances: “Todo el mundo quiere molly, porque no embala’ el 40/Rescucita bailando mírala en modo zombie” (“Everyone wants molly, because the 40 ain’t cutting it/Revived, they’re dancing on zombie mode”). He throws the beat to the rest of the crew, whose rapid-fire bars are full of double entendres about sex and street life. Braulio challenges potential opponents with the line, “Tu quiere ponerlo aprueba, ponte la prenda por fuera,” which roughly means, “If you wanna test me, take your chain out”—but he could also be euphemistically threatening some lewd Carnival mischief: a dick-measuring contest. An anthem of unity emerging from a rum-soaked teteo, “Dale Paca” showcases Afro-Dominican pride and debauchery at its finest.