Listen to Molotov on Batanga

Grammy-nominated Molotov are a controversial rap-metal band formed in Mexico City in 1995. Their sound is an exciting fusion of heavy baselines, flamenco guitar riffs and turntable scratches, including both Spanish and English lyrics.

The band currently comprises of Tito Fuentes, Mickey "Huidos" Huidobro and Paco Ayala -  who are all singers and guitarists, and singer and drummer Randy "El Gringo Loco" Ebright.

The group's lyrics go way beyond the typical love themes saturating the charts, with their songs like "Gimme Tha Power" and "Frijolero" being political and drawing attention to important issues like immigration in America and disenfranchisement in Mexico. Their meaningful music has often lead them to be compared to the top American band Rage Against The Machine.

Molotov's messages have obviously struck a chord with music lovers, as their 1997 debut album "¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas?" becoming a big hit with both English and Spanish-speaking listeners. The album's swearing, and its political and sexual themes lead to it being banned in their native Mexico and taken to court by Spain.

Even the album's cover was controversial. The word "niñas" in the album's title is a slang word for prostitute, so to reflect this the band decided to feature a woman's legs seductively wearing school uniform. This also sparked problems – leading to them being sued by a Catholic school which claimed the uniform pictured was identical to the one its students wear.

Controversy struck once again when the title of one of the band's songs were misinterpreted as having a homophobic meaning. The track called "Puto", meaning man-whore, was supposed to be about people who won't stand up for themselves, but in Mexico puto is an offense word meaning gay male. This led homosexuals to believe the song was an attack on them, resulting in Molotov's first gigs in Germany being greeted by protesting angry gays and lesbians.

But the publicity these problems generated only made them more popular and brought them to the attention of more and more people, with the band even earning a Grammy nomination for best Latin rock-alternative performance.

Since then controversy surrounding the group's debut, they have largely stayed out the way of such trouble. They continued their success with a remix collection called "Molomix" (1998), plus the new albums "Apocalypshit" (1999), "Dance and Dense Denso" (2003), and "Con Todo Respeto" (2004). Each album has brought Molotov more success and boosted their fanbase, especially in Mexico.