Musicians Visit Cuba: A Look Back

The Puerto Rican hip-hop collective sparked controversy during an outdoor concert in Havana when lead singer René Pérez hurled verbal abuse at the nearby "U.S. Interests Section" — which the United States kept in place of a diplomatic embassy until 2015. Their criticism continued when they performed "Querido FBI" ("Dear FBI"), a song dedicated to a noted Puerto Rican nationalist killed during an FBI shoot out in 2005. "He was a good Boricua," Pérez told the crowd of 250,000 Cubans, "and they killed him." 

Calle 13 faced criticism from Cuban expats in the United States directly affected by Castro's repressive regime.