Mala Rodríguez

Spanish rapper María Rodríguez's stage name (mala means "bad") would have you believe she's a self-styled troublemaker, but her feminist attitude and socially conscious lyrics seem more righteous than surly. She can croon as well as she can rhyme. Support on Tuesday comes from Panamanian band Los Rakas, whose sound has been embraced with equal enthusiasm by California Latinos, Oakland’s post-hyphy rap scene and tropical bass DJs, while Profetas, gifted singer-songwriter Ximena Sariñana and the Sconek-T open Thursday.