TearDrop from Lighter Shade of Brown.

LATIN ACTIVE

Does anyone actually know where TearDrop is? Please let us know.

Gutierrez was only 16 when the group formed. Ramirez, who went by DTTX, or Don’t Try To Xerox, was about 20.

The Riverside duo had no training in storytelling until their manager Clif Richey introduced them to themes to abide by.

At the time, Will Smith’s “Summertime” was a hit, and Richey wanted them to write a song with that vibe, but about what their friends and family did at the park. Out of that emerged, “On a Sunday Afternoon,” with a video at Legg Lake Park in South El Monte’s Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, showing Ramirez and Gutierrez rapping about “jamming the oldie tunes,” “kids playing on the merry-go-round,” and cruising around in the parking lot.

Following their manager’s advice, they created other songs that touched on barrio life – growing up with a single parent, about mom supporting the family, and even about a young woman suffering from AIDS. They sang about revolutionary heroes like “Pancho Villa” and “Viva Zapata.”

They had hits such as “Homies,” “Hey DJ,” and “Latin Active” that featured a Latina rapper known as “Teardrop” and vocalist named Shiro who collaborated with them to make “On a Sunday Afternoon.”

Fans were hooked.

“When I listen to a Lighter Shade of Brown, I think of the memories that are tied to them,” said Ana Anguiano of Sherman Oaks. “From cruising down Laurel Canyon Boulevard in San Fernando, California on Sunday afternoons, to simply hanging out with family barbecuing, their music gives good vibes.”

To Anguiano, the group played a significant role in representing Latino heritage.

Gutierrez and Ramirez, though, didn’t fully grasp the cultural relevance of the group early on.

It wasn’t until the group started impacting social movements, such as organizations pushing for Chicano Studies courses at UCLA, that they started to become more aware. They found themselves getting invited to perform on college campuses for organizations like MeCha, and getting involved in rallies that they didn’t fully comprehend.

“I was like why are we doing this?… Why are we here? I was 17,” Gutierrez recalled.

“But, it was cool because it was great to get educated … and that’s how we learned as artists as well. Then I started thinking maybe I could write about this in our next album,” he said.

Lyrics To Her Verse:
Tear drop put the others in a sickness
A Latin female dope to get witness
Hype after track with a lyrical concept
A brown queen known to break it down in one step
So legit, the microphone just pass it
Right to me, the one that’s chosen to grasp it
Just drop the mic that you were holding
Cause if a Lighter Shade of Brown is how I’m rolling
Latina, taking over the microphone and rocking the place
With a little bit of soul and treble of bass
As I rock, hip-hop, non-stop and make you dance
And have a question are you still in the trance?
En inglés o español come quieran el ritmo
Mueven sus pies y bailen al ritmo
Hacemos bailar es mi misión
Y Latín active es la canción