Although he has yet to release an album of his own, Kumar is far from unknown in Havana. He contributes two stand-out raps on "A Diario", the recently released first album from Telmary. He appears as an actor in Benito Zambrano’s "Habana Blues", whose soundtrack includes Kumar’s "No Se Vuelve Atras". And his name seems to crop up in every discussion of Cuban hip hop.

In this way Kumar might be comparable to a rapper like Snoop Dogg, who was heard on the theme song for the film "Deep Cover" and on Dr. Dre’s 1992 "The Chronic", making his fans desperate for “the next episode” before releasing anything under his own name. Then again, that comparison is misleading. There’s not much of the "gangsta" in Kumar. He’s modest nearly to the point of timidity, and his entourage consists of his brother, who acts as his manager, and that’s about all. No tributes to pharmaceutical consumption, no boasts of sexual prowess or inflicting damage on enemies.

This is not to say that Kumar’s lyrics lack bite or that his stage shows lack punch. One reviewer compared him to the Beastie Boys for his “revolutionary hip hop speech connected to the volcanic energy of the rock and roll.” Another likened him to Bob Marley, presumably for his dreadlocks.