At Club Atelier, a small dimly lit venue where revolution seems an unlikely prospect, a crowd of mainly young Afro-Cubans gathers to listen to performances by some of Cuba’s leading Hip Hop bands. With each act the crowd remains seated. Listening.

"We love music, and we love to dance" says Jorge Quijano, 35, a doctor wearing an oversized American baseball shirt. "But in Hip Hop it’s the lyrics that matter’ he explains.