A tattoo belonging to a man from Derbyshire has appeared in a US government document used to identify members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang, despite the man having no connection to the group.
The tattoo is of a clock, and other tattoos listed as evidence of gang membership include mistranslated text and Chicago Bulls fandom tattoos.
Real hasta la muerte, is actually a phrase popular amongst reggaeton fans. It was popularized by Wisin and Yandel in the musical genre. It became a cultural definition of the attitude towards life of being always real, as in not fake. Not a poser, genuine legitimate, not pretending to be someone you’re not. It was an attitude reactionary against the intrusiveness of north american record companies trying to comodify Puerto Rican music and artists. It also marks a social statement against rich white or privileged hispanic descendants who attempt to pose as members of a culture they don’t belong to. And also pride about their Latin culture, as they don’t need to pretend to be American or change their art to sell more and appease the anglo market either.
A more appropriate translation is “I’ll be true to myself until I die”.
It became a Puerto Rican music label, and is also the name of a popular album by reggaeton artist, Anuel. It has nothing to do with crime gangs. But it’s also not about football. Hispanic fans rarely use “hasta la muerte” to express support, we have plenty of other more idiomatic expressions.
T.I.L. :) Thanks!