Minnesota State Representative Maria Isa Pérez-Vega, who goes by the stage name Maria Isa, has shared her new EP, Capitolio.
The eight-song project offers a blend of Latin, Caribbean, reggaeton, and hip-hop, and opens with the track “Tío Bernie,” or Uncle Bernie, a conversation with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. “12 hours I will be officially the 1st Hip Hop artist sworn into the MN State Legislature,” Pérez-Vega wrote.
“Of course I’m going to keep making my music—that’s where I get my energy,” she told The Star Tribune. “I had been working on it from the first day I was running for the House, and it’s been a part of my campaign trail the whole way. Music is medication, and we can certainly use that medication in politics right now.”
Pérez-Vega was sworn in this week and is now a representative for House District 65B in St. Paul, her hometown. She had her three-year-old daughter and mother with her during the ceremony.
Sanders has gotten the support of many rappers in the past, including Cardi B, Killer Mike, Boots Riley, Chuck D, and more.
Listen to Capitolio below.