Meet 'Toothless Cindy', a 69-year-old rapper who raps on Colombian buses to make ends meet

With her pink cardigan and thick glasses, 69-year-old Marlene Alfonso has become a musical sensation on Colombian public transport. Alfonso is one of the dozens of Venezuelan migrants who work on Bogota’s public bus system every day, to make their ends meet. She calls herself ‘Toothless Cindy' or 'Cindy sin Dientes' in Spanish as most of her teeth are missing and she can't afford the false ones.

She sings while riding on a bus packed with commuters heading downtown and her age, along with comical lyrics and unusual attire as a rapper has helped her to stand out. She has become an inspiration for a group of migrants that has been mostly welcomed in Colombia, however, have suffered from discrimination and xenophobic attacks recently.

“I’m trying to make something of myself...If you can’t give me money, give me a kiss, that will fix my crooked neck" Alfonso was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

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Alfonso said that she was already performing for tips in her hometown before she arrived in Bogota. She worked mostly on subway cars, where her shows earned her an invitation to a local television program. She moved to Colombia two years ago, because rapping in Venezuela’s subways no longer helped her to make ends meet. She further said she can make about $8 a day from tips on Bogota’s Transmilenio which is enough to pay rent and send some money home to her daughter.

“I’m showing people how to not feel defeated,” Alfonso said after finishing a set of songs. “Our hearts have no wrinkles in them. I’m 69 and there’s still a lot of juice to squeeze from this orange.”

Being a street rapper isn’t easy for Alfonso as she suffers from glaucoma and cannot see from her left eye. Due to a lack of income, she cannot afford to see a specialist and moves around with a stick to avoid falling. She is also unable to see the buttons on her speaker’s remote control properly and takes help from the commuters to play the right tracks. Despite all the obstacles she delivers her routine in which she encourages commuters to laugh because humor is for free according to her. Commuters take selfies with Alfonso and others have posted videos of her singing on buses that have gone viral on Twitter.

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(Image AP)