There are two sides to the Cuban artist Erik Iglesias Rodríguez, who performs as Cimafunk. "Cima" is an homage to the cimarrón, a word that refers to Cubans of African descent who escaped enslavement.

The same goes for hearing his group Cameo’s 1986 late-funk classic “Word Up!”: The song’s memorable robotic rhythm and Blackmon’s machine-like vocal delivery elevate it above and beyond the era’s ...