Cuban music is a sub-genre of Afro-Latin music.

Here's an excerpt from an online article on Cuban music:

"Salsa music, with its roots in Afro-Cuban popular music, was invented in New York in the early 1960's. The Cubans were adamant about never using the word "salsa" to describe their music. It was this author's experience that, when asking for salsa music in a Havana record store, I was told that there was no salsa to be bought. Only Cuban music could be bought there. Sñr. Formell says that due to the international music scene, Cubans were forced to call their music salsa. But he feels that Timba is so strong internationally, Cuban music now has its own identity and no longer relies on the salsa name. (Granma International, May, 1998). There also seems to be different opinions about this new music within the Cuban music community. The soneros in Cuba (those who hold close to the musical traditions of son) are not all in agreement that this is a worthy style.

The history of this new style of Cuban popular music reflects similarly the early history of son music in Havana. Son is recognized as the most influential Cuban music style of the 20th century. Originally from the eastern part of Cuba, son found its way to Havana in the early 1900's. Just as Juan Luis Cortés, "El Tosco", leader of the seminal Afro-Cuban groups NG (Nueva Generación) la Banda says, Timba is music of the barrios, it is generally recognized that son came from the blacks in the barrios. Son became commercially acceptable just as Timba is now very commercially acceptable. As son first began to be performed in Havana, there was a general distaste of and public outcries against the music. (Moore, 1997) Musicians and son aficionados were routinely arrested for playing and/or enjoying the son. And in modern day Cuba, as little as a year prior to this writing, Timba musicians have been hassled by police and subsequently not allowed to perform or travel for months. A popular band, La Charanga Habanera, was punished for what may have been a variety of reasons. One of these reasons was these words in one of their songs, : "Hey green mango, now that you're ripe, why have you still not fallen?" The words may have been in reference to Fidel Castro, usually dressed in green fatigues. (Christian Science Monitor) The government acted swiftly in banning the group from traveling overseas or performing in Cuba. Had La Charanga Habanera taken the step into the hidden transcripts of James Scott, and paid the price?

And, as further comparison, Robin Moore states, about son, "Son lyrics refer to a diversity of themes including bawdy sexual innuendo, topical social events, political issues, and regional nationalism". El Tosco states, "...the lyrics have to be simple, with words that motivate people to dance". Furthermore, Tosco states. "our songs are the literature of the people". Much of the lyrics and rap ideas found in this new style reflect a national pride, much as some son lyrics did and still do.

Musical form in the early sones involved European harmonies and the call and response reminiscent of Western African music. An important part of son is the call and response (called inspiraciones). The tempo can accelerate and the music takes on an important, forward motion. This formula has been exhibited in many Afro-Cuban song styles after the son, like mambo and chachachá...The music is strong and seductive"

http://www.chucksilverman.com/timbapaper.html