Bad news for flamenco fans: as of 2019, the Latin Grammy category for Best Flamenco Album has been discontinued. According to Latin Recording Academy President and CEO Gabriel Abaroa, it wasn’t the ongoing discourse surrounding Spanish artists that sparked the Academy’s decision. “The Latin Recording Academy follows a strict Awards …
Read More »Omar Apollo Wants to Inspire Young Latinx Musicians to 'Go Crazy'
Two years ago, Omar Apollo was sitting in the attic where he was living in the small town of Hobart, Indiana, with his guitar and laptop. He recorded a two-minute marvel of achingly tender R&B called “Ugotme,” which a friend persuaded him to upload to Spotify. The next day, the …
Read More »How Bossa Nova Is Infiltrating Rap and R&B
In March, the Brazilian style of music known as bossa nova made an unexpected appearance on one of the year’s biggest hip-hop albums: Juice WRLD‘s Death Race for Love. Thank Tommy Brown. During a recording session earlier this year with two other beat-makers, Boi-1da and Jahaan Sweet, Brown came across …
Read More »Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar Turn Up in Street Party Anthem, 'Carnavalera'
Colombian party starters Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar banded together on Friday to release their bouncy new stand-alone single, “Carnavalera.” Both champions of Colombian dance music in their own respects, Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar recorded the track in celebration of Carnaval season in Barranquilla — the spiritual home of …
Read More »Ivy Queen Revamps Hit Song 'Yo Quiero Bailar' for International Women's Day
When Ivy Queen first recorded “Yo Quiero Bailar” in 2002, both she and her lyrics were total anomalies in the Latin music industry. With a title translating to “I Want to Dance,” the sweltering reggaeton cut reclaimed the club for women and championed the freedom to dance — not to …
Read More »13 New Albums to Stream Now: Pistol Annies, Rosalía and More Editors' Picks
EDITOR’S PICK: Pistol Annies,Interstate Gospel “The ethos of the Pistol Annies, who steep their classicist country — rife with despair and misfortune — in rootsy arrangements, has not been welcomed within the mainstream confines of the genre in some time,” writes Jonathan Bernstein. “The Pistol Annies’ solution? Doubling down on …
Read More »How Puerto Rican Producer Tainy Became an Architect of Modern Reggaeton
Turn on any Latin pop radio station, and you’re almost certain to hear Bad Bunny‘s new single “Estamos Bien,” an emphatic track with a gloriously idiosyncratic beat. Yet even more popular with programmers is “No Es Justo,” an airy reggaeton single featuring J Balvin and Zion & Lennox. And still …
Read More »See Samantha Bee Visit Unsung Leaders of Mexico City Earthquake Recovery
On Full Frontal,Samantha Bee traveled to Mexico City to speak with an unsung group of women who led clean-up and rescue efforts after a devastating earthquake – and in return, received threats and harassment. The four members of La Brigada Feminista joined volunteer efforts in a long-neglected area where many …
Read More »Congress Members Call Out Trump for 'Lamentable' Puerto Rico Tweets
As Republicans struggle to show the American people they can effectively govern, they keep hitting a snag: President Trump, the supposed the standard-bearer for the GOP. So even as the House passed a bipartisan disaster relief package for Puerto Rico – a down payment, really – the press corps and …
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