Tag Archives: dominican-republic

In recent years, merengue has become Latin pop’s secret weapon. The Dominican Republic’s signature gallop has crept into global smashes from Bad Bunny and Karol G, heralding a revival of the genre’s swinging Eighties and Nineties heyday (though rarely crediting its century-old campesino roots.) Admittedly, the house that merengue built …

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, some attendees at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, started to feel uneasy. A few noticed sprinkles of dust falling into their drinks, while others wondered whether the rumbling they heard over the sound of merengue musician Rubby Pérez‘s band was an …

Rubby Pérez has died following a roof collapse at Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo on Monday night. He was 69. The merengue singer’s manager Enrique Paulino confirmed to Rolling Stone that Pérez was among the at least 218 people who died following the tragedy that took place while Pérez …

This story is part of our Sondio Latino series for Hispanic Heritage Month. Read more here. IF THE STACCATO gallop of Dominican tambora seems especially prevalent lately, it might be because merengue is having a moment. In June, Karol G released “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” which is now vying …

Letón Pé has been on the rise, thanks the parade of upbeat, endlessly energetic songs she’s been releasing out of the Dominican Republic the last couple of years. (She was named one of Rolling Stone’s 10 Latin artists to watch in 2023.) Her latest track “¿Cuándo Se Va’ir El Calor?” …

There are few people on planet Earth who can rap as fast as J Noa — and even fewer who actually have something to say. On her 2023 debut EP, Autodidactica, the 18-year-old MC from the 5 de Abril barrio in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, showcased one of the most …

Though the renowned Dominican star Juan Luis Guerra has been making music since the Eighties, he’s constantly finding new inspiration. Sometimes, the ideas come to him when he’s looking back at his four-decade career: In fact, his new EP, Radio Güira, was partially influenced by a radio show he had …

Over the last couple of years, the Dominican producer Diego Raposo has been dreaming up brilliantly strange soundscapes, architecting a world all his own. He’s bent pop structures into uncanny, futuristic experiments both as a solo artist — his 2018 album Caribe Express continues to be a seminal indie favorite …

On Friday night, a massive, sold-out crowd began flooding into United Palace, the gilded theater in Washington Heights that’s become a rite of passage for major Latin stars, Bad Bunny and El Alfa included. An enthusiastic audience, primarily made up of Dominican women, turned out for an unprecedented event: Mujeres …

J Noa is already a juggernaut. For the past several years, she’s been leaving her mark on the Dominican music scene, earning the nickname “the daughter of rap,” thanks to her lightning-fast rap speed, insightful lyrics, and ability to capture the realities of the island. Oh, and she happens to …