T he August sun knows no bounds one sweltering afternoon in Las Vegas as it beats down over the slick, steaming asphalt roads of the Strip. At 6 p.m., it’s still a merciless 102 degrees outside, and there’s little hope that nightfall will cool down the neon-lit city. Yet outside …
Read More »Estée Lauder Heir Convinced Trump to Wage a (Very Serious) Effort to Buy Greenland
In a presidency overflowing with bizarre side plots, one of the standouts is Donald Trump’s reported desire to purchase Greenland from Denmark. While the controversy produced a response from the Danish that Greenland was not actually for sale, and plenty of memes, it turns out Trump was dead serious in …
Read More »'A Round of Applause for the Number One Artist on the Planet': Bad Bunny's Seismic Yankee Stadium Show Was One for the Books
It almost feels like a cliché to declare 2022 the year of Bad Bunny, because let’s face it: The last several years have been entirely his. Since 2020, the Puerto Rican titan has been the most streamed artist in the world, and every rotation around the sun only makes him …
Read More »Villano Antillano Is Making History: 'We Have to Be Proud and Stand Tall'
On a quiet day in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Villano Antillano sips her margarita and smiles. “It tastes so good!” she teases as a sky full of cotton-candy clouds glows pink and purple over the San Juan Smokehouse. Antillano, 27, is one of the most compelling MCs in Spanish-language rap today, …
Read More »The Many Lives of PJ Sin Suela: How a Local Doctor Became One of Puerto Rico's Most Exciting Rappers
During the peak of the pandemic, the Puerto Rican rapper PJ Sin Suela spent countless hours in the hospital. He intubated hundreds of people. He pulled back-to-back 24-hour shifts. He checked pulses and oxygen levels nonstop. He delivered good and bad news to families. He got Covid and recovered. And …
Read More »Don Omar Steals the Bride in New Video With Gente de Zona and Wisin
Reggaeton pioneer Don Omar has spent decades making some of the genre’s biggest hits, and he’s still finding ways to bring new energy to his music. For his latest release, “Soy Yo,” he teams up with his fellow Puerto Rican veteran Wisin and with Cuban duo Gente de Zona, who …
Read More »Sech Celebrates Reggaeton Roots at Sold-Out Puerto Rico Concert
A rocket ship with “El Bloke” written over it was aimed at the stars Friday for the first concert of Sech’s three-night, sold-out stand at San Juan, Puerto Rico’s massive Coliseo, known to locals as El Choli. The venue — known for being the stomping ground for reggaeton, Latin music’s …
Read More »Afro Nation Comes to Puerto Rico: Big Dreams, Canceled Sets, and Growing Pains
The energy on the waters of San Juan’s Balneario de Carolina on March 24 was majestic but stormy. Tropical rain and wind buffeted the opening night of Afro Nation Puerto Rico, muddying the festival grounds and sending some festivalgoers ducking for cover while others danced in the mist. But another …
Read More »Residente Blasts U.S. Imperialism on Blistering New Track 'This Is Not America'
If his recent diatribes haven’t made it clear by now, the Puerto Rican rapper Residente rarely holds back when it comes to saying how he feels. But on his detonative new track “This Is Not America,” he’s not focusing on other artists or what he sees as failures of the …
Read More »'I Was an Underdog': How Myke Towers Made the Whole World Listen Up
Myke Towers raps with a natural ease — effortless, fluid, like he was born to do it. Except, when he was growing up in Puerto Rico, being a performer barely crossed his mind. “Music always spoke to me, but I swear to you, I never, ever, ever thought that I …
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