chain mail
daily dos
wed 10/21/2009
Days after Puerto Rico canceled a Calle 13 concert in response to Residente's criticism of its government, a Colombian town has followed suit. Residente's plan to piss of Latin American governments and get himself publicity by wearing provocative t-shirts at the recent MTVLA Premios is, apparently, working.
swingers
daily dos
fri 10/16/2009
Thousands of Puerto Rican workers and their supporters took to the streets during an island-wide strike over the elimination of 20,000 government jobs.
point, set, match
daily dos
tue 9/22/2009
There's a drug war in Puerto Rico: at least 619 people have been killed in drug-related murders this year, surpassing 2008, which was previously the bloodiest year in the island's drug war. (via Foreign Policy)
make it clap
daily dos
mon 8/24/2009
Puerto Rican boxing champ Miguel Cotto has confirmed he will put up his WBO title at stake against Filipino superstar Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao this November.
Nuyoricans vs. Puerto Ricans
versus
tue 6/30/2009
| name | Nuyoricans. | Puerto Ricans. |
| epicenter | New York. | Puerto Rico. |
| language | Spanglish. | Spanish. |
| marketplace | Bodegas. | Supermercados. |
| fashion | Layers. | Bikinis. |
| flag is used as | Clothing. | Decoration. |
| best spot for comida criolla | La Fonda Boricua. | El Obrero. |
| popular college | Lehman College. | Universidad de Puerto Rico. |
| hangouts | Talay. | Shannan's. |
| party time | Puerto Rican Day Parade. | Las fiestas de la calle. |
| your grandparents listen to | Trio Los Condes. | Trio Vegabajeño. |
| gringos like to visit | El Museo Del Barrio. | Condado Beach. |
| literary arts | Poetry slams. | René Marqués. |
| concert venue | Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall. | El Choli, Bellas Artes. |
| comedian/s | John Leguizamo. | Los Rayos Gamma. |
| politician | Sonia Sotomayor. | Doña Fela. |
| diva | Jennifer Lopez. | Roslyn Sánchez. |
| actor | Jimmy Smits. | Amaury Nolasco. |
| salsa's new generation | N'klabe. | NG2. |
| popular saying | ¡Guepa! | ¡Ay, bendito! |
(images by Oquendo and Jorge Rodriguez via flickr)
off my chest
daily dos
sun 4/5/2009
Residente of Calle 13 tells Clarín: "The are very few good things the U.S. has given Puerto Rico, but there are lots of negatives. I've always been frank about my feelings about this, but because of it, people in my country call me 'communist' as if it's an insult. As if they were calling me 'cabrón" or 'hijo de mil p***s.'"
abracadabra
daily dos
tue 3/24/2009
The U.S. military hinted it may be returning to Vieques, Puerto Rico on a "small basis," prompting Puerto Rican activists and government officials to voice their discontent.
Arcángel vs. De La Ghetto
versus
thu 1/8/2009
| name | Austin Santos. | Rafael Castillo. |
| hometown | Born in New York. Raised in Puerto Rico. | Born in New York. Raised in Puerto Rico. |
| born on | December 23, 1986. | September 17, 1986. |
| Dominican roots | Dominican mother. | Dominican father. |
| nicknames | El Fenómeno and La Maravilla. | Mr. Versatility and De La Geezy. |
| the look | Long curly hair (often in cornrows) and sunglasses. | Short, trimmed hair and sunglasses. |
| primeros pasos | Partnered with De La Ghetto before going solo in 2007. | Partnered with Arcángel before going solo in 2007. |
| style | Tropical and electro-influenced romantic reggaetón. | Bachata and electro-influenced romantic reggaetón. |
| standout single as a duo | Ven Pégate. | Traficando. |
| killer collabos | Jadiel, Jowel y Randy, Yaga y Mackie, Luis Fonsi and Vakero. | Zion, Daddy Yankee, Héctor "El Father," Jowell & Randy, Ivy Queen y Tego Calderón. |
| tiraera (beef) | Jowell y Randy, Polaco, Yomo. | Franco "El Gorila," Yomo, Masacre. |
| words of wisdom | "A true artist does not get involved in tiraera. If I stay in a tiraera I won't go anywhere. You won't hear any more tiraera from Arcángel." - Arcángel. | "The schools in Puerto Rico are kind of bad, there is a lot of talent and nobody helps. We need to keep talking to the youth to follow their dreams." - De La Ghetto. |
| aspiring actor | Appears in the movie Muerte En El Paraíso. | Rumored to be working on a film called Ghettologia. |
| most recent release | El Fenómeno. | Masacre Musical. |
| the critics | Real Talk Reggaetón: "Arcángel tried to release an album and he cancelled it because it was quickly pirated. Millions of downloads. You know why? Because he's La Maravilla. This dude has pure talent and people like his stuff even if they diss it." | Real Talk Reggaetón: "If you are going to name an album Masacre you would expect it to feature some malianteo, perreo or something hard-hitting on the speakers, not 98 percent romantic music." |
| webprops | 127,736 friends on official MySpace. | 62,156 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Spending his days in jail thinking about his ex-girl in Por Amar A Ciegas. | Spending time at the beach with his girl in Es Difícil. |
12 figures
daily dos
tue 1/6/2009
Puerto Rico's new governor, Luis Fortuno, is facing a recession, a one billion-dollar deficit and a surging murder rate.
José Feliciano
previously
thu 12/25/2008
Imagine this. The year is 1945. You live in a small village in central Puerto Rico. You have 10 brothers and sisters. You're blind.
Now imagine that by the time you turn 21, you'll be the most famous Latino artist in the world.
Meet José Feliciano, a virtuoso guitarist and one of the best known singers of the 60s and 70s. After his family moved to New York's Spanish Harlem, Feliciano spent his teens in his room absorbing rock, jazz, folk and Latin music. Signed to RCA Victor at age 18, he blended Spanish and English lyrics as well as Latino and American musical styles to create unique covers of pop hits.
At a time when Hispanics were less than three percent of the U.S. population, Feliciano hit number three on the pop charts with his cover of The Doors' Light My Fire. He was only 21. Two years later, he tempted controversy with a passionate rendition of the U.S. national anthem. At home in American music, he commanded the respect of Southern Whites on the Johny Cash show and Northern Blacks on Soul Train. His acoustic remixes, often embellished with a Latino flourish, forged a path for future crossover artists like Gloria Estefán and Ricky Martin.
By the late 1970s and through the 1980s, his fortunes were more often made in Europe but it's his 1970 bilingual hit Feliz Navidad which has come to define his musical legacy.
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