Interview
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The NFL is gearing up for a significant milestone by hosting its inaugural regular-season game in São Paulo, marking a historic expansion of American football into South America.
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Amid this groundbreaking event, Brazil‘s own baile funk superstar Anitta will kick off the halftime show, Billboard can exclusively announce Tuesday (Aug. 20). Her performance is set to meld the vibrant spirit of Brazilian music with the exhilarating intensity of American football. “I am incredibly excited to perform in São Paulo at the NFL’s first game in my home country of Brazil,” the artist tells Billboard Español. The event is taking place September 6 at 8:15pm ET.
Steering Anitta’s presentation are NFL’s head of music, Seth Dudowsky, Senior vp of global event operations & production, Jon Barker, and director of event presentation & content, Tim Tubito, all in collaboration with Production Club. “When we talked about artists that we wanted to work with, Anitta was at the top of that list,” explains Dudowsky. “We don’t want to come in and make this very American and Western. We want it to weave into the culture of the environment that we’re at,” adds Jon Barker.
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In a discussion with Billboard Español, Anitta, Dudowsky, and Barker delve deeper into the preparations and expectations for this unprecedented NFL game, sharing their visions of blending sports, music, and culture to create an unforgettable experience for fans around the globe.
How do you feel about performing at the historic NFL game in São Paulo, the first of its kind in South America?
Anitta: I am incredibly excited to perform in São Paulo at the NFL’s first game in my home country of Brazil. Growing up here has completely shaped me as an artist and, of course, as a person. So it means everything to be able to bring fans around the world the excitement and joy of our amazing music and culture. It’s really a dream come true to be a part of this moment.
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Seth and Jon, how was Anitta decided on for this halftime show at the NFL’s first game in São Paulo?
Seth Dudowsky: We wanted to make sure that coming to Brazil, we were putting on the spectacle and the level of quality that you expect from an NFL event. Also, doing it in a way that felt natural and embracing the culture of São Paulo and Brazil. The most authentic way to do that is to work with artists and performers who are from those places. Artists who have been not only a face of Brazilian music, and what that represents around the world, but also being an icon in America as well. This creates a bridge for us to come from American culture down to São Paulo. When we talked about artists that we wanted to work with, Anitta was at the top of that list. It’s been an amazing opportunity, not only to have her perform at the game and help us create an incredible game-day experience for the fans, but also to help be an ambassador so that fans understand we’re coming down to Brazil. We’re going to do it in a special way that celebrates Brazilian culture.
Jon Barker: American football is becoming a global sport, and we are starting to play more games in different parts of the world. The opportunity to bring our game to São Paulo, Brazil, to South America, is really exciting. When you think about an opportunity to work with an artist like Anitta, it just elevates everything that we’re going to do. We don’t want to come in and make this very American and Western. We want it to weave into the culture of the environment that we’re at, so that fans who are coming to this game can identify with the entire experience. Anitta just brings that one hundred times for us, because she’s such a wonderful talent.
Anitta, have you previously followed American football? If so, what does this sport mean to you personally?
Anitta: I love sports in general, and I’m one of those fans who screams in front of the TV! With American football it would be no different. As a Brazilian, I love getting together with friends and family to have a barbecue and to cheer.
How do you plan to connect with an audience that might be experiencing both Anitta and NFL football for the first time?
Anitta: Music is something that brings us all together, no matter where you’re from or what your background is. Football does the same, so I think that uniting force from both music and football creates a natural connection to the audience. I hope this global audience will really enjoy the performance.
Seth and Jon, how important is local culture in choosing a halftime performer for international NFL games?
Barker: Extremely important. It’s part of the overall environment that we create. I know we’re talking about halftime, about Anitta, but it sits in the way that we think about decor and the use of color and pattern, and how that reflects local culture. It’s in the music selection that we use in pregame DJs and artists who are going to be singing the national anthems for both countries. It shows up in many different ways, not just in the music that we select at halftime. It’s integrated along the journey. When you start to see the decor pattern that we’re using, you’ll see that it’s reflective of Brazilian culture.
Dudowsky: We’re going to make sure that we are representing and being authentic to the culture there. One of the most direct and effective ways to make it feel like I’m seeing something that’s not just another regular season game [with] the way we’re using art, imagery, and music. To go back to Anitta, we’ll have assets that are going to be created both in Brazil and America. For the fans in Brazil, it’s to make sure that they feel like we’re doing something authentic with an artist they recognize and love. But also for American fans to see that content, to see Packers-Eagles highlights. With Anitta and Brazilian music, it gives [Americans] that feeling that this is unique and special, even if [they’re] not actually going to São Paulo to experience it.
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The NFL is focusing on global expansion and bringing American football to new audiences. As a Brazilian artist, how do you see your role in this initiative?
Anitta: Seeing the NFL grow football internationally has been great to watch, and when I saw they announced the first game in South America, I felt like the stars were aligning. I know many football fans out here in Brazil, so having the opportunity to perform for so many of my fans here and beyond is an amazing experience.
Jon and Seth, how do you ensure that the music appeals to both longtime NFL fans but also new audiences?
Dudowsky: On the music strategy point, one of my biggest beliefs is that music is universal, just like sports is. Every country on earth has their own version of what they love in sports and what they love in music. You won’t find a corner of the planet that doesn’t have those two things as part of that culture. While it’s universal, it’s also specific. Everybody’s music choices and opinions on music are personal. So we know not every single piece of music everybody’s going to love, and that’s okay. We try to work with artists that are authentic and are uniquely themselves and represent a space in music. We speak a lot with our office counterparts in Brazil and Latin America. We work with labels and trusted sources, artists, agents, tastemakers, people that really are on the ground and know what’s relevant.
Barker: It’s such a great line that sport and music are universal, and they don’t need to be translated; they just carry over. Who would have ever thought that playing John Denver in Munich, 70,000 people would just stop doing what they’re doing and sing together in unison? It happened! Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don’t. We experiment, and we see what hits and what doesn’t. You’ve got a different audience inside the stadium at varying ages, a different audience tuning in television locally, and a different one tuning in the United States.
How do we listen and learn from the local community? And how do we weave that into this game and create the environment that we want new fans in São Paulo to experience? That’s the process we go through, and I hope that each year we get better and better at it.
Anitta, can you give us a hint about what viewers can expect from your halftime show?
Anitta: While I want to keep a lot of elements of the show a surprise, I can tell you I will perform Brazilian funk! I can’t wait to do this in front of so many Brazilians at home, as well as the global audience who will be able to see the show as well. It’s going to be big, and I’m excited for everyone to see what we have in store.
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Last words?
Barker: I don’t want to be hyperbolic but we’re about to do something historic, bringing our game to a place that’s never been played before. The excitement that is bouncing off the walls at our headquarters in New York and Seth’s offices in Los Angeles is palpable. How we’ve been received in [Brazil] from the day we made the announcement that we’re coming has been overwhelmingly welcoming. I’m proud that I can be a part of something like this, being part of the NFL, and being part of a group that’s bringing this game to Brazilians, and have them, hopefully, experience it and love it the same way that we all do here.
Dudowsky: One of the things that keeps me energized and passionate about being at the NFL for over a decade is the opportunity to not only learn about these cultures, but to be a part of something that is happening for the first time. Whether it was in Munich or the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, when a city gets the opportunity to do something like this for the first time, it just feels extra special. The energy, the passion that especially Brazilian fans come with, we couldn’t be more excited to see it with our own eyes and to be a part of it; and to see what the country and fans of Brazil do with this game going into the future.
Working with a global icon like Anitta has only made everything we’re saying even more tangible. Her team has been amazing. She has been fantastic. We’re excited to have Anitta and all the energy and excitement that she brings. It’s only going to add to what we know is going to be a really special and historic night in São Paulo.
Chayanne strides into a rehearsal space at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami, dressed in black from head to toe — tight pants and shirt, crisp blazer, formal leather shoes — and warmly embraces his manager, his assistant, his creative director. He then extends his hand to greet the photographer waiting for a cover shoot. “Nice to meet you,” he says with a broad smile. “I’m Chayanne.”
“I think we all know who you are here,” I say lightly, but Chayanne stops and turns to look at me.
“No,” he tells me without reproach, his smile intact and his voice firm. “My dad taught me that no matter where you are, you say hello and introduce yourself. You can’t assume people know who you are.”
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And just like that, this encounter becomes another among a long list of anecdotes about Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known as Chayanne. The artist who goes out to dinner and gets up multiple times to greet his fans. The performer who’s first to arrive at rehearsals and the last to leave. The star who greets housekeepers by name and dances with them in the hallways. The guy who runs in the mornings, alone.
“He is an exemplary father, an exemplary husband; good-looking, tall; he dances; he’s the perfect man,” says Henry Cárdenas, CEO of Cárdenas Marketing Network, which has produced Chayanne’s tours for decades, including his upcoming global arena trek. “He’s been a guy untainted by scandal. [Chayanne has been married to Marilisa Maronesse for over 30 years and has two children with her: Lorenzo and Isadora, the latter also a singer.] I’ve known him for years. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and what you see is who he is. He’s the guy who interrupts his golf game to take a photo with a fan.”
Today, at this studio in Miami, Chayanne reveals yet another facet of himself: that of the impeccable perfectionist who, at 56 years old — and looking 15 years younger — is preparing to start the longest tour of his career.
The Bailemos Otra Vez (Let’s Dance Again) tour, which takes its name from the hit album released last year, begins Aug. 21 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. It will stop in 40 arenas in 39 cities in North America, ending in Miami on Dec. 15, and then continue to Latin America and Spain.
Chayanne photographed on July 18, 2024 at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
“You’re backstage, you haven’t come out, they dim the lights, and everyone starts shouting, ‘Chayanne, Chayanne!’” he replies when I ask how he stays motivated after so many years of performing. He closes his eyes for a moment.
“It’s awesome. Because it’s been many years, but it’s an inexplicable feeling … I started at 10 years old, and I just turned 56. I say it calmly and with joy, because I feel so good, and I have lived the stages of my life with passion, with joy, with emotion. And I have also grown professionally, personally. All of that has shaped the person you have in front of you, but also the people who are going to see the show. Because I didn’t do this alone. They all grew up with me too.”
Talking to Chayanne feels a little like talking to a close friend, albeit a super handsome, super charismatic one who also happens to be among the most revered Latin artists in the world.
Today, we’re chatting in front of a rehearsal stage, designed to exactly replicate his tour set, where he has been practicing seven hours a day for the past six weeks. This interview break is an anomaly, because when Chayanne is in tour prep mode, he shuts down everything else — though he has been preparing for this for decades.
Chayanne began his professional music career at the age of 10. As a member of Puerto Rican boy band Los Chicos, he played stadiums, traveled on private planes and celebrated birthdays in hotels with cakes sent by fans.
But it was later, when he signed with Sony as a solo artist, that he became a true international star. The name Chayanne, which sounds like a stage moniker, is actually his given name (his mother was a fan of 1950s TV show Cheyenne), although it’s not on his birth certificate.
“As a kid, they called me ‘Chancito,’” Chayanne says. “People who really loved me — my mom, my grandma — called me Chancito. You know, the diminutive we use when we’re little. Fortunately, the ‘ito’ eventually dropped out and it became just Chayanne.”
Today, more than 40 years later, Chayanne has accumulated a catalog of hits that includes more than 49 entries and 29 top 10s on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, a record surpassed only by Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel among male artists.
In 2023, Chayanne released Bailemos Otra Vez, his first studio album in nine years (on Sony, his longtime label), which debuted in August in the top 10 of the Top Latin Albums chart, his 15th album to do so — making him only the second artist in history (the other is the late Rocío Dúrcal) to achieve a top 10 on the chart in every decade from the 1980s until now.
Simultaneously, Chayanne’s single “Bailando Bachata” became his seventh No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart, where he has already placed 35 songs. The track was No. 1 for 15 weeks, marking a resounding return for Chayanne, who hadn’t had a No. 1 on that chart in 16 years.
And yet, Chayanne hadn’t gone anywhere. During the heyday of reggaetón in the early 2000s, his pop sound — a mix of heartfelt ballads and uptempo dance fare — endured, and his tours continued to be enormous and constant. The last one, in 2019, grossed $28.3 million and sold 311,000 tickets across 49 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore, becoming the second most successful Latin tour of that year, after Luis Miguel.
Chayanne photographed on July 18, 2024 at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
Plenty of legacy Latin artists tour regularly and sell massive amounts of tickets: Marc Anthony, Ricardo Arjona, Alejandro Fernández and Ana Gabriel, to name just a few. But Chayanne’s fan base, made up largely of women ages 50 and older, is particularly loyal, at least in part, Cárdenas says, because Chayanne’s career has been devoid of scandals. “We Latinos tend to support those idols of ours that have been ‘clean.’ There’s no dirt on Chayanne.”
It also partly explains why Chayanne’s music endures. Beyond their catchiness as hit pop songs, “Tiempo de Vals” and “Yo Te Amo,” for example, are still favorites at quinceañeras and weddings, respectively, passed down from mother to daughter, with multiple generations going together to Chayanne’s shows.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Chayanne was forced to cancel his Desde El Alma tour after 113 shows, with all of South America still left to play. There was a silver lining: With a clear schedule, he finally had time to think about an album.
“Chayanne is an artist who focuses on one project at a time, and if he’s in tour mode, everything is dedicated to the tour,” says Patty Vega, his manager of 30 years. And although he hadn’t released new music prior to the trek, “it didn’t mean he wasn’t listening to material or wasn’t doing his homework. Everything was being finessed.”
“When you release an album, you’re always thinking about what’s going into the tour, because touring is part of my life,” Chayanne says. “Performing live for fans is what I’ve enjoyed most in my career. In other words, the tour was planned; we just didn’t know when it was going to happen. A tour demands dedication. You know you’ll need months of rehearsal, exercise, new eating habits. It’s a responsibility.”
The Bailemos Otra Vez tour, like all Chayanne treks, was conceived as an invitation to take a tour of his career. However, because it will promote his new album and follows five years away from the road, as well as a pandemic, the name took on new meaning.
The process began more than a year ago, when Chayanne sequestered himself to review his setlists from over the years, including the order of songs, arrangements, mood boards and stage production for each.
“Chayanne has an extremely extensive catalog. Getting things out of the setlist isn’t easy,” says Cheche Alara, the renowned music producer (Annie Lennox, Camila Cabello, Natalia Lafourcade) who has served as musical director for Chayanne on four of his tours over the past 10 years. He began working on the Bailemos Otra Vez tour months ago, adding five songs from the album to Chayanne’s classic repertoire.
Chayanne photographed on July 18, 2024 at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
From a musical point of view, Alara says that this time around “our vision is different. It’s very rare that we do something the same from tour to tour.” Asked to sum up the tour’s concept in a single word, he replies: “Gratitude.”
Chayanne “wants to thank his fans who have been with him for a long time,” Alara says. “He is not only an extraordinary artist but a very beloved artist, and the more you work with him, the more you realize that it’s not a facade.”
And he’s beloved for far more than his artistry. When I ask if at any point in his career, especially after he scored his first big hits, someone sat him down and explained what success entailed and how to behave in the face of it, he looks at me with surprise.
“That’s what I call values, principles,” he says. “That comes from before, from when I was a kid. It’s everything that I try to transmit and have tried to transmit at home with my children. In my career, I always felt support from my parents. From my dad, a home, food, respect. And from my mom, the romantic part: music, parties, the ‘Come, let’s dance.’ It’s been a beautiful balance. But it all came from my childhood.”
From the beginning of his career, for example, Chayanne made it his mission to go to every Latin country in which his music was released and promoted, visiting every major city and each essential music person in it. “It was going to Venezuela and saying hello, to Argentina, to Puerto Rico, Mexico. It meant shaking hands with every label employee, every radio station owner, every promoter.”
That philosophy extends to his daily life today. Although Chayanne keeps his personal life just that, he embraces his role as a public figure with gusto.
Beyond being accessible to fans when he’s out and about, since the pandemic, Chayanne has become an avid social media devotee. A few weeks ago, he even posted a shirtless photo of himself in his bathing trunks on Instagram that generated commotion among his 10 million followers, with nearly a half-million likes and thousands of comments.
“I have a problem, Chayanne used to be my dad. Now, I want him to be the father of my children,” wrote one fan. “Patrimony of humanity!” wrote another. “What a beautifully-done piece.” “The most beautiful man in all Latin America!” The list goes on and on.
“Oh, my God. Let me cover myself!” he says with a laugh. “OK, yes, I read some of the comments,” he admits. “Some were very cute, very lovely. Like, ‘If you’re going to take off your shirt, why stop there?’ I mean, really,” he says, blushing a bit.
How about his daughter, Isadora, I ask. What did she think of posting that photo?
“She took it!” he says, laughing.
Chayanne photographed on July 18, 2024 at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
Chayanne keeps those fans in mind when planning a tour. “Chayanne thinks about the audience and the fans first. It’s not about what he wants to do but about what the audience wants,” says Nancy O’Meara, Chayanne’s choreographer and creative director of 27 years.
Choreography in particular is essential to a Chayanne tour. He’s an accomplished dancer and participates in all numbers alongside the eight dancers (four men and four women from all over the world) who O’Meara trains at her Los Angeles studio.
The entire team then moved to Miami to rehearse with Chayanne every day, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., here at Blue Dolphin Studios, where he keeps a keen eye on all details of the performance.
“He always rehearses as if he were in front of a live audience,” says O’Meara, who has also worked with John Legend and Charlie Puth. “I don’t know anyone else who has such a level of detail.”
At 56, he can still sing and dance for almost three hours nightly — and on this tour, he’ll do just that for 18 months. His stamina in part comes from the discipline he’s developed since childhood, but at his age, his lifestyle matters as well. An athlete who loves golf and water sports and runs daily (“because I like it — I’m not running away from anything!” he says with a laugh), he has also been doing Pilates for the past three years, “because it stretches my body and strengthens my muscles and that’s what I need.”
He’s quick to joke that he keeps expectations for himself within reason. “What I can’t do, I’m not going to do,” he says, laughing. “But [what] I will say is, it’s a dynamic show.”
Chayanne is not high maintenance on the road. His needs are, for a touring superstar, fairly basic: good transportation (a private plane is standard), a gym (he’ll take weights to his room to work out there) and a good bed, “because after the show what I want is to take a shower and go to sleep.” Perhaps he’ll also indulge in a nice meal: “I like to eat well.”
Before every show, he’ll do a meet-and-greet, take photos with fans and, finally, get a little alone time. But that’s not what he ultimately craves.
“I’m restless, like a lion. I can’t wait to start,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “Look,” he adds, pointing to his leg, which is bouncing excitedly. “I pray and hope that everything goes well, that people enjoy themselves. I pray to my mom, to God.
“And then you go out on that stage and all that love that’s coming at you, you can’t describe it. I literally see my life flash before my eyes, because it has been my life. It is a whole life that I have dedicated to music.”
Once again, Chiquis Rivera is opening a window into her life. But this time, the singer and TV personality, who has appeared with her family in several reality shows, does it through a documentary series titled Chiquis Sin Filtro, meaning Chiquis Without Filter, which premieres Friday (Aug. 16) on the Spanish-language streaming platform ViX.
“This time it’s not a reality show,” explains the two-time Latin Grammy-winning Mexican-American artist to Billboard Español. “It’s a look into my schedule, my personal life, my career, but I’ll also be taking you on a journey into my past.”
Her day-to-day activities as Janney Marín Rivera (her real name) — including the lead-up to her Diamantes Tour and even the preparations for her recent wedding to Emilio Sánchez — are part of the content she will offer her fans. For the first time, she’s speaking almost entirely in Spanish, something she had not done until now.
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“Today I feel more mature and ready to talk about things that before I could not and today I do publicly,” says the daughter of the late Mexican music star Jenni Rivera, whose siblings will also appear at times in the docuseries.
The first of 10 episodes will be available for free on ViX, with the following debuting every Friday through the ViX’s Premium plan, where the first two will premiere at the same time. Chiquis Sin Filtro is produced by JK Media Group and Busy Bee Productions, owned by the singer. Directed by Melissa Bidwell, the series is produced by Tuti Loor and Chiquis herself, who says she has been attentive to all the details.
Chiquis
ViX
Winner of Latin Grammy Awards for best banda album for Playlist (2020) and Abeja Reina (2022), Chiquis has been touring with her most recent album, Diamantes, for which she hopes to receive her third nomination in the category this year. “I feel like it’s the best thing I’ve done so far,” she says. “I feel very proud of this project. I’ve always liked to take risks musically. I’ve done it since the beginning of my career and now even more so. I like my voice; I like what I’m doing.”
The tour, which began on May 30 in El Cajón, Calif., and has made stops in U.S. cities including Houston, Atlanta and Indianapolis, will arrive for the first time at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on Nov. 3.
“I have had the Auditorio in my sights for years, and when I performed up at the Lunario almost two years ago, I said ‘I want that venue,’” Chiquis said. “I didn’t think it would happen this year, but it did, and I’m a woman who likes to take risks and go for it.”
She continued: “It’s very important to me because it’s Mexico, and Mexico is obviously very important to my music, to my genre. So I’m preparing something definitely special that is still Diamantes Tour, but I want to have special guests singing with me songs that I haven’t performed [yet on the tour], add songs that my fans are asking me to this performance.”
Currently, Chiquis is also participating as a judge on TV Azteca’s talent show La Academia, which searches for the best voice among participants from Mexico and Central America.
“I’m having a great time. At first I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little nervous because I know it’s a very big responsibility. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, I’m not that kind of person, but I like to be honest,” she says enthusiastically. “So far I feel very good. I feel content and happy to be part of these young people’s career and life who are looking to be singers. Seeing their growth every week inspires me and makes me feel proud of them.”
Watch the trailer for Chiquis Sin Filtro ahead of its Friday premiere below.
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In the early ‘90s, an unlikely Ecuadorian immigrant blasted into mainstream superstardom with his Latin pop-rap sensation “Rico Suave.” The surprising Spanglish banger by Gerardo — which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on Hot Rap Songs, and 12 on Dance Singles Sales — catapulted him into unexpected icon (and sex symbol) status, marking a significant moment in the cross-pollination of Latin music and the Billboard U.S. charts.
The then-budding star had already appeared in a plethora of big American films, like Can’t Buy Me Love and Colors, and won a national breakdancing contest. After achieving mainstream recognition, he transitioned to working behind the scenes as an A&R for several big music corporations, playing a pivotal role in Enrique Iglesias’ U.S. breakthrough, and later contributing to the rise of reggaetón in the ’00s.
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Today, Gerardo Mejía, once a dynamic performer who danced his way into the hearts of millions, has shifted rhythms — morphing from a pop sensation into a seasoned music executive for UnitedMasters, a pastor, and even a coffee entrepreneur.
In an interview with Billboard Español, Gerardo reflects on the fame that the ’90s afforded him, his groundbreaking journey into Christian rap in Spanish, and his role behind the scenes as an A&R, helping to bring FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s No. 1 Latin Songs hit “Gata Only” to the mainstream. (Moreover, he shares insights into his latest entrepreneurial venture, launching his own coffee brand — aptly titled Rico Suave — as he leverages his legacy to brew up another kind of success.)
Looking back to 1991 when your hit “Rico Suave” reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 — what were your thoughts about achieving such significant success as a then-new artist?
At that time, I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t really know what was actually happening. Nowadays, we see a lot of Spanish songs that have crossed over, and you see them on the [all-genres] Billboard [charts]. In those days, there wasn’t what we call the Latin resurgence, it wasn’t worldwide. It was very regional. You had L.A. and the East Coast where you would hear some of the Latin stuff.
I recently went back and looked at when we got to No. 7. If you look at that chart [dated April 13, 1991], all the top songs were rock [or pop]. There was nothing in there that said that I had to compete with other Latinos [except Gloria Estefan]. In those days, I didn’t know that we were breaking into something new. I was just happy to have my record out there. MTV picked it up and was happy that people recognized me. I felt like Forrest Gump in this new world, walking into situations and meeting the big artists that I used to look up to. I was part of that, which I enjoyed very much.
From the left Peter Lopez, Ted Field, Jimmy Iovine, Gerardo, Sylvia Rhone, Doug Morris at the “Rico Suave” record release party
Courtesy of Gerardo Mejia
Was introducing Spanglish within the mainstream pop landscape a challenge for you?
At first, “Rico Suave” was all in Spanish. I shot the video myself and sent a big ol’ ¾ tape to MTV International. It was the hot stuff back then. I was doing a movie in Acapulco, and I hired a director to film my video. This is before I got my record deal with Interscope Records. I released that song, it got played on MTV International, and then all the labels were trying to sign me.
When I got to the label, which was an all-American label, talking to Jimmy Iovine, he was like, “Man, this song is a hit. It’s taking off. Can we do an all-English version?” I’m like, “I think you’re going to [lose] a lot of what it is if you that. I please you, you please me. Why don’t we do a Spanglish version?” We called it “the Spanglish version.” That’s the one you heard on the radio.
Prior to “Rico Suave,” as an adolescent you won a breakdancing championship. Did winning that contest kickstart your confidence?
Whenever there was something at school, my mom had me do poetry and recite these long things. Since I was little, I was used to being in front of people. I was very comfortable. Then my dad would throw parties at the house when I was young. He built me this dance studio, and he would bring all his friends, and say, “You gotta see my son [dance].” I’d be break dancing, and popping in front of them.
Gerardo Mejía
Randee St Nicholas
There was a dance contest in those days called Dance Fever, in which all the states competed. My friend and I from California won $50,000! I was 19. I was studying to be an accountant, and I remember telling my dad, “Dad, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore. I think this is an open door for me.” He said, “OK.” That’s what I love about my father. I had a big dream, and he just told me, “Listen, study. If any reason this doesn’t work out. You got this.” I guess it worked.
You moved to L.A. at roughly 12 years old from Ecuador. How did this cultural shift tune your musical style and personal identity?
In Ecuador we have a thing called pasillos. There’s a big guy named Julio Jaramillo. I grew up with that. My mom had me when she was 15 years old. When I was little, she would come in with her record player and the 45s. She would play Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” and “I Wish.” She loved American music. Once we came over here [to the U.S.], it wasn’t much of a culture shock, because I was kind of living it over there through my mother. I just totally enjoyed both cultures. Mi país es súper salsero, super duper.
If you hear the “Rico Suave” song, there’s a little sample that goes, “Ahhh, rehh, ari.” That’s from an old song [“Chamo Candela”] from Venezuela by a group called Daiquirí. I used to love that song so much that I [sampled it], which became the part that people chanted. Some people might not know the Spanish lyrics to “Rico Suave,” but they always sing along with that chant.
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You appeared in the 1988 film Colors, about gangster culture in L.A. What memories do you have about being on set or behind the scenes?
Right after breakdancing, I did a movie called Winners Take All (1987), and then Can’t Buy Me Love (1987). The third was Colors. I wasn’t a gang member. I was a break dancer, but I knew every cholo. My friends always be like, “We got you homie.” I was their homeboy.
When I went in for that role, I remember Dennis Hopper and Sean Penn being right in front of me. There was a guy that used to live in my neighborhood in Pomona. They used to call him Trouble. That was his cholo name. I basically did everything Trouble was: I slicked my hair back with Vaseline and put [on] the hair net. I went to that audition, and they actually asked me what side [gang] I was from. I let them buy into it. I remember there was a scene that I improvised where I do the two, one [gang sign], when I did that, Dennis got up, and he was [like], “We gotta call your agent.” They did and I had the role.
Gerardo Mejia
Courtesy of Gerardo Mejia
You then delved into Christian rap with your album 180° (2004) and a compilation, La Iglesia de la Calle (2007). Can you walk us through what inspired this shift to Christian music?
[Making Christian music] is happening to a lot of artists right now; Farruko, Daddy Yankee… Rappers, we don’t depend on our vocal skills, we depend on our experiences. There was a time in my life that I felt like I had lost it all, and I was struggling, trying to maintain the “Rico Suave” persona, but it was just too much, and I couldn’t do it. I gave my life [to God]. I told God that I was going to serve him from then on, and I have never gone back after making that decision. That inspired me to write.
I remember my pastor always telling me, “You gotta do music again.” “Man, I don’t want to get into music again, Pastor,” I said, “They criticized me so much in music. I don’t want to get criticized again. I’m happy being back here.” He was like, “No, you gotta do this.” And out of that, I went 180 degrees. To this day, every day [I get messages from fans] from that video of a song called “Sueña,” which is very inspiring. It’s worth a lot more than these Gold and Platinum records I have in my office. That was a pivotal point of my life. God showed me what was valuable in life and what wasn’t.
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How did your collaboration with Spanish-language rap pioneer Vico C “Raperito” unfold?
He came out with an album called Aquel Que Había Muerto (1998), which inspired me. I used to cry to certain songs on that album. I used to ask God, “Lord, whatever you did with Vico, can you please do it with me?” I started writing 180° which reached the top 5 in Italy, not even “Rico Suave” did those numbers. After 180°, I wanted to do the first Christian compilation. There were a lot of compilations going on those days, and they hadn’t done anything like that. I called it La Iglesia de la Calle.
I reached out to Baby Rasta, Vico, Noriega, and a lot of other artists, and pioneers. I sent [Vico] the hook to “Raperito,” and told him, “My brother, let’s guide the up-and-coming generation that are going through it like we did.” He loved the concept. I flew up to New York to knock out the song. Then we went to Venezuela to film the video with Venezuelan director Pablo Croce. I also went to promote the video with Vico in Puerto Rico.
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Not a lot of artists have gracefully transitioned into music executive roles. How did that happen for you?
I was broke. I didn’t know how I was going to survive, but I knew music. Even when I knew it was my time to give up that “Rico Suave” persona, I went back to the same people that hired me as an artist, Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field. I said, “Listen, give me the opportunity. I know how this crossover business works.” They did. They gave me the chance. Within a year, I signed Enrique Iglesias to Interscope Records. I worked with him on Enrique (1999), where “Bailamos” appears, and then Escape (2001) with “Hero.”
Afterwards, I worked for Univision Records — which is not around anymore, it got pulled in by Universal. At Univision, I got to see the strength of what reggaetón was going to be. I got to be in a spot where I was signing artists. The song that I helped Jowell & Randy and Arcánge put together was “Agresivo” [from the compilation La Calle, Vol. 1, 2007]. I also got to work with Ivy Queen, La Caballota. From then on, I knew that reggaetón is going to grow and it’s not going to stop. After that, I leave because Univision gets bought out.
Jimmy Iovine, Enrique Iglesias and Gerardo Mejía
Courtesy of Gerardo Mejia
Enrique had just put out the song “Bailando” (2014) with Gente de Zona and Descemer Bueno. At that moment, I was going a lot to South America, and I remember Nicky Jam was blowing up in Colombia. I said to Enrique, “Bro, you gotta do something with Nicky.” I talked to Nicky’s management, and Nicky sent me the song “El Perdón” (2017). I said, “Wow, this is a hit.” They were going to put it out, and I said, “No, hold it. Let me call Enrique.” We saw how the [reggaetón] crossover began to happen through Enrique’s pop strength. All the reggeatón started becoming more [mainstream], it wasn’t so street anymore. I got to see that.
Your biggest recent achievement is FloyyMenor’s hit “Gata Only,” with Cris MJ, which impressively topped the Hot Latin Songs chart for 14 consecutive weeks. How did you discover him?
That is crazy! Listen, I don’t want to take credit for that song. Four or five years ago, you saw online rap battles in Chile, and these amazing lyricists coming out, like this guy El Menor who is an amazing battle rapper. So I was looking at [Chile] and how the music was surfacing. Three years ago, I was early on to sign a kid named Nickoog Clk, and he did great for us. I picked up the moment: I said, “Something is happening in Chile.”
When I saw Floyy, I saw a young, hungry kid who had lyrics. This is what drove me to making the deal. He had put out music that millions were listening to, but nobody knew who the heck he was or what he looked like. If you go back on YouTube to his old songs before “Gata Only,” you’re going to see a song called “pa la europa.” Look at the video. It’s a car! That makes me think, these people are loving his music. There’s something that this kid is doing. It wasn’t because he was this pretty boy or this dude with an amazing personality. It was his music. I said, “I need to go see this guy.” I did and I was sold.
Nickoog, Gerardo & Floyymenor.
Courtesy Photo
He showed me that song [“Gata Only”]. [He wanted to release it] by Christmas. “I said, Floyy, nobody’s going to listen to the song during Christmas time. They’re going to be listening to Mariah Carey.” He’s like, “No, yo lo quiero sacar.” “We’re going to waste it,” I said. We first released it in January.
Then, boom! I looked at the data and was like, “This can’t be!” It just kept growing. So I fly to Chile to sit down with him. [I told him] “We need to adapt to what’s happening.” He was very street, so I said, “You gotta do a little more turnaround. This is what’s working for you. We go with what works.” The moment when I arrived, Cris MJ calls, and he tells him, “I want to be on that song.” [Floyy] looks at me, and I said, “Bro, get going now!” He went and got the song with Cris. We took the other one down, put the new one out, and the rest is history.
You launched your own Rico Suave Ecuadorian coffee brand. What inspired that?
I went to Qatar. UnitedMasters distributed songs for FIFA [World Cup Qatar 2022]. When I went, there was a fair. I see all the flags, Mexico, Spain… And I’m looking for Ecuador. Then I smelled coffee and saw the Ecuadorian flag. We have great coffee [in Ecuador]. I sat down with the guy — I’m like, “Bro, this smells amazing. What’s the name of your coffee?” He said, “I don’t [have one]. I sell it by wholesale to brands like Starbucks.” I said, “We gotta talk.” We [eventually] became partners.
There’s no difference in how I promote an artist and my [coffee] product. I treat it just like an artist. Through Amazon, I see where I get my buyers and start pushing those areas, just like I would do a record. I see how the data dictates consumers. I have 30 years in this business, and one thing I’ve learned is I follow the people. We were in Amazon and in South America, but now we got a big distributor on the East Coast. There’s so much competition for people’s eyes nowadays. You gotta put something that takes it to the branding, un café Rico y Suave. I should have thought of that 30 years ago!
Rico Suave Coffee
Courtesy Photo
It’s a great full circle story! With such a diverse career, from a pop idol to music executive and a coffee entrepreneur, what else can we expect from Gerardo?
More artists and more music. I hope to find those stars that are home right now. Artists, oftentimes, one can see them and say, “I wouldn’t have paid a cent for them.” “Why?” “Because he didn’t look the part.” What does looks have to do with anything? Nowadays, it is about music. I listen to the culture. I love seeing how it’s evolving. I’ve been right about a lot of things pertaining to pop. I see several places that are about to boom. Puerto Rico was once the Mecca of [Latin] urban, then Colombia for a long time. Now you got Chile, Mexico, but those other places, they’re not going to stay dormant. They’re about to do the same thing. You will see.
As tension continues in Venezuela following the presidential elections on Sunday (July 28), when the Venezuelan electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner and the opposition denounced irregularities in the count and claimed that their candidate Edmundo González had won with almost 70% of the votes, Venezuelan and foreign artists have spoken out about the difficult situation in the South American country.
Whether expressing solidarity with the Venezuelan people or sharing images of the demonstrations that have turned violent in the face of repression by the Armed Forces and the police, Venezuelan stars like Nacho, Lele Pons and Elena Rose, as well as foreigners like Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Trevi and Don Omar, have shared messages of support with their millions of followers.
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One of those who has been most vocal from exile is Danny Ocean, who in recent days posted an emotional video on his Instagram account calling on the family members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) and police forces to make them see reason to prevent further bloodshed.
The demonstrations in Venezuela have left “at least 20 dead, dozens injured, and hundreds detained,” reports Univision Noticias. While the government has refused to make public the voting records that would show Maduro has won, opposition leader María Corina Machado and her team published theirs on the internet, with election witnesses also showing them on social media. The U.S. government has recognized Edmundo González as the winner of the elections.
Danny Ocean, who left Venezuela in 2015, feels that the only way for this to end is with the support of the militia, and that is why he insists on his call. In this “as told to” narrative, the Venezuelan musician reflects on the situation in his country and invites his colleagues to unite in a single message.
I don’t even know where to start. What is happening in Venezuela hurts me a lot. It hurts to see the number of kids who are dying right now in the streets, and I feel that the only ones who can ease this and reduce this are the National Armed Forces and the police.
I know that they must not be having an easy time either, honestly. But, I don’t know, that’s how I feel. Everything I have been talking about from my side has been from the heart, trying to be as sensible as possible. And I also don’t want to interfere with the communication that is happening right now with Venezuela; I am trying to support all the people who are trying to talk to their children, helping to pass information about the people who are inside Venezuela.
From my side, I don’t want to be putting out information like this arbitrarily; I think it’s necessary to give space to digital media so they can communicate what they want to communicate. I just want to call on the relatives of the military to please talk to them, tell them that we are really tired. They know what is happening and what is really going on and what is right and what is wrong. They are the only ones who can help the people so that there is no massacre in the streets.
If we want to get out of this mess, because this is no longer a political issue of left, right, blue, red, yellow, none of that crap. No. This is now a situation of good against evil. And about people being tired. People are really tired.
And beyond that, there are almost 8 million Venezuelans who are abroad, as I said in my post, and the region is not prepared for another massive wave [of emigrants]. And we don’t want more broken families. Enough is enough! If that number is so high, it’s for a reason. If there’s smoke, there’s fire. This is something very important for the international community to understand, because we are really tired, and the military knows it.
The game right now is on their side. It really depends on them. And I, as a spokesperson, as an artist, am trying to simply carry my message on that side.
[I would like to see Venezuela] prosperous, with chances to grow, where people don’t have to worry about their future, don’t have to worry about having to leave to seek a better future. A place where there is room for everything. Venezuela has everything for everyone to do something incredible. That’s what I hope happens at the end of all this.
But now I’m trying to focus on the present, on what is happening. Right now I think we need to all get together, guys. People are dying in the streets.
I see artists throwing crap at each other [on social media]. That doesn’t work. The messages have to be positive. I know there is a lot of pain, I know there are many things stored inside, but it’s not the time to be throwing crap at each other. It’s very important that at least the community of artists among us Venezuelans are aligned with the messages we are giving.
If all the artists got on a wave of pleading with our militia and our police to help and collaborate — because they are the only ones who can reduce that number [of victims] — that would be great. I think it would be a spectacular movement if we all united with that message.
Telling her story in a documentary was not difficult for Mon Laferte. On the contrary, the Chilean-Mexican singer-songwriter tells Billboard Español, narrating part of her past in front of a camera provoked “a certain nostalgia,” mainly when remembering her pregnancy and the birth of her son.
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“I think how crazy I was, going singing when I was three months pregnant, with my belly all over the place — and then with my baby, three months after birth, and I was on stage!” the artist explains from Mexico City, with a chuckle.
Mon Laferte, Te Amo, which arrived on Netflix on Thursday (August 1), is an intimate portrait in which the singer of “El Beso” and “Tu Falta de Querer” reveals details of her professional and personal life, from her crude childhood and her start as a singer in her native Viña del Mar, to her arrival in Mexico in 2007, and how she managed to become a Latin music star. But it is, above all, “a story of strength, of resilience,” she says.
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Directed by Camila Grandi and Joanna Reposi Garibaldi, the documentary finds Laferte in the middle of an international tour, just weeks away from becoming a mother. In the back and forth between stages, dressing rooms and her home, Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte (her real name) recalls a complex childhood, marked by the abandonment of her father and economic struggles, as well as the differences that distanced her from her mother at a young age.
Then, a painful event caused an even greater estrangement with her mother, who was involved in a relationship with an alcoholic man who used domestic violence and abused Laferte sexually, the artist narrates in her biographical chronicle.
“Talking about my mother in a documentary was very healing,” she says. “I’ve had a difficult relationship with her, at times of much love, and at times of friction, of disagreements with her since I was a child. But over the years, I understand her much more, and today there is greater empathy.”
Motherhood is undoubtedly the common thread in Mon Laferte, Te Amo — where the figures of her grandmother, her mother and herself as a new mom are the protagonists.
The artist compares her experience to that of Beyoncé, whose documentary Homecoming (2019) records the days leading up to her highly anticipated performance at the 2018 Coachella Festival and the emotional path the American superstar and also mother went through, from creative concept to the concert’s moment.
“I remember in the documentary, she was rehearsing all day, she was with her baby, and in my ignorance I thought, ‘She should go home to rest, and then come back,’” Laferte says. “But when I became a mom, I understood her a lot because there is something about needing to feel again like yourself before pregnancy and giving birth.”
Other passages in Mon Laferte, Te Amo talk about her life after leaving school, her beginnings as a singer in local bars in Chile and her relationship with a man 21 years older than her who soon became her first manager, and she the victim of emotional and economic abuse.
It also tells of her time on Rojo, the Chilean National Television show that made her known, and her arrival in Mexico, where she had to start over again years later to conquer the most important music market in the Hispanic world.
“Many women can see themselves reflected in this documentary, we go through the same things,” says the four-time Latin Grammy winner. “Not all of them are singers, but it is like the daily life of a woman — facing the challenges that society demands of us, and that we demand of ourselves.
“I demand a lot from myself to be a great artist, but also to be the best mother in the world,” she adds with a smile.
Mon Laferte’s documentary arrives as the Chilean star — and naturalized Mexican, as of November 2022 — continues her Autopoiética Tour in support of her 2023 album of the same name.
Mon Laferte was also just confirmed to participate at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week, which will be held Oct. 14-18 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason in Miami Beach, Florida.
After successful editions in countries like the U.S., Japan, Switzerland and Brazil, Netflix is launching dating reality show Love is Blind: Mexico on Thursday (Aug. 1), featuring a theme song by Joss Favela.
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That song is “Cosas Mágicas,” a romantic single released on July 19 under Sony Latin, in which the Sinaloa singer-songwriter experiments with country music for the first time. “They say magical things never warn us when they arrive/ Love is blind and the truth is/ Today I was able to confirm it,” he sings in Spanish over beautiful electric guitar riffs and trombone.
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“I’m truly happy to have written a song for such a significant series,” he tells Billboard Español, explaining that the opportunity came through Seitrack, his management agency. “The lyrics are completely romantic, something I haven’t written in a long time,” he adds.
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He recalls that the closest he had come to country music before was “Pienso en Ti” with Becky G, released in October 2018, where the guitar sounds evoke classic Nashville rhythms without being entirely country. Now, he hopes to reach new markets beyond regional Mexican music.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity for my music to reach beyond where it’s currently known,” says the 33-year-old artist. “Many people will watch the series and if they don’t know who Joss Favela is, they will now. Ultimately, what an artist wants is to be heard, and this is a great showcase.”
Favela has had a busy 2024. In May, he released the six-song EP, Mis Compas, Vol. 1, which includes duets with Banda MS, Codiciado, Los Plebes del Rancho, Luis R. Conríquez, Gera MX and Yuridia. Last Thursday, July 25th, he performed at the Premios Juventud in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He has also returned to the top of the Billboard charts as the songwriter of Grupo Firme’s hit “El Beneficio de la Duda,” which reached No. 1 on Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay this month.
“I had been holding onto the song for a while; it’s from a time in my life when I felt very vulnerable,” Favela says about the top-charting song. “[Grupo Firme’s vocalist] Eduin [Caz] connected with the song from the moment he heard it. We recorded it in my studio, which allowed me to get to know him better, and he’s a great guy. Today, I can say he’s my friend, and honestly, working that way is much easier.”
He confesses that he initially “had fears because it isn’t a song in the style of what Grupo Firme usually does,” but now he is “as proud as a peacock” with the outcome and its success. “What has happened with the song has been wonderful for them, for me, and for everyone involved,” he says.
Favela is planning to release Vol. 2 of Mis Compas. Fans have to wait and see if Caz is among the guests.
Rakim has been your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper since he and Eric B dropped Paid in Full in 1987. Credited with shifting the way rappers rap, he is often recognized as the inventor of “flow,” as those who came before him rapped with a more flat-footed rhyming cadence. Rakim attacked tracks like Usain Bolt, and his flow has been compared to the way Thelonious Monk played the piano or how John Coltrane manipulated the saxophone.
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However, not too many fans are aware that Rakim is also a producer. For G.O.D’s Network (REB7RTH), his first album since 2009’s The Seventh Seal, the God MC crafted every beat for every song. “This is the first time I’m really showcasing myself as a producer,” he says over the phone. “I always produced tracks. I did a lot of the Eric B & Rakim music, but never really let that be known.”
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Having grown up in a musical family (his aunt was legendary actress and singer Ruth Brown), Rakim always dug for samples — and most notably produced “Juice (Know the Ledge)” from the Juice soundtrack. That’s him playing the live drums on there, and it was him who looped the bassline from Nat Adderley’s “Rise, Sally Rise.”
His new seven-track album is packed with features from rappers new and old, alive and gone. There are verses from the late Nipsey Hussle and Fred the Godson. He has Chino XL and Canibus on the same song. Planet Asia and B.G. make appearances. East Coast underground mainstays Hus Kingpin and 38 Spesh contributed a few bars — as did Wu-Tang Killa Bees Masta Killa, Method Man and La the Darkman.
Rakim talked with Billboard about how this all came together, why he wanted to feature his production skills, the current state of the rap game, and much more. Check out our interview below.
This is your first album since 2009. What inspired you to make this album?
I think the time was just right. The stars finally aligned for me, and I took advantage. There were a couple of label situations that I was trying to get done. Just a deal that I felt was worth my worth. Sometimes things don’t happen the way they should, and I’m not the one to settle. I’ve been in the game for a long time, so my deal isn’t gonna be like an up-and-coming new artist’s deal would be. Artists that have been here for a while, we have to understand our worth, otherwise, everybody else’s goes down. Our art reflects who we are. I was actually working on a project before I started the one I’m putting out now. Me and Jazzy Jeff were doing an album, and I had a song on it called “Reborn.”
So, I feel like now it’s a little easier for artists such as yourself to do things independently because you have the legacy and the fanbase already.
It’s a blessing. You don’t have to conform to what’s going on. If you’ve got a fanbase, do what you’re supposed to do, and they’ll support you.
Someone that was a big proponent of that and helped shift things into where we’re at now is Nipsey Hussle. I noticed that you got a verse from him. How did that come together? Is that a verse that the family let you use in the stash? Or was that something that you and him were working on before he passed? You got Fred the Godson on there, too.
Fred, DMX. I’ve got a Prodigy on there as well. It was an honor to be able to salute those brothers and showcase their work again. My man, Matt Markoff (who served as A&R/executive producer) has so much passion for the project. He went around to the right people and let them put their ear to the project, and was able to get some verses from some of these heavyweight legends.
It’s funny, man — he was going out, making moves and would send me the track back with the verse on it and surprise me. The whole project put a lot of things in perspective for me. The love that I was gettin’ from the artists really let me know who I am. I’m a humble person.
Come on, man, come on. I get it, but it’s like, if Rakim wants a verse from you… I can’t imagine anybody giving you a hard time.
[Laughs.] That’s that love, man, word. When they came back with the finished project, not only did they do their thing, but a lot of them saluted me in a verse — which was humblin’ again. I’m so glad that we did it and got it out, and it’s also a chance for me to showcase my production skills and my DJ skills. I’m kind of enjoying this from a different point of view by being able to produce and mold the project together.
I was gonna ask — I noticed on one of the tracks you say, “Hold up, let me see if I get the scratch right.” So, that’s you scratching on the record?
Yeah, I did all the scratching on the whole project… I DJ’d when I started rhyming when I was young. I used to DJ too. I always loved that element as well. So, it was fun to showcase all of that on this project.
Were those the Kid Wizard days?
Yeah [Laughs.]
I know your thing with Dre didn’t really work out, but the song “Now Is the Time” has a West Coast sound to it. Did you pick up any production tips from working with him?
There were so many lessons and different angles to the game that I learned from Dre. I had a front-row seat to watch the process of producing a track. His energy and passion is unmatched. It made me get back on my grind after seeing his process. I was like, ‘”eah, I’m not applying myself the way I should.” Big up to the Doc, though. Yeah, Dre, I ain’t say nothin’, man. Imma holla at you. I ain’t tell ’em about what we’re working on.
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With you and Eric changing everything with Paid in Full, how do you feel about the way rap has evolved?
I remember when I told my mother that I’ve been going to the studio and that they asked me to sign out of school to go on tour — which was bizarre. I’m sitting there explaining this to my moms and she says, “So, you giving up football? How do you know if this rap thing is gonna last?” Football was my dream, but that stuck in my head.
Mom’s word is golden, but I had that passion. It was something that scared me, but it also kept me focused. I come from that era when not only my mom, but a lot of people didn’t think that hip-hop would last. So, to see it come from where it came from and to see where it’s at now is a blessing. Hip-hop is the biggest genre in music right now. Incredible.
People ask you how you came up with your style because you changed how people rap. You incorporated jazz elements into your rhyme pattern. How does Rakim feel listening to Future, listening to a Young Thug, listening to some of these cats where they talk street sh—t, but it’s not in the traditional 16 bars, they’re singing it, almost like using their voices as instruments?
It’s more R&B/hip-hop, than what I’m used to hip-hop being. But we watched it go from being lyrical to it being what they call “a vibe.” As long as it’s a vibe, they rock to it. It’s a tough situation, when the powers that be morphed it into it being the way it is. There’s no reason Future shouldn’t be able to put out the music that he loves doing and there’s no reason underground artists that love making that grimy boom-bap shouldn’t be able to make what they love. We let the powers that be separate hip-hop and made us work against each other.
We gotta break the limitations down. We have to stop letting them separate hip-hop, and we gotta govern ourselves and take control of our genre. We can’t be where we are now and have no kind of structure, or no kind of understanding about what this is — because it’ll fall to the bottom just as quick as it got to the top.
That’s why the Internet is important because all of this can co-exist now. The major label system isn’t as necessary as before. You can put this album on Bandcamp and there’s going to be a market for it.
And that’s what’s beautiful. We can stick to our guns and make the music that we love making. If you have a fanbase, cater to your fanbase, otherwise, you gonna drift off and you won’t be looking for fans that aren’t gonna know who you are, what you are, or what you do because you changed up on them. It’s important that we take advantage of the platform now. There aren’t any parameters that we have to follow or no cookie cutter that we got to use to get radio play to be relevant.
Make what you love. That’ll help the scale — because right now, the majority rules, and the majority seems to be closer to the R&B/hip-hop side. We need more people to stick to their guns to even that scale out.
How closely have you paid attention to the Drake and Kendrick thing? Because Drake is one of those artists that gets a knock for being an R&B dude, even though he’s battle-tested. He represents the mainstream and Kendrick represents the genre in a more traditional sense to most rap fans.
I think that it was important, because these brothers are at the top of the game, and revered hip-hop. You know, a lot of people in that position won’t accept no challenge, because they got too much to lose. So, it was dope that these brothers put the mainstream success down and said, “Yeah, let’s do it.”
The battle put a lot of things in perspective — because it showed the difference between real hip-hop and mainstream hip-hop. Younger artists now know that there’s a difference. A lot of them didn’t even understand that. They just listened to the majority, not knowing that a lot of people don’t categorize what they were hearing as real hip-hop. The battle was very needed for the genre. I tip my hat to them brothers. Let’s just hope that it stays to the music.
To the younger artists out there, do a little history, man, just like anything else. You want to learn about your family history, or your nationality’s history? Research it. Researching hip-hop is one of the illest things you can do. If you find out that your family came from great people and did great things, you’re gonna look at life a little differently. And when you look back at hip-hop and see where it came from and what this thing is about, it’ll give you a better understanding of what these brothers did. It’ll also make you feel a little better about what you represent.
A lot of hit rap records toe the line of pop and R&B these days, and fans are more forgiving about ghostwriters when it comes to some of those songs. I wanted to broach that subject with you because ghostwriting was considered a cardinal sin during your era.
It’s funny. Back early in the game around ’87-’88, people started asking me to write. The first person that asked me, I was so offended by that sh—t. That’s almost like being at practice and this kid is crossing you over like f–king crazy, man. You know what I mean? You’re not gonna go over there and be like, “My man, show me how to do that crossover.” I’m not giving him the golden pen. Like really, man? “Nah. I’m not writing this for you. You crazy?” Not the thought of having a ghostwriter but even me ghostwrite for someone else, you kiddin’?
So, to have a ghostwriter — from where I come from — that’s not acceptable. With singing it’s more complicated, it’s a little different. The singer still has to hit them notes and make it theirs, It’s much different for a singer because if you take a dope song from back in the day that was a hit and you give it to somebody else, it may not be a hit, because they can’t sing it right.
But for MCs, we salute them because of what they say. So, if your words aren’t from you, then how am I supposed to know what you wrote and what you didn’t write? And now, am I still supposed to respect you as an emcee knowing that you didn’t write everything? That’s complicated.
But, if the younger generation accepts that, then, you know, that’s on them. Where I come from, we don’t really respect that. I don’t respect that. Everything I ever said that was a verse, I wrote. I might have let somebody write a hook, or somebody might have sent me a song with a hook on it, but I pride myself on what I do and how I did it. I can’t see somebody else writing my rhymes and feeling like I’m that dude. My man helped me be that dude. I can’t even do that; I wouldn’t even feel right. I can’t even say thank you if somebody came up and was like, “Yo, that last song you did? Bananas.” I’ll feel funny as hell standing there. I would have to say, “You know what, bruh? I didn’t write that.” I can’t front.
I peeped that you have Hus Kingpin and 38 Spesh on the album. How did that come about? Were you fans of theirs? I know Hus is from Long Island. I felt like that was ill because it’s like you’re bridging the gap.
That’s what’s so dope about being able to do this project. We got MCs from every part of the United States. I always keep my ear to the street. From Smack URL to the underground scene, that’s what keeps hip-hop alive and well. I feel good when I see emcees spittin’ like that. I salute them young brothers that’s really wantin’ to be lyrical, pushin’ the envelope and refusing to say, ‘Aight, I’m just gonna make a quick radio song, so I can get out there.’ A lot of these brothers could’ve been tried to do that, but that ain’t where their heart is. They know real MCing and real hip-hop exists and anything outside the line is unacceptable.
Yeah, man, and it’s funny because this has kind of been the theme throughout this interview is just how everything has changed. Before, if you made this album, you would more than likely have had to chase radio play. You don’t have to chase the radio anymore.
I think we made a statement with the project. Straight hip-hop orientated and wasn’t looking to make radio-friendly songs or follow any kind of mold. Everybody did what they love. From watching the underground scene to the URL circuit with cats like Charlie Clips, Goodz — we need to break the walls down and merge all this together. It can’t do nothing but make the genre better. It’s gonna make rappers get in they bag and take their craft seriously.
You gotta show them that underbelly. It’s like when you pick up a log in the woods, and there’s like a whole universe under there.
We talkin’ on a hip-hop level. I won’t even say “street.” You gotta go to the trenches to really understand. I laugh when they try to discover things on Earth, there’s just a few places they don’t go. For one, they don’t go deep in the water and two, they don’t go to the swamps; it’s too dirty for them. It’s the same thing with the hood, they don’t wanna go to the hood; it’s too dirty for ’em. But you ain’t gonna know about too many things on the planet and how things work if you don’t go to the swamps, or you don’t go underwater. You’re on the surface thinking you know what’s going on. You go deep underwater, and you see something swim over and it turns into the thing it just landed on. It ain’t regular down there. There’s some different s—t going on down there.
You said that you’re humble, but you’re also aware that you’re on top of everybody’s “Best Rapper” list. What keeps you motivated to make music?
I think that alone. The expectations that I not only give myself, but what the people give me. I use that as fuel. I would rather people expect me to succeed than to expect me to fail. I gotta keep doing it at a higher rate because that’s what they expect from me. I just try to use it to help me rather than stagnate me.
So, we can expect more from you. You’re going to do more self-produced stuff, I’m assuming.
Yes, sir. I’m getting confident with my tracks. I gotta a lot of tracks over here. I just been storing the right time. I’m working on a solo Rakim joint and working on a couple other projects as well. So, I’m just looking forward to just staying in the studio. I took the year off from touring just so I could get studio work done. Hopefully, you hear a lot of new music from Rakim.
Last week Ricardo Montaner released Ricardo Montaner 2 (Versión Montaner), a re-recording of his 1988 album that included classics like “Tan Enamorados” and “A Dónde Va el Amor.” The new set comes less than a month after Ricardo Montaner (Versión Montaner), and is part of a broader project in which the acclaimed Latin pop singer-songwriter aims to give his old music a more contemporary sound.
“I think it has a lot to do with responsibility,” Montaner tells Billboard Español about this initial six-album project, all under his own independent label Hecho a Mano. “The sound of my music from that era does not match the technical advances available today. […] I want fans from that time to enjoy my music today and to do so under exactly the same conditions as the music people make today.”
But that is not the only motivation for the Argentine-Venezuelan musician. A contract he signed at the beginning of his career with Love Records, part of then-Venezuelan record company Sono-Rodven, did not include rights to his masters, which he says are now in the hands of Universal Music Group. (In 1995, Sono-Rodven transferred its operations to PolyGram, which was later acquired by the multinational).
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“I need my artistic legacy to pass into the hands of my children,” Montaner explains. “I never earned a penny in royalties from any of my first six albums. To this day, with more than 40 years of career, I have not received a single penny from the sales of ‘Yo Que Te Amé,’ ‘Tan Enamorados,’ ‘La Cima del Cielo,’ the album Los Hijos del Sol, the album En El Último Lugar del Mundo.“
“The contracts at that time were predatory and totally disadvantageous for the artist, so that is a very, very strong motivation. If I didn’t earn a single penny for my music at the beginning of my career and at the time when I was most successful, today I am looking to record independently so that my children will have, at least from now on, the peace of mind that the music of their father — especially the most important, the most emblematic or iconic music of his career — will pass into their hands,” he continues. “I am also complaining to the people who have the original masters, the first masters of my career, considering they have been recorded already 40 years ago. I am asking that they return them to me.”
Neither Montaner nor his team has specified whether there is a formal complaint or lawsuit, “beyond the fact that Ricardo is trying to get his masters back,” a person from his team told Billboard Español. Universal Music Latin had not replied a request for comment sent on Monday (July 22) by the time of publication.
Montaner’s re-recording of his albums — something reminiscent of Taylor Swift‘s successful “Taylor’s Version” series — is a meticulous project with “exactly the same” musical arrangements as the originals, and the art cover from the era reproduced with great detail (from set design and wardrobe to the pose of the singer) in a fun and exciting nostalgia trip.
Montaner’s voice remains practically entirely intact. The only change, besides the better sound quality, is in the freedom that comes with age and maturity.
“I recognize that today I sing ‘Me Va a Extrañar,’ ‘Tan Enamorados’, ‘La Cima del Cielo’ or ‘Yo Que Te Amé’ differently than I sang them at that time,” he admits. “But today, sitting from another angle of my life, seeing that I have nothing else to prove in the sense that these songs do not have a risk as they did at that time […] it gives me a lot more freedom to sing them.”
The next releases from the project will arrive Sept. 6 with the album Un Toque de Misterio (Versión Montaner) and the single “La Cima del Cielo (Montaner Version),” followed by En El Último Lugar del Mundo (Versión Montaner), with “Será (Versión Montaner)” as the focus single, on Nov. 1. The re-recordings of Los Hijos del Sol and Una Mañana Y Un Camino would arrive by early 2025.
After these, three more versions of later albums in Montaner’s career will come, this time only for pure pleasure: “I felt like repeating the albums Con La London Metropolitan Orchestra, which were two unforgettable projects for me,” he says excitedly, without revealing what the third one would be. “We already have Abbey Road studios booked for the beginning of November of this year to record the three versions in a single session.”
Retired from the stage at least for a while, Montaner is now enjoying going in and out of the studio while making the most of his time with his family, which includes his wife Marlene, his children Alejandro, Héctor, Mau y Ricky, and Evaluna (all musicians), as well as six grandchildren who will soon become seven with the imminent arrival of Evaluna and Camilo‘s second baby.
“I want to have time to live this,” Montaner says from Medellín, Colombia, where his wife was releasing a new book, El Libro del Corazón. He also traveled recently to Spain and to Argentina to watch his children perform. For many years, he “missed many things of Marlene and my loved ones, because I was doing my own thing, so […] I don’t want it to be once in a while and because time allowed it. Today I want to own my time and be everywhere with them.”
Rita Ora is fresh off the release of her latest single, “Ask & You Shall Receive,” and to celebrate, the pop star sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss her next musical era.
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“The song I got it sent to me in my email from RAYE, who was a great friend of mine,” she explained. “She’s also another British pop sensation, and I love her. I’ve known her for a very long time as a songwriter and as an artist, and she came on tour with me back in 2017 sent me the song, and I loved it. Sometimes it’s not that deep. My third record, You & I was very deep and emotional. It was about my personal life changing, I got married and really wanted to share a story with the world. Well, with this one, I was like, you know what? Let’s just put out great things that feel good, you know? The sun is out. I’m always about the sunshine. Everything with my music has been super positive. If you’ve followed me for a decade-plus, I’ve always tried to integrate a community and my fan base, and everyone comes the show and just has a good time.”
She continued, “This record is really just about my girls, my vibes, everyone feeling good. So, with the music video and all the visuals, I really wanted to create a world that felt a bit sort of uncomfortably comfortable. […] I just wanted to try and challenge myself and do things a bit more experimental with the music and the beats and everything.”
Ora continued that “Ask & You Shall Receive” is indicative of an album that she’s currently working on. “This album is something I’m actually really excited about,” she shared. “I’m spending the rest of the year making it. I’m feeling super, super inspired creatively, just having that essence of feeling a bit like not everything is perfect, which was kind of my motive with this. Everything’s just a bit left like that. Sonically, feeling a bit darker, a bit more spicy, a bit more aggressive, just getting in my like, uncomfortable era.”
Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Rita Ora above.