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Rapper Vico C has signed a record deal with Nain Music, a division of Rimas Entertainment, Billboard has learned.
Previously signed to EMI Latin, where he released albums such as En Honor a la Verdad and Desahogo following his release from prison in the early 2000s, Vico C is kicking off a new phase in his career with a new deal and an upcoming studio album due in May.
“During these times, when it’s a great necessity to put out content that’s pure, a new platform opens to continue to do what I’ve always done with my music: touch hearts and revolutionize a lost society,” Vico C said in a statement. “That’s why I think the most important part of my union with Nain/Rimas is the liberty they’ve given me to express what I want.”
The Puerto Rican artist, born Luis Armando Lozada Cruz, became one of the most recognized and respected Latin rap artists of the 90s with songs such as “Me Acuerdo,” “Bomba Para Afincar,” “La Recta Final” and “Viernes 13.” On the charts, Vico C has eight entries on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums, three hit the top 10, and three entries on both Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay.
“It’s a privilege to work with an artist of this stature with a great trajectory like Vico, who’s legacy in Latin music and and in the new generations is still in full force,” added Fidel Hernández, CEO of Nain Music.
Vico C is managed by his wife Sonia Torres.
Telemundo and Billboard announced Thursday (Feb. 9) the expansion of their partnership for 2023. Under the new agreement, the companies will collaborate to present the first-ever Latin Women in Music, a new music franchise focused on women’s impact in the music industry, in addition to the annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will take place Oct. 5.
According to a statement, the Spanish-language network and Billboard will also collaborate throughout the year to produce new content and projects that will live across platforms and will “appeal not only to the core musical audience, but also across different demos.” Telemundo will also showcase exclusive content produced by Billboard across its digital and social platforms, including franchises such as “5 Questions With.”
“Through the years, Billboard and Telemundo have been the leaders in elevating Latin music globally and giving it the platform and exposure, it deserves,” Mike Van, president, Billboard, said in a statement. “Expanding our partnership further highlights our commitment to Latin music and culture and we are thrilled to offer music fans even more premium content across both brands.”
“Music is an integral part of our Latino identity and has always played an important role in our content offering across all genres and platforms,” added Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content Strategy for Telemundo. “Given Billboard’s credibility and expertise in the music industry, we are proud to broaden our long-standing partnership to deliver relevant, high-quality music content as the premiere home for all musical artists all year long.”
“Billboard and Telemundo’s commitment to Latin music has been unwavering and pioneering,” Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español, said. “Launching a new property that celebrates and exalts the accomplishments of women in music is yet another example of our enduring vision to celebrate and champion the talent of our time.
Billboard’s Women in Music franchise will expand with the inaugural edition of Latin Women in Music. The two-hour musical special, set to air on Telemundo in May, is a celebration of Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry. Latin Women in Music will honor those who have made a tangible and concrete impact in Latin music and the industry during the previous year, effecting overall positive change on the business. The specific honors to be recognized will be announced later.
Celebrating its 25th year on the network, the Billboard Latin Music Awards honors the most popular albums, songs and performers in Latin music as determined by Billboard’s renowned weekly charts.
After over a decade and a half, Yuridia returns to the top 10 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Feb. 11) with “Que Agonía,” with Angela Aguilar. The single, released via Sony Music Latin Oct. 20, rallies 28-10 in its second week to become the Greatest Gainer among the 50-title chart.
“Que Agonía” was written by Pepe Aguilar and daughter Angela. It’s the fifth single from Yuridia’s seventh studio album Pa’ Luego Es Tarde which debuted and peaked at No. 7 on Regional Mexican Albums last November. The set is the Mexican’s first studio album since 6 reached No. 3 on Latin Pop Albums in 2016. Plus, it’s Yuridia’s first ranchera foray after almost two decades as a pop singer.
“Que Agonía” traces its 28-10 surge to a lofty 85% gain in audience impressions, to 7.7 million, earned in the U.S. in the Jan.27-Feb. 2 tracking week, according to Luminate. With the lift, Yuridia secures her second top 10 and first since a featured turn in Victor Manuelle’s “Nuestro Amor Se Ha Vuelto Ayer” reached No. 8 in 2006. “Que Agonia,” thus, is Yuridia’s first top 10 on Latin Airplay as a lead artist.
For Aguilar, “Agonía” provides her third straight top 10 on the all-genre tally which launched with the No. 5 high “Dime Cómo Quieres,” with Christian Nodal, in 2021.
Over on Regional Mexican Airplay, “Agonía” soars 19-5 also in its second week. It nearly doubles its peak from “¿Y Qué Tal Si Funciona?,” with Banda MS, the fourth single from the Eden Muñoz-produced Pa’ Luego Es Tarde. The latter track reached No. 11 in November.
Elsewhere, “Agonía” also makes progress on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, as its advances to No. 20 in its 12th week, Yuridia’s highest ranked title there since the No. 16-peaking “Ahora Entendí” in 2008.
Ozuna’s “Síguelo Bailando” music video has entered YouTube’s Billion Views Club, becoming the Puerto Rican’s 12th title as a lead, featured artist, or collaborator.
With the new milestone, he now ties with fellow Latin superstar J Balvin as the artist with the most videos in the club. Last year, the Colombian act reclaimed his crown after his Black Eyed Peas-assisted “Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)” video entered the club. He broke the tie he had with Justin Bieber, who currently has 11 titles with more than a billion views.
The music video for “Síguelo Bailando ” — part of Ozuna’s album Odisea, which spent 46 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart — was published on Nov. 8, 2017, highlighting the fun vibe between Ozuna and his mascot, a teddy bear, in the middle of the buzzing streets of Tokyo.
Ozuna is No. 22 on YouTube’s Global Top Artists, according to the video platform.
The video now joins his previous Billion Views Club clips, following the Natti Natasha-assisted “Criminal” (2.4B); DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki” featuring Selena Gomez and Cardi B (2.4B); “Te Bote Remix” with Casper, Nio Garcia, Darell, Nicky Jam, and Bad Bunny (2.3B); “China” with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, and J Balvin (1.9B); his Romeo Santos-assisted “El Farsante Remix” (1.7B); “Se Preparó” (1.6B); the Wisin-assisted “Escápate Conmigo” (1.5B); Chris Jedi’s “Ahora Dice” featuring J Balvin and Arcángel (1.3B); “Vaina Loca” with Manuel Turizo (1B); “Me Niego” with Reik and Wisin (1B); and “Adicto” with Anuel AA and Tainy (1B).
Revisit the vibrant clip below:
Junior H and Oscar Maydon each score their first career entry on the Billboard Hot 100, as their team-up “Fin de Semana” opens at No. 86 on the chart dated Feb. 11.
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The song, released via Rancho Humilde, debuts almost entirely on the strength of its streaming sum: 5.6 million U.S. streams (up 11%) in the Jan. 27-Feb. 2-dated tracking week, according to Luminate.
The song concurrently climbs 12-10 on Hot Latin Songs, becoming the first top 10 hit for each artist.
TikTok has been a significant factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track’s audio has been used in nearly 100,000 clips on the platform. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.)
Junior H (born Antonio Herrera Perez), is relatively new to Billboard’s charts. The singer-songwriter, from Guanajuato, Mexico, first landed on a Billboard survey in November 2019, thanks to his featured credit on Natanael Cano’s “Ella.” The single reached No. 29 on Hot Latin Songs in February 2020.
Since then, Junior H, 23, has charted 10 additional Hot Latin Songs hits, including eight collaborations, with acts including Eslabon Armado, Luis R Conriquez and Marca Registrada.
Junior H has also sent two albums onto the all-genre Billboard 200 chart: $ad Boyz 4 Life (No. 192 peak in 2021) and Mi Vida En Un Cigarro 2 (No. 138, 2022). Both sets also hit No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart, as did his 2020 collection Cruisin’ With Junior H. He also reached the chart’s top five with Atrapado En Un Sueno (No. 2) and Musica
Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro’s “Party” team-up conquers Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the track rises 4-1 on the Feb. 11-dated ranking. It’s the fourth single from Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti to lead the all-genre tally.
“Party” dances its way to No. 1 with a 9% gain in audience impressions, to 10.2 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Luminate. It sends Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” to No. 3 after its one-week command, with a 6% dip in audience (9.5 million during the tracking week).
With the new champ, Bad Bunny improves his career total to 20 No. 1s on Latin Airplay, the eighth-most since the chart launched in 1994. Meanwhile, Rauw collects his 10th champ.
As “Party” hits No. 1 on the all-genre tally, Bad Bunny claims a fourth leader from his No. 1 album Un Verano Sin Ti, starting with “Moscow Mule” (July 2022), “Me Porto Bonito,” with Chencho Corleone (August 2022), and “Titi Me Preguntó” (September 2022).
Notably Bad Bunny is among 10 artists to claim at least four No. 1s on Latin Airplay from the same studio album since the list’s inception. Further, he is just the third act to achieve the feat with at least two albums or more. He joins Romeo Santos (five No. 1s from Formula, Vol. 1 and Formula, Vol. 2; four champs from Golden) and Enrique Iglesias (five No. 1s from Enrique Iglesias; four leaders from Final, Vol. 4) Here’s the leaderboard:
Years, Artist, Album Title, Number of Latin Airplay No. 1s
1995-1996, Enrique Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias, five
1997-1998, Alejandro Fernández, Me Estoy Enamorando, four
2011-2013, Romeo Santos, Formula, Vol. 1, five
2013-2015, Romeo Santos, Formula, Vol. 2, five
2016-2021, Enrique Iglesias, Final, Vol. 1, four
2017-2018, Romeo Santos, Golden, four
2017-2019, Luis Fonsi, Vida, four
2019-2020, Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG, four
2019-2020, Ozuna, Nibiru, four
2019-2022, Sebastián Yatra, Dharma, five
2020-2021, Black Eyed Peas, Translation, four
2020-2021, Karol G, KG0516, five
2020-2022, J Balvin, Jose, four
2022-2023, Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti, four
Elsewhere, “Party” holds at No. 1 for a second week on Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Feid scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 11), as Ozuna’s “Hey Mor,” on which he’s featured, debuts at No. 96.
The song, released Oct. 7 via Aura/Sony Music Latin, enters the Hot 100 with 8.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 52%) and 3.7 million official U.S. streams in the Jan. 27-Feb. 2 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The song concurrently surges 15-8 on Latin Airplay, where it becomes Feid’s third top 10, and Ozuna’s 37th. It also pushes 14-11 on Hot Latin Songs.
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TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s growing profile, as the track has been used in more than 800,000 clips on the platform to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.)
Feid (real name: Salomón Villada Hoyos) has maintained a steady presence on Billboard’s charts since he scored his first entry in 2016 with his J Balvin collaboration “Que Raro.” The track reached No. 43 on Latin Airplay and No. 47 on Hot Latin Songs that December.
Since then, he’s charted 10 additional tracks on the Hot Latin Songs chart. As “Hey Mor” climbs to No. 11, it ties his 2020 hit “Porfa,” with J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, Sech and Justin Quiles, as his highest-charting song on the survey.
Feid concurrently places four other tracks on the latest Hot Latin Songs list: “Yandel 150,” with Yandel (No. 16); “Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo” (No. 28); “Chorrito Pa Las Animas” (No. 31); and “En La de Ella,” with Jhayco and Sech (No. 37).
On Latin Airplay, “Hey Mor” marks Feid’s fifth career entry. Prior to the song’s ascent to the top 10 on Feb. 11, he reached the tier with “Porfa” (No. 1 for one week) and “Normal” (No. 4 peak this January).
Feid has additionally sent five titles onto the Top Latin Albums chart, one of which hit the top 10: Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo: Te Pirateamos El Álbum (No. 6 peak, October 2022). The set also sparked Feid’s first visit to the Billboard 200 (No. 188 peak).
On Jan. 31, Feid was announced as a headliner at this year’s all-Latin Sueños Music Festival, to be held Chicago’s Grant Park May 27 and 28.
Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, one tweet captured the moment perfectly: “Taylor Swift dancing while Benito sings is what you didn’t know you needed to see.”
What Latin music fans have long known the world really needed to see was Latin artists performing en español at the Grammys. Bad Bunny — real name Benito Antonio Ocasio Martínez — stepped into the moment in magnificent fashion, not simply performing a medley of songs, but opening the show with a painstakingly detailed and exhilarating homage to his native Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Tradition and culture were presented in the form of dances, dancers and imagery — including the eye-popping cabezones (or big heads) representing icons like rapper Tego Calderón and the late poet and independence advocate Julia de Burgos, not household names for American audiences, but ones worth their time to read about. Musically, Bad Bunny managed to traverse a broad gamut of genres, initially singing while accompanied by Puerto Rican pleneros — and later, by the 10-piece band of Dahian “El Apechao,” from the Dominican Republic.
It could not have been more local. And yet, it could not have been more universal, a brilliant example of how regional music can have international appeal and cross boundaries of tradition and language if executed convincingly — and, as Bad Bunny so emotionally articulated, “with love.”
The overwhelmingly positive reception to the performance (Billboard ranked it as the second best of the night), including Taylor Swift’s merengue moves in front of the camera, may end up marking a pivotal moment for the Grammy awards and their longstanding conflicted relationship with Latin music.
For years, the show has largely steered clear not only of music in Spanish, but of Latin artists overall. A full decade ago, Billboard wrote about the unintended consequences of their exclusion: At a time when Hispanics were already the biggest minority in the country, and when at the time one in 10 Grammy viewers identified as Hispanics, most Latin acts didn’t even bother to show up to the Grammys anymore. After all, they seldom were asked to perform, their awards were almost always relegated to the pre-telecast and the impact of a win was severely mitigated by the lack of exposure.
Five years later in 2018, when “Despacito” was nominated for song of the year (and lost), not that much had changed. As Billboard reported at the time, less than a dozen Latin acts had performed live at the telecast in the previous 30 years, a list of performs that including Gloria Estefan, Linda Ronstadt, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Roughly half of those artists — including Ricky Martin, in his now-legendary performance of “The Cup of Life” in 1999 — sang in English.
But following that underwhelming “Despacito” performance, the Grammys took a major step — and something of a gamble — by opening the show in 2019 with a Latin number, featuring a slew of big-name acts: Camila Cabello, J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and even American rapper Young Thug. Led by Cabello, by then a mainstream star in the States, they performed primarily in English, but the sentiment and vibe was undeniably Latin.
It would be a harbinger of things to come. In 2020, Rosalía performed “Malamente” in Spanish at the ceremony, backed by handclaps and dancers. In 2021, it was Bad Bunny, take one, performing his hit “Dákiti” alongside Jhayco. In 2022, it was Balvin again, this time with María Becerra, and singing in Spanish.
It culminated this year, with an opening number that, more than a performance, was a manifesto of Latin Caribbean culture — one that would have been unimaginable to conceive for mainstream television, much less as the opening of an award show, just a decade ago.
All told, in five years, the Grammys managed to showcase and highlight Latin music and artists more than they had done across the 30 years prior, normalizing its presence in the telecast until it no longer risked losing eyeballs if the show dared to begin in another language.
Late as it may be, it’s a moment to celebrate.
For years, we’ve lamented the fact that Latin music — which we define as music performed largely in Spanish — has been relegated to that no-man’s land of “otherness”: It’s in another language, therefore fans won’t listen to it, they’ll tune out, they’ll shun it. As it turns out, fans will listen to what they want, regardless of language.
Yes, Latin music is enjoying a shining moment of recognition and consumption that is higher today than at any other point in history. Then again, it’s impossible to deny the popularity of Bad Bunny, the most-streamed artist in the U.S. and the world, or of J Balvin when he performed the year before. The question is: Does the bar really need to be set that high for us to get a foot in the door?
Latin music has long been an intrinsic and essential part of the social and cultural fabric of this country, an entrenched DNA and contributions that go beyond the growing population numbers. We are part of this whole. Let’s continue recognizing it as such.
The face of the legendary Celia Cruz will be depicted on a U.S. quarter, according to the United States Mint. Widely known as the Queen of Salsa, the late Cuban singer was chosen along with four other exemplary women from history to be featured on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program in 2024. She will also make history as the first Afro-Latina to appear on the coin.
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Cruz, who is considered one of the most influential Latin singers of all time and a cultural icon, is remembered for her lively expression of “¡Azúcar!,” and for her highly influential body of work consisting of 37 albums.
The other honorees include Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first women of color to serve in Congress; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, women’s rights advocate and Civil War era surgeon; poet, activist, and lawyer Pauli Murray; and Native American writer, composer, educator Zitkala-Ša. The four-year program “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States,” states the official website.
Since joining La Sonora Matancera in the early ’50s up until her death in 2003 due to cancer, Cruz was unquestionably one of the most exuberant performers of Latin music. Her larger-than-life onstage presence coupled with her captivating charisma made her a legend in Latin America and beyond.
In the 1970s, she became a leading force in salsa music and joined Fania All Stars alongside Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Tito Puente and other icons of the genre, a cultural phenomenon that took place in New York City and beyond. She later explored other tropical genres such as merengue and reggaetón. Some of her most memorable hits in history include “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and “Químbara” also featuring Johnny Pacheco.
She never lip-synched, and when asked to do it for TV performances, she refused. Cruz was also incredibly influential for many of today’s Latin stars. Her last 2003 album, Regalo del Alma, remained at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart for three weeks.
“I’ve never thought of retiring. I’m healthy, I’m rolling, I’m rolling. I remember Celia Cruz,” reggaetón pioneer Ivy Queen previously told Billboard, who has long idolized and emulated Cruz. “Her last Premios Lo Nuestro performance, she had cancer. She walked from her chair to the stage, she sang, and … she sang. That’s what I’m doing. F–k it. She did it, I’m gonna do it.”Although Cruz died two decades ago, her legacy continues to appear in various corners of pop culture. Last year, the estate of the salsa legend partnered with Archetype-IO to release her first NFT collection, which debuted in Art Basel 2022. In 2016, an 80-part series about her life became available for streaming on Netflix, titled Celia, by Telemundo.
For each year commencing in 2022 and running through 2025, the U.S. mint will issue five new reverse designs, and the obverse of the coin will still feature George Washington, but with a slightly different design from the previous quarter program. This year celebrates Bessie Colemen, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar and Maria Tallchief.
Just before the start of his previously scheduled trial, Jose Teran, who was accused of running a YouTube scam with a partner, has accepted a plea deal in which he has admitted to counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and transactional money laundering for his role in one of the largest royalty scams in history. In his plea, Teran admits to stealing over $23 million in royalties from Latin artists that he admits now he had “no lawful rights to monetize or otherwise control.”
Teran and his business partner, Webster Batista Fernandez, operated their scam under the business name “MediaMuv” and were originally indicted by a federal grand jury in Arizona on Nov. 16, 2021, on 30 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. The scam was the subject of a Billboard investigation. Batista took a plea deal on April 21, 2022, in which he admitted to one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. Batista now awaits sentencing, which is currently scheduled for March.
Teran’s plea agreement echoes much of Batista’s. Both pleas say that the MediaMuv founders “discovered there were songs of musicians and bands on the internet that were not being monetized.” So they began uploading the recordings to YouTube as MP3 files, claiming to own or control the rights. Between 2016 and 2021, Teran and Batista falsely claimed royalties from songwriters and artists ranging from independent creators to songs recorded by global stars like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Prince Royce, Julio Iglesias and Anuel AA.
Under the name MediaMuv, Teran and Batista signed a contract with YouTube to use its content management system (CMS), which rights holders use to claim copyright ownership and the ensuing royalties. “We falsely claimed that MediaMuv owned over 50,000 songs and further sought access to YouTube’s CMS in order to obtain royalty payments for these songs,” Teran said in his plea. In addition, the duo entered a contract with AdRev, a rights management company owned by Downtown Music Holdings, “to assist in administering the music [they] fraudulently claimed to own.”
Billboard’s investigation uncovered that YouTube royalty-claiming scams like MediaMuv’s are more common than is generally believed, but Teran and Batista’s scheme was particularly brazen in terms of both scale and style.
Sources who work closely with the platform say YouTube scammers typically just claim small fractions of songs they suspect have not been claimed properly and might go unnoticed. This is especially common on the publishing side, where some compositions have so many songwriters that ownership and royalties are far more complicated than they are for recordings. But MediaMuv often claimed 100% of royalties for master recordings or compositions.
Both Batista and Teran admitted in their pleas that they sent three falsified contracts with companies that “purportedly” managed artists to AdRev and YouTube “for the purpose of deceiving [them] into allowing [MediaMuv] to continue [its] fraudulent operation” in July 2017. According to Teran’s plea deal, these three forged management contracts were provided to support MediaMuv’s assertion that it controlled a vast Latin music catalog.
The plea deals also say the duo did not act alone. Both mention that they hired “over five co-conspirators” to help them find new music to fraudulently claim and, in return, those co-conspirators were paid “a portion of [MediaMuv’s] royalties.” Names are not revealed in these documents, but other court documents tied MediaMuv to a network of people who seem to have benefited financially from Teran and Batista’s scheme, including Batista’s then-wife, who purchased a house in Phoenix in cash with money from a MediaMuv-associated bank account, according to a court document filed by prosecutors.
The house she purchased, along with six bank accounts, a Tesla, a BMW and a plot of land, are all listed in Teran and Batistas’ plea deals as items they agree to forfeit.
Though the duo is ordered to “make restitution to any victim” of their crimes, one of the businessmen who represented multiple MediaMuv victims told Billboard in August he doesn’t “expect to get it all back. I’m sure they spent a lot of it on cars and travel and stuff.”
In a statement to Billboard, a spokesman for Downtown Music Holdings says the company is “pleased by the latest developments in the MediaMuv criminal case, as both defendants have now pleaded guilty and admitted their role in this complex fraud scheme. This case sends a strong message to other potential bad actors that this kind of fraudulent activity in our industry will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Representatives for Teran and YouTube did not respond to Billboard’s request for comment.
Teran’s sentencing is set for April 17, 2023.