State Champ Radio puerto rico
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: VW Pics / Getty
Puerto Rico is looking to better support citizens with natural hair. Officials are looking to pass a bill to end discrimination against popular Black hairstyles.
As spotted on Blavity the Island of Enchantment is apparently facing some serious issues regarding hair texture. In January Sen. Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Sen. Rafael Bernabe proposed a bill that would protect Puerto Ricans who wear natural hairstyles from discrimination relating to employment, housing and education. The filing includes “tight coils or curls, locs, bonded braids, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and afros” as applicable styles protected under the bill.
On Jan. 23 the two officials heard testimony from several citizens who claimed they suffered economically due to their hair. “I’m 23 years old, and I’m tired of this problem,” said Julia Llanos Bultrón, an educator who has cornrows. “I’m very disappointed with a system that pushes us to change the hair with which we’re born.” Mother Lorraine León Ramírez tells NBC News that her youngest son, who wears an afro, that he was banned from two schools until he cut his hair. “It was one of the worst experiences we’ve had as a family,” she added.
While the bill has received support from students, activists and more others question why hair needs explicit protection. The 2020 Census reports that over three million people live in Puerto Rico many of them who are of African descent.
Can an album listening party with 16,000 guests feel cozy? Special? Evidently, yes. Last night, Bad Bunny made that happen as he debuted his new LP, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. Held at the iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (a.k.a. El Choli) in San Juan, the event itinerary was a mystery when […]
Festival producer Disco Donnie Presents has teamed up with Puerto Rico-based promoter Visionary Ally for the return of the Motherland Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Presale begins Thursday (Aug. 31) for the one-day festival, taking place Nov. 18.
After a successful debut in 2022, with more than 20,000 fans and performances by Tego Calderón, Nicky Jam, Chencho Corleoner, and Zion & Lennox, Motherland Festival is poised to return even bigger with a multi-stage experience that showcases the biggest names in Reggaeton and House music.
Leading the lineup at Motherland Festival is the Reggaeton sensation, Myke Towers. New York Times has recognized him as an artist who is “seizing his moment” after his great success with ‘La La’ which debuted at the #1 of Spotify’s Global Top 50. He also has massive collaborations with Becky G, Bad Bunny, and others. Another hot artist on the mainstage roster is Young Miko who has created a global buzz thanks to her incredible talent and success with hits like Wiggy, Lisa, and Riri and her latest collaboration with Marshmello, Tempo.
Meanwhile, house music aficionados will be treated to a special headlining performance by the internationally acclaimed duo, The Martinez Brothers. Famous for their extended DJ marathon sets at Club Space in Miami and in Ibiza and Latin influenced sound, they have performed around the world regularly selling out some of the largest venues and hosting stages at the biggest international music festivals, making this performance all the more special.
Also included in today’s announcement are some of the most thriving and prominent artists on the scene: Rising star Bad Gyal has been making waves in the Reggaeton world, recently highlighted in Billboard as part of the “Rising Women in Reggaetón” movement at the 2023 Latin AMAs. Her collaborations and chart-topping tracks are a testament to her rising prominence in the genre.
Other acts include rappers Vico C and Dei V, plus DJ Luian and DJ Blass.
“After being in the festival scene here in Puerto Rico for 24 years, I believe that Motherland is going to be THE destination festival in the Caribbean,” Victor Mercado with Visionary Ally tells Billboard. “It’s a proud moment for me to lead this incredible project with Donnie, who’s a longtime friend. We’re doing this one for the culture and I’m thrilled that we get to shine a spotlight on some incredible Reggaeton as well as House artists along the way.”
Building on a successful 15-year partnership, Visionary Ally and Disco Donnie Presents have a proven history of producing extraordinary music and cultural experience, including multiple editions of the iconic EDC Puerto Rico. The pair have even promised to bring this festival into stateside markets, spreading the authenticity of the Puerto Rican culture and rhythms to cities all over the country.
“Our success with destination festivals in Cancun (Ember Shores, Paradise Blue) has really shown us something special,” says James “Disco Donnie” Estopinal, who encourages fans visiting San Juan for Motherland to immerse themselves in the diverse range of landscapes in the city.
“People are eager to jet off to new places, places they’ve never experienced before to share experiences with like minded people they’ve never met. It’s like this instant connection they all have, even in a brand-new setting. And that’s exactly what we’re doing with Motherland. It’s not just about going somewhere new; it’s about creating these bonds and moments together in a whole new destination, right in my home city of San Juan.”
When Bad Bunny picked up his best música urbana album award at the Grammys in February, he dedicated his win to “Puerto Rico, the cradle and the capital of reggaetón worldwide.” The superstar wasn’t grandstanding. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is tiny. According to the most recent U.S. Census, there are a mere 3.2 million people on an island that measures 111 miles by 39 miles, roughly one-third the size of neighboring Haiti and one-fifth the size of the Dominican Republic. When it comes to music, however, Puerto Rico is a global giant — and not solely because of Bad Bunny’s record-breaking achievements over the past three years.
“Puerto Rico has been one of the main exporters of music for decades now,” says Paco López, founder and president of concert promoter No Limit Entertainment. “We’re very small in terms of territory, but very big in talent.”
Puerto Rico’s outsize influence can be found throughout Latin music history in the works of Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Ricky Martín, Elvis Crespo, Marc Anthony and Jennifer López, as well as the current wave of urban music. Although reggaetón originated in Panama, it became globally popular thanks to Puerto Rican acts such as Tego Calderón, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel and Don Omar, and has reached new heights thanks to newcomers like Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro.
Bad Bunny performs during his concert at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on July 28, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Gladys Vega/GI
That impact on the music industry is not limited to artists. Puerto Rico is home base for a growing number of recording studios, independent labels and concert venues that are supported by the growing number of music schools, educational initiatives and government incentives that keep the industry on the island evolving.
Between November 2021 and October 2022, the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot alone grossed more than $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. And according to ASM Global regional GM Jorge Pérez, who oversees the fabled venue, the island’s live-entertainment industry created 30,000 jobs and generated $2 billion annually over the past two years. In that time, Puerto Rico also began hosting major televised shows, including Premios Tu Música Urbano (Telemundo), Premios Juventud (Univision) and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, that were broadcast from the territory. (Billboard parent company Penske Media Corp. partially acquired dick clark productions in January.)
Billboard spoke with 14 Puerto Rican industry leaders about the present and the future of the world’s most musical island. -LEILA COBO
Exporting Tradition
Rimas Entertainment head label manager Raymond Acosta says the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot is a local treasure that hosts at least one show a week. The venue (known locally as “El Choli”) has become the island’s most iconic venue, with elite acts including Rimas artists Bad Bunny and Arcángel performing sold-out runs there. The venue is “a synonym for prestige for local acts who work day to day to give the Puerto Rican audience a groundbreaking show,” says the executive, who works under Bad Bunny manager Noah Assad. Acosta also points to the island’s ever-evolving use of technology as a factor in its growing global impact, stating, “We have been improving our skills around the music-creating process and learned how to translate our culture and traditions into music.”
Aerial view of Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico at night.
Courtesy of ASM Global
‘Hotbed Of Artistic Creativity’
LaMusica vp of content development Bianca Alarcon, who says the island’s global influence is undeniable, describes Puerto Rico as a “hotbed of artistic creativity. … If there’s one thing Puerto Rico knows how to do best, it’s to create and evolve a genre of music and make it universally successful. It happened back in the ’50s and ’60s with the Cuban mambo, the boogaloo, the cha-cha-cha and Latin jazz, which Puerto Rican artists then morphed into what became known as salsa. Ditto with reggaetón. The Panamanians invented the sound, and the Puerto Ricans tweaked it and ignited it at a global level.”
What’s Next for Puerto Rico?: “Female artists are also getting some serious traction, which makes me super enthusiastic,” says Alarcon. “Artists like Young Miko, Villano Antillano, Catalina, Cory, paopao and RaiNao are killing it and creating some nifty collaborations in the process. ¡Gracias al canto de la isla del encanto!”
It’s Not Just The Artists
According to Duars Entertainment founder/CEO Eric Duars, the star power emanating from Puerto Rico would not have happened without the executives who guide artists to success, such as managers Raphy Pina and Noah Assad, who launched the careers of chart-topping acts Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny, respectively. “The global industry must know that the talent in Puerto Rico is not limited to the artists,” says Duars, who knows the territory well. He manages Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro, whose Saturno peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart in November. Duars adds, “We have a range of behind-the-scenes talents that have been just as relevant when it comes to developing new artists and launching them worldwide.”
Ties To The Mainland
The fact that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory means it’s a “friendly” destination that shares the same currency and passport requirements as the 50 states, says José “Pepe” Dueño, president of concert promoter José Dueño Entertainment Group. Located just over two hours from Miami by plane, “Puerto Rico has been the vacation/concert destination for many international acts, such as The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Billy Joel, Sting, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Maroon 5 and AC/DC,” Dueño says. He adds that “with the social media revolution, fans all over Puerto Rico are connected with a wider variety of global talent. Puerto Rico is a friendly destination for young artists as well as for those megastars.”
Artists For The History Books
Puerto Rico’s vibrant music scene is growing faster than ever thanks to digital advances and streaming platforms, according to Nanette Lamboy, CEO of marketing agency Artist Solutions. “We have top Puerto Rican superstars proudly representing the island all over the world,” she says, as well as writing their names in the pages of popular music and political history. In 2019, several musicians, including Ricky Martín, Bad Bunny and Residente, spearheaded anti-government protests after politically damning chats between Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and his staff leaked, resulting in Rosselló’s resignation.
Decades Of Puerto Rican Excellence
“When you talk about music, you need to talk about Puerto Rico,” says No Limit Entertainment’s López. He explains that the path for the latest generation of stars was paved by Menudo in the 1980s and by salsa stars and merengue artists like Elvis Crespo and Olga Tañón in the 1990s. “By the end of the 1990s, Ricky Martín and his ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ and ‘The Cup of Life’ made it to the World Cup and also got the audience on its feet at the 1999 Grammy Awards,” López says. As a result, the popularity of Puerto Rican artists and music has spread throughout Latin America and Europe, with a big boost from Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” in 2017. And “today, we boast the No. 1 artist in the world, Bad Bunny, who leads both streaming and touring artists.”
What’s Next for Puerto Rico?: “I heard from an indie impresario who wants to create traveling music studios in trucks and take them to housing projects and poorer neighborhoods to give young people with few resources the opportunity to display their talent,” says López. “If he’s able to pull this off, young people with scarce resources would be able to experience being in a music studio and recording their own music.”
Daddy Yankee performs during his La Ultima Vuelta LEGENDADDY Farewell Tour at FTX Arena on December 22, 2022 in Miami, Florida.
Alexander Tamargo/GI
Investing In New Talent
“We have demonstrated [the] fact that we are a very important place to develop talent,” says Andres Martinez, who manages Yandel and co-founded Jak Entertainment, of his native Puerto Rico. He praises the region’s Act 20 Decree of 2012 as a factor for helping boost the industry as a whole. The decree offers tax incentives for Puerto Rican companies to export their services, resulting in an estimated $210 million as of 2019 in added fiscal revenue, according to the Puerto Rican government. Many in the industry — including performers, producers, promoters and other executives — “have developed a financial organization chart around the law” to help fund projects and invest in talent, says Martinez.
Still The Reggaetón Kingmaker
According to Molusco, a TV, radio and YouTube host, Puerto Ricans aren’t concerned that the reggaetón popularized by Don Omar and Daddy Yankee is being effectively re-created in other countries. After all, the genre’s artists still have to “get their due” on the island and play iconic venues like Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. “The genre evolved in Puerto Rico, but it was so big, and Puerto Rican artists so inspired artists from other countries that today, they do it everywhere and very successfully,” he says. But “once you make it in Puerto Rico, it’s like a seal of approval.”
What’s Next for Puerto Rico?: “There are thousands of opportunities in Puerto Rico at any given time,” Molusco says. “There are producers like Gaby Music and Chris Jedi who have built their recording and video studios for artists from Puerto Rico and outside artists who come to record here. We have tons of producers and composers on the island. We’re a hotbed of talent in every sense of the word.”
Just The Beginning
Puerto Rico “still has a lot to show,” according to La Buena Fortuna Global CEO Nelson “Polo” Montalvo. Thanks to the variety of music produced on the island, the amount of “per capita” talent across the music industry and its astonishing filming locations, Puerto Rico “could very well be a music-creation and distribution hub, sort of a one-stop shop,” he suggests. Key to this development, he says, is the next generation of emerging music executives and entrepreneurs. “There is a unique group of industry leaders coming out of this small Caribbean island who are changing the landscape of the music business industry,” Montalvo says. “New, creative ways of doing business are being developed from here.”
What’s Next for Puerto Rico?: “As an artist, I would say [rapper and Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise] Villano Antillano is the most promising rising talent right now out on the island,” Montalvo says. “She has broken and redefined, or just plainly thrown all rules out the window, thus changing the music industry landscape and opening doors for many new, creatively different, out-of-the-box artists. This is a new world of possibilities.”
Villano Antillano is photographed at the LA3C portrait studio held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner for Penske Media
80 Years Of Understanding
Nevarez Communications owner Mayna Nevarez says the global success of the music of Puerto Rico began over 80 years ago with Rafael Hernández’s 1937 triumph “Lamento Borincano” and World War II classic “Mi Viejo San Juan” by Noel Estrada. She attributes the island’s cultural success to Puerto Ricans’ understanding of the Latino market and the “incredible influence” from the English-speaking market. In recent years, Nevarez has seen independent labels reemerge and more Gen Z and millennial women lead important projects globally in the industry. Financial incentives that the island offers are also attracting more film and TV crews, she says, and opening doors for the local talent, as well as the recent transmission of live events from Puerto Rico, including the first Spanish countdown for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve last year.
Island Of Gold
Carlos Ortiz Rivera (known professionally as Chris Jedi), co-founder/producer of record label La Familia, is passionate about supporting the talent emerging from Puerto Rico, especially female artists. “It has been a long time since we’ve had a female superstar from Puerto Rico. We’re looking for that,” he says. And despite the global success of Bad Bunny and other Puerto Rican artists over the last few years, Jedi contends that the local music business remains underappreciated on the world stage. “Puerto Rico is the key piece. We are the influence and the guide to follow,” he says. “It’s an island where gold comes out all the time.”
‘Large And Significant Impact’
Following Bad Bunny’s historic successes in 2022, ASM Global regional GM Jorge L. Perez says Puerto Rico is “producing a slew of promising newcomers projected to have worldwide reach in the next 12 to 24 months,” including Mora, Eladio Carrión and Young Miko. The Coliseo is a growing worldwide presence with 60% non-Puerto Rican performers and roughly 100,000 fans from outside the island gracing the venue in 2022, according to Perez. With the addition of the recently opened entertainment complex Distrito T-Mobile managed by ASM Global, “our aim is to use our venues in Puerto Rico to increase hotel occupancy through world-class live events” to increase the average length of stay which is currently just under three days, Perez says. “Every additional day will have an economic impact of $750 million for our island.”
Young Miko performs during the Amazon Music LAT!N, Neon16 And Buena Vibra Host El Juego All-Star Basketball Game In Puerto Rico With Artists From El Género on July 19, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
John Parra/GI
Demand Keeps Growing
Puerto Rico’s cultural impact on a global scale is undeniable, and the growing demand for its artists and regional genres like reggaetón and Latin trap continues to boom, says Omar “Omi” Rivera, founder and talent manager at Omi Management (Arcángel, Myke Towers). The industry infrastructure (in a region that has more music studios than schools) widely supports its local talent and vibrant music scene, “making it a hub for music production and an incubator for emerging new artists,” he adds. In turn, this has drawn the attention of international awards shows like Premios Juventud and Premios Tu Música Urbano. The exponential growth of music from the island in recent years has led to “the rise of new artists from [Puerto Rico] and other Spanish-speaking countries, creating opportunities for the local music industry to expand and reach new audiences [while] attracting more investment [in] and attention to the island’s local scene.”
Not An Overnight Success
With a career trajectory that spans over 20 years, José “Pompi” Vallejo, co-founder of global live-entertainment, marketing and media company Mr. and Mrs. Entertainment, says the Puerto Rican music industry has worked nonstop for the global recognition it has today. But now, there are more “high-caliber professionals” in entertainment thanks to new university courses and the aid provided by the island’s Department of Economic Development to creative industries and entrepreneurs. “As a professor at one of the universities that offer these courses,” he says, “I have been able to see firsthand that the best is yet to come, not only in the music creation but also in the technical part that every artist needs on their team and that’s so important in the success of a project.”
This story originally appeared in the March 11, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Sony Music US Latin has officially opened its new headquarters in Puerto Rico, Billboard can confirm today (Dec. 8).
The multinational record label, which has had its facilities on the island since 1980 (formerly CBS Records), is relocating to the modern office complex Ciudadela in Santurce, where the label’s artists will have access to a press room, recording studio, content creation room for networks, and other benefits.
“These new offices are a tangible demonstration of what Puerto Rico represents for Sony and for Latino culture,” Alex Gallardo, president of Sony Music US Latin tells Billboard via email. “In addition, this expansion will allow us to provide a better service and support our current artists even more.”
Reaffirming its commitment to Boricua talent, Victor Manuelle, Pedro Capó, and Luis Figueroa were some of the Sony artists present at the inauguration, alongside Gallardo and Tuti Bou, vp and general manager of Sony Music US Latin (Puerto Rico Branch).
“After 42 years of having founded our company in Puerto Rico, today we celebrate this new stage,” Bou adds. “At Sony Music PR we are proud to be the only established multinational committed to the development of our music and culture. The space is modern, and spacious, and in which we have our own recording studio to continue developing, promoting, and discovering new talent. Sony Music Puerto Rico will continue to be ‘The House of Artists.’”
In addition, the label has commissioned a mural from the renowned artists of The Stencil Network in support of the urban development in Santurce.
Sony Music Latin offices in Puerto Rico
Dianeris Nieves/Sony Music Latin
For nearly four years, the deadly shooting of trap artist Kevin Fret has remained an unsolved and salacious mystery that cast a pall over the Latin music scene in Puerto Rico.
After Fret, 24, was shot twice on Jan. 10, 2019, while riding a scooter in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan, his mother Hilda Rodriguez publicly accused reggaeton star Ozuna and his manager of ordering the death of her son, charges they have denied and that have not been proven.
Now the prosecutor who was assigned to the investigation, Betzaida Quiñones, says that unbeknownst to Fret’s family and the public, only three months after she began her probe, she was told by superiors to shut it down. In April of 2019, she was interviewing a witness, whom she did not name, when she received a phone call from a superior with a message: “From that point on I was not going to continue interviewing that person,” she said Tuesday on WAPA-TV’s Cuarto Poder. The investigation was at its “peak,” she said, “and I was never given an explanation.”
Quiñones’ public statements over the past week, made in a series of television interviews in Puerto Rico, have called the murder investigation into question, raised concerns about undue influence from the rich and powerful and added to questions about Wanda Vázquez, the former attorney general and ex-governor, who was Quiñones’ ultimate boss.
In statements to the media, Quiñones has said that Vázquez and Olga Castellón, the head of the criminal unit in 2019, were involved in the alleged freezing of the investigation.
Public officials, including the island territory’s governor and its current attorney general, Domingo Emanuelli, have promised to investigate the claims. On Thursday (Nov. 3), Emanuelli said that after reviewing “reports and documents related to the case” that he was referring the matter to the division of Public Integrity and Comptroller Affairs for further review.
“These are serious allegations that should be examined in greater detail in accordance with laws and regulations,” the attorney general said in a statement on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Emanuelli said “there should be no doubt that if evidence of any improper intervention arises it will be investigated, no matter who the person is. We are not going to put the integrity of the Department of Justice and its officials at risk for anything or anyone.”
Ignacio Fernández, an attorney for Vázquez, defended the former governor. “It’s an absolute lie,” Fernández tells Billboard. “Why did [Quiñones] wait three years? She had an obligation to come forward at that time. If she doesn’t have the moral rectitude to not bend to powerful people, then that is on her.”
Fernández also defended Castellón, saying “there is no way that Olga would agree to anything like that. She would investigate her own mom if she had to.” (A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department in San Juan, where Castellón is an assistant U.S. Attorney, had no comment.)
Quiñones’ claims that higher-ups influenced the investigation have also renewed concerns about the San Juan police department’s handling of the murder probe. A police spokesperson tells Billboard that the case was transferred this September from the homicide division to its Major Crimes division that deals with cases of “high complexity.”
One of the homicide officers originally involved in questioning witnesses, Tito Rivera Hernández, took a selfie with Ozuna at the police station in February of 2019 following a police interview with the Latin star, which Rivera Hernández later posted on his social media accounts.
Col. Roberto Rivera, the head of the investigative branch of the Police Bureau, said this week that his office had filed an administrative complaint against the officer related to his handling of the probe and had put him on leave pending results of the review. Rivera Hernández, who is currently working with a team of federal agents, would be reassigned to another police division if the federal team does not keep him on, according to El Nuevo Día, a Puerto Rican news outlet.
The colonel said that until this October no other agent had investigated the Fret case and that the time Rivera Hernández dedicated to the murder probe “was not extensive” and “not what one expects from such an investigation.” (Rivera Hernández could not be reached for comment.)
Quiñones’ allegations also add to the scrutiny on Vázquez, who was Puerto Rico’s attorney general from 2017 to 2019 and then governor of the island in 2019 to 2021. In August, the Department of Justice arrested her and charged her with bribery and conspiracy in an alleged scheme to finance her 2020 campaign. (She has plead not guilty and expects to go to trial.)
Persons of Interest
In April of 2019, police officials told Billboard that investigators were searching for “two male persons of interest” and were “using every resource at [their] disposal to find these persons,” as well as following up on anonymous tips.
That April, Quiñones interviewed Vicente Saavedra, who is president of promotion and marketing agency Dímelo Vi, as well as Ozuna’s manager, for more than three hours. She also had planned to interview reggaeton and trap singer Arcángel.
But just days later, she said this week, she received a phone call from a superior telling her to shut down the probe. “I had a list of possible suspects, which was communicated at one point to the chief prosecutor [Castellón],” Quiñones said on Cuarto Poder. “It was a list of the possible people who could have participated in Kevin’s murder.” She added that, “obviously, [Fret] was active at that time in the musical world, which was what he wanted to pursue.”
After his meeting with the prosecutor, Saavedra said the prosecutor’s questions focused only on allegations that Fret had extorted money from Ozuna over a pornographic video that Ozuna had appeared in when he was a minor. Saavedra said he was not asked about Fret’s murder and that Quiñones told him he was not a person of interest in the case. (Quiñones said publicly in January of 2019 that she was not investigating Ozuna for the slaying. A police spokesperson this week would not tell Billboard if Ozuna was a person of interest in the case because the probe is ongoing.)
Nevertheless, Rodriguez, Fret’s mother, who lives in Massachusetts, has been insistent that Ozuna and Saavedra were somehow involved. “I know that it was [Ozuna] who ordered my son to be killed, together with Vicente Saavedra,” Rodriguez said in a TV interview in April of 2019. She alleged that Ozuna and Fret, who billed himself as the first gay trap Latin singer, had engaged in an “intimate relationship.” She said she had turned over text messages of conversations between the two artists to law-enforcement officials.
Ozuna’s attorney, Antonio Sagardía, told Billboard this week that Ozuna was only questioned about an alleged extortion scheme by Fret — not about the murder itself. He was not asked back for a second interview, the lawyer said. The controversy involving the alleged freezing of the investigation “has nothing to do with Ozuna,” Sagardía said. “That’s an internal matter with the Department of Justice.” (Sagardía has said his client had “nothing to do” with Fret’s murder.)
Rodriguez has denied that her son had engaged in extortion. After Fret found a link to Ozuna’s pornographic video, “the only thing Kevin asked of him was to help him sing as a featured artist on a song,” she said. According to Rodriguez, “Ozuna said, ‘No, I’m going to give you money and I want you to send me the link so that I can erase the video.” But she added that her son wasn’t the only person that had the video. Rodriguez claimed that her son did not want Ozuna’s money and that he would never have mad the video public.
Fret’s mother said that Ozuna gave her son almost $400,000. Both Ozuna and Sagardía have said that at least one payment was made to Fret, but the lawyer put the amount at “close to $50,000.”
Almost two weeks after Fret’s death, a portion of the video in question, which depicted a teenaged Ozuna masturbating, was leaked to the internet and quickly went viral. That same day, Jan. 23, 2019, the artist apologized to his family and fans via a prepared statement, which also said he had been the victim of an alleged extortion plot hatched by Fret.
After she was told to stop questioning witnesses in early April of 2019, Quiñones says she asked for both verbal and written explanations, writing a memo to the Department of Justice asking why it was being held up. “None of my memos that I sent to the Department of Justice were ever answered,” she said on Cuarto Poder.
The recent move by the police to move the case to the Major Crimes unit, the prosecutor says, “opens another window for a full investigation.” And while significant time has passed since the slaying occurred and the evidence was fresh, she says she hasn’t “lost faith” that “eventually we will know the truth of what happened.”
-
Pages
