Princess Nokia 

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Princess Nokia Is Making Space For People Who "Don't Have A Voice Yet" In Music

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Meet Princess Nokia, an Afro-Latina rapper making space in music for women with intersecting identities
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Sep 19, 2018 - 3:59 pm

More than a rapper and singer, Destiny Frasqueri aka Princess Nokia is a fighter. The story behind her journey into music says it all. Her re-birth as a music artist transpired thanks to the moments after she left her abusive foster mother. She was in her mid-teens and had just three dollars in her pocket – "That was really the start of Princess Nokia," she says in Destiny, a documentary about her by The Fader.  

Musically, Princess Nokia embodies energy that derives from her Nuyorican, Bruja—or witch in Spanish—and her queer identity with beats that will make you move. Her "all the girls to front attitude" at her shows is just an ounce of the kind of artist and performer she is. Flowing from rapping to singing, Princess Nokia's music is about taking up space as a woman with intersecting identities and reflects her musical adaptability. "I'm that Black a-Rican bruja straight out from the Yoruba/ And my people come from Africa diaspora, Cuba," she raps in her song "Bruja."

Through three albums – she has also released music under a former moniker, Wavy Spice – she has continued to carve out a space for herself. Her album 1992 Deluxe peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, which tracks up-and-coming artists, and she has played major festivals including Coachella and Afropunk.

"I felt it was time to speak my truth and represent an identity and an intersection that many people like myself don't have a voice yet in hip-hop," she told Noisey.

Her latest album is a dive into emo music and just goes to show how there really are no boxes for Princess Nokia's sound. Learn more about her music with the videos below.

"YAYA"

Under a different moniker, Wavy Spice, Princess Nokia paid tribute to her Taino, a group of Indigenous people that inhabited the Caribbean, roots with "YAYA." She mixes a rap beat with a Native sound and features lyrics both in English and Taino. "In my heart I feel something/ No one can deny it/ History can tell you something/ But they‘re always lying/ You must know I came with something/ So don’t even try it/ Warrior blood, got warrior blood/Hear my people crying," she sings.

"Brujas"

As Princess Nokia, Frasqueri continues to make music that reflects who she is. In "Brujas," she honors her Yoruba, a faith and a people descending from West Africa, roots and family tree, which includes grandmothers who were witches. She paired the song with a video she co-directed with Asli Baykal, in which she lets her curly fro shine and begins with an indigenous song.

"Tomboy"

Princess Nokia continues to rap about what makes her her in "Tomboy," her self-love anthem. With a bouncy beat, Princess Nokia embraces her breast-size and unapologetic, non-conforming style that sometimes includes her hoops, baggy pants and Timberland boots. In the video she wears oversized sweaters and a gold plated chain with "Destiny" it. 

"Your Eyes Are Bleeding"

It may not be obvious, but Princess Nokia is a huge alt-rock fan. As Remezcla points out, those who follow Princess Nokia on social media, may know how much she loves the likes of Blink-182 and Paramore. "Your Eyes Are Bleeding" is one single out of A Girl Cried Red, her latest album in which she goes all out emo. "I wanted to write a mixtape that was about falling apart and being a fucking mess," she said about the album in a live Instagram chat. 

Cuco

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

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Cuco Is Making A Different Kind Of Latin Pop

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Meet the 20-year-old artist making dream pop straight out of Southern California.
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 15, 2018 - 6:25 pm

"I'm like stupid emotional," Cuco says in a Genius video wearing his signature large glasses and shaggy hair. "I think art is what keeps an artist able to express their emotions and not go crazy." Cuco's music is dream pop straight out of Southern California and "stupid emotional" is exactly how you'll feel listening to his atmospheric, mellow synth, oldies-inspired beats, topped with emotional lyrics.  On "Lo Que Siento" he sings "And nobody's touch and nobody's lips can make me feel like yours do/Our hands in a lock, nuestros labios se conocen (Our lips meet)."

The Hawthorne, Calif. native is a self-produced multi-instrumentalist who grew up listening to Chicano rappers like Lil' Rob and MC Magic, both smooth rappers that jump from English to Spanish throughout their verses. MC Magic's music stands out for his use of synthesizers. You hear bits and pieces of the genre's influence in Cuco's music, who himself is Mexican-American. Other influences include Tame Impala. He launched into the spotlight with a cover of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" and has since garnered a following of thousands on social media.

"I will never underestimate the strength of a fan-girl ever again. They're wild," his manager Doris Munoz told the L.A. Times about the rise of his following. The 20-year-old artist's sentimental vibe connects mostly with young Latinas and thus has been dubbed a "heart-throb."

Rolling Stone captured Cuco's role in the music industry well: "In a music industry that’s been cashing in on more urban genres like reggaeton and Latin trap, acts like Cuco represent an alternative dimension of Latin pop that’s picking up steam in United States."

But, Cuco doesn't want to be pigeon-holed. "It's cool, like I'm super open to doing things for like my people, my own culture, but ultimately I make music for everybody," he told the Fader.  

Cuco is currently recovering from an accident that happened in early October and has canceled the rest of his 2018 tour.

Learn more about Cuco's sound:

"Lover Is A Day"

"Lover Is A Day" is the song Cuco is most proud of. The song "did so well like I never even though it would do so well, it kind of got me out there," he told Teal magazine.

"Lo Que Siento"

"Lo Que Siento" or "What I Feel" was inspired by Chicano rappers Lil' Rob and MC Magic. I just heard the chord progression for “Lo Que Siento” in kind of a way where it’s mixed with a lot of Chicano rap. But then there’s also that indie side of it with guitars and all that other bullshit. It was just in the moment," he told Genius.

"Amor De Siempre"

This all Spanish-language song has Cuco singing about waking up next to his lover and looking into her eyes. "When I look at those eyes, that's where I want to live/ If you kiss me, that's where I want to die."

 

Ozuna

 

Photo: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

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Ozuna Is Making Reggaeton Hits That Are Getting Global Attention

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Meet the Afro-Latino who is making global reggaeton/pop hits and selling out U.S. arenas
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 15, 2018 - 4:12 pm

In a world where English dominates pop music charts, Ozuna is one of the artists blurring the lines of what defines a crossover. If defined by language, the Puerto Rican/Dominican rapper has some work to do, but if crossing over means having a strong presence in a country dominated by an English-language market, he's already there. The reggaeton star has been reaching the top of Latin charts the last couple of years with his infectious dance beats and romantic lyrics, breaking his own records, and selling-out back-to-back nights in U.S. venues. His songs may all be Spanish-language, but his debut album, Odisea, peaked No. 22 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

Really, Ozuna is a musical chameleon, adapting to genres like Latin trap and pop. His soft voice goes back and forth between rapping and singing in the style of Drake, and much like him too he is known for invading the romantic side of genres. Working with some of the leading producers in the reggaeton game, like Hi Music Hi Flo, the Afro-Latino is one of the faces of reggaeton's reemergence, priding himself on making positive, uplifting music with "real sentiment," as he says in his YouTube documentary. He's been featured on remixes with the likes of J Balvin, Nicky Jam and Bad Bunny.

He's caught the attention of English-language and international artists too. He can be heard as the vocal foundation of DJ Snake's star-studded electro reggaeton-inspired "Taki Taki" alongside Selena Gomez and Cardi B. Other collabs include one with Akon on "Coméntale" and song with Cardi B called "La Modelo."

Artist collabs and the internet have helped Ozuna build his global fanbase. In 2017, YouTube published a blog post crowning 2017 "THE year of Latin Music" and included Ozuna as one of the Latin artists whose content has seen a high number of views on the platform with 4.9 billion views across the platform. Spotify included "a unique vertical video" of "Taki Taki" during the launch of its Global X playlist, a part of their initiative to bring more attention to global music.

Learn more about Ozuna's sound:

"Taki Taki" DJ Snake Feat. Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez

"Taki Taki" has got everyone asking what it actually means. Although there hasn’t been a straight answer, when DJ Snake wanted to make a reggaeton song to get people dancing, he wanted to work with Ozuna. "I sent it to Ozuna and he crushed it," DJ Snake told Billboard. "You know, I'm a big fan of Ozuna and he crushed it…"

"Tu Foto"

In one of his most romantic songs, "Tu Foto," Ozuna sings about a former flame, whose only memory he has left is a photograph. Although more mellow than his other songs, the song's vibe is upbeat. "I have your photo to drive me crazy/ Thinking of you, only you, my heart is broken," he sings.

"Dile Que Tu Me Quieres"

It's a forbidden kind of love in "Dile Que Tu Me Quieres."  "I know your parents/ don't want me to be with you/ I don't know if it's because of my tattoos/ Or my lifestyle," he sings over a dembow beat. "Tell them you love me/ Don't pay attention to what they say/ We fall in love more everyday."

"La Modelo"

Ozuna teams up with Cardi B in this dancehall-inspired song that he started working on during his travels. Ozuna told Billboard that Cardi B was a little hesitant to sing one of her parts at first, but he convinced her to do it and the rest is history. 

Maluca Mala

Photo: J. Grassi/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

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How Maluca Mala Is Flipping The Script With Her Daring Sound

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Meet the Bronx-born, Dominican singer who has been mixing Latin genres like merengue with dance beats and female-empowering lyrics
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Sep 21, 2018 - 6:31 pm

Maluca Mala's stage name carries weight. Meaning "bad woman" in Spanish, Maluca took a name that has a derogatory history and turned it into a powerful statement.

"I grew up being called Maluca. It was a very endearing name," she said in an interview with Latina. "But one time I searched its meaning, and I learned that it’s used in Latin American countries to describe a Black woman, or really like a woman in blackface, which is obviously bad and has a negative connotation. But, for me, it’s always been positive, never a way to put me down."

The singer, who is Bronx-born with Dominican roots, paired "maluca" with "mala" or "bad" in English—inspired by urban culture's use of bad as being powerful or "daring" as she told Latina—and became Maluca Mala.

Her sound is daring too. Throughout her career, Maluca has meshed genres like hip-hop, merengue – a musical genre deriving from the Dominican Republic – with electronic dance music and has been at the forefront of other genres like "tropical punk" and "ghetto techno." With lyrics in simultaneous English and Spanish, or Spanglish, she denounces European beauty standards, empowers Afro-Latinas to be confident with who they are, reclaims gender stereotypes or just sings about love with a fun and innovative beat.  

While being in the underground scene for years, Maluca has collaborated with big names in pop culture. She has been associated with Mad Decent, a L.A.based Record Label headed by GRAMMY winner Diplo, and been featured on tracks by GRAMMY-nominated singer Robyn and electro-music project Mexican Institute Of Sound.

Listen to the music below to learn more about Maluca Mala's sound:

"El Tigeraso"

The story goes that "El Tigeraso" was made after Maluca met Diplo at a karaoke bar. The song has a merengue influence that comes together with electro and lyrics boasts to men about "having it all."

"Mala"

Maluca embraces her blackness and her bold personality in "Mala." "I wrote the record as a way to highlight all the negative things people told me about myself," she told V Magazine. "You have bad hair, you're crazy, you're too tough...and embrace them. Yes, my hair is nappy and I look like a witch and I'm crazy, but you love it! I've had self-esteem issues for many years and now that I'm in my 30s I'm just really f***ing feeling myself."

"Trigger"

In "Trigger," Maluca sings about love over a raggeton beat: " Don't care what they all gonna say/ I just want a magnum love everyday/ Coming like a bang and you know I'm not afraid/ To pull that trigger, gonna pull that trigger."                                                        

 

Ibeyi

Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns

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Cuban-French Duo Ibeyi Are Leaving Their Mark On U.S. Pop Culture

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Meet French-Cuban twin sisters Ibeyi, who mix their Yoruba Cuban roots with electric hip-hop sounds and more, earning them notice from Beyoncé
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Sep 20, 2018 - 5:48 pm

French-Cuban twin sisters Ibeyi may have been born and raised in Paris, they spent sometime in Cuba too when they were small, but they are leaving footprints in U.S. pop culture in big ways--even if their first performance on American soil only happened four years ago.

Sisters, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, can be seen through the "All Night" video made as a part of Beyoncé's film Lemonade-- Lisa-Kaindé with her hair in a fro and Naomi with looser long curls. This is also the most obvious way you can tell the twins apart. More recently, the sisters can be heard on the third part of Lin-Manuel Miranda's August #Hamildrop Hamilton content series. 

Ibeyi have long known about creating music, however. Their late father, Anga Diaz, was a conga player and a GRAMMY winner. He was a Yoruba, Cuban percussionist who played in Buena Vista Social Club and Orishas. And it is evident that his spirit and culture lives through their music.

To begin to understand Ibeyi as artists, it's important to look at their name. Ibeyi means "twins" in the Cuban Yoruba dialect. Influence of their Cuban and Yoruba roots --Naomi can be seen playing the bata-cajon in performances-- are at the center of their music and mesh with synth beats, soul and hip-hop with lyrics in Yoruba, English and Spanish.

“Batas are religious drums," Lisa-Kaindé told Modern Drummer."So we take that which is from our culture, those songs and sounds that we’ve heard for so long, and we mix them with new music, music that we listen to every day. That’s an important part of Ibeyi—playing with the past and the future, or with the tradition and the new music.”

As teens they were signed by Richard Russell and the duo released their self-titled album in 2015. They released their lastest album Ash September of last year. Watch the videos below to learn more about Ibeyi's sound:

"Rise Up Wise Up Eyes Up"

The #Hamildrop is a music series that draws inspiration from Hamilton, Miranda's rap musical that remixes the life of Alexander Hamilton. We’re honoured to be able to share with you our contribution to the #Hamildrop," Ibeyi tweeted out about the song about consciousness and resilience.

 "River"

Beyoncé put on her followers to Ibeyi via an Instagram post with this song in the background back in 2015. The song is dedicated to the Yoruba goddess of sweet, fresh waters, Genius writes. "Carry away my dead leaves/ Let me baptize my soul with the help of your waters/ Sink my pains and complains/Let the river take them, river drown them/My ego and my blame," the song goes. "We want something that is twisted, we want something that is powerful," Lisa-Kiandé Lisa-Kia told Much about the video in which they had to hold their breath to shoot.

"Deathless"

If you listen closely, death is a theme throughout some of Ibeyi's songs. "Deathless" features Kamasi Washington and is a song about a racist encounter Lisa-Kiandé had with a cop, she told  "Song Exploder.