Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Ivy Queen performing at the Super Bowl

I don't know who made this happen, but they need a raise. Ivy Queen will be part of the half-time show at the Super Bowl, which will be held Feb. 2nd at Miami's Dolphin Stadium. The broadcast draws in an estimate 5 million viewers, so you couldn't ask for better exposure. And according to my sources, Ivy Queen will be sharing the stage with Kanye West and John Legend (though I doubt they'll be doing a reggaeton remix of "Grammy Family"!) She will, however, be preimering her new cut "Que Lloren" off her upcoming album Sentimiento. Check it out on Feb. 3 on Telemundo -- the show will be broadcast at 4 pm.

Friday, January 26, 2007

La Caballota is doin' the damn thang!





Señores y señoras, check out this photo of Ivy Queen -- La Caballota looks better than ever (and hopefully, this pic will finally silence all those who keep talking smack about Ivy looking like a dude or whatever... ) Okay, fine, so the wig is a little too Mirta de Perales-meets-the Flying-Nun for my taste, but she still looks dope. Truth is, Ivy is quite pretty in person — but seriously, why does it even matter? People throw so much hate her way and all the BS just comes from the fact that she's a woman in a male-dominated game and that she can spit better than 99% of the dudes in the game.

And yes, there is a difference between spitting and singing -- Zion sings, Yandel sings, even Don Omar (for the most part) sings (let's face it, Don became famous because of isht like "Dile" and "Pobre Diabla" and not "Donkeo"); Yankee is a straight spitter, as is Hector el Father. But Ivy manages to both sing and rhyme and, when this chick rhymes, she devours 'em -- straight up.

Her new single, "Que Lloren" (produced by Urba y Monserrate), just hit radio and it's phenomenal -- as usual, the subject matter is clever and fresh and Ivy sings/rhymes with so much passion and feeling. Los Jedais do a good job of adding drama through cleverly layered synths, as Ivy talks debunks the myth that men don't cry, arguing that love can make us all shed tears and that, rather than seeking solace in the arms of rebounds or mistresses, men NEED to learn how to cry and express what they're feeling. Now, THAT's sentimiento!

Monday, January 22, 2007

Arcangel's label woes






As we say in PR, "que revolu"! Translation: what a friggin' mess! This kid's got a lot of drama considering he's just a newcomer in the game. He already split from De La Ghetto (the two were originally a duo) and now, he's asking to be released from Zion's Universal-distributed Baby Records. Arcangel alleges that he signed to Baby Records for $10,000 and that his contract outlines a two-year tenure and the completion of a solo record. But apparently, he's not content with Zion's management and feels like he's in limbo, especially since no solo album has been dropped...

Thing is: it takes time and money to put together an album and, if it's a new artist you're trying to break, you have to build buzz before dropping a record if you want to reach decent sales. Yes, Arcangel has been buzzing like crazy in PR, but in the States, he's still a new cat with a few dope tracks here and there on Las Gargolas V, Los Benjamins, and Sangre Nueva. Most US audiences don't even know what he looks like... Which is all to say, he needs to be patient and learn from others' overeagerness. After all, Nengo Flow dropped an album shortly after the Sangre Nueva album and where is he now?

But in a way, Arcangel's anxiety is understandable. It appears that Universal is dropping the ball on Zion's upcoming solo debut (Don't know if Zion himself is aware of this, but a recent call to some execs left me with the impression that no one knows Zion has even been signed -- never mind the fact that it was allegedly slated for a March/April release). And, as we all know, if someone of Zion's stature can't get love from the Latino illiterate major labels in the US, where does that leave Arcangel? How long will he have to wait? Also, Zion is asking that dude either complete the year he has left on his contract or that somebody buy him out (he estimates a mil would be a decent figure)-- obviously, Zion knows good and well that the odds of someone shelling out a cool million are, uhm, none, so he's clearly just proving a point.

It's a point I understand though. In a recent interview, Zion said Arcangel has too many vultures around him trying to suck him dry and that he thinks life is easy when it's not. He also states that there's a contract to which he's bound by law and that that's completely separate from any issues of friendship (which it is).

Most of all, I think Zion is also operating from a place of pride. After all, Arcangel had the nerve to tell Primera Hora that he hopes to sign with Don Omar and that Don is his favorite artist. What kind of disrespect is that? He may be cool with Don, but Don didn't sign him when he was an unknown. If Don gets involved (which it looks like he is, given that Arcangel is touring with him in certain locations), this might cause a rift between him and Zion (as if Don needs any more beef!) That is, unless he shells out that $1 million, but I'd say that'll happen when hell freezes over OR when he actually starts getting along with Yankee -- whichever happens first.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Wisin y Yandel "Pegao" video



Ay ay ay! Wisin y Yandel may be "el duo de la historia," but what's up with this video? Did they use Divas as their shoot location? (Note: for all you non-Ricans, that's a famous strip club in San Juan... HBO actually gives it a lot of shine in all their G-String Diva videos)..

Ok, so let's break down the storyline: Wisin y Yandel go into some kind of club/runway where women in metallic bikinis parade around and occasionally dance in front of them as they sit on a couch (which looks maaaad similar to the one they posed on for the promo shots of their Pa'l Mundo CD!) or stand behind this cheap-ass tinsel streamers (not sure what the purpose of that is... maybe to accentuate more shiny stuff??). Oh, and then, out of nowhere, Yandel is playing with a boa a la Britney Spears circa 2001 and, somehow, the scary, slippery creature ends up crawling all over one of the many half-naked women... Hmmm... Non-sequitor, anyone?

I mean, I get that they want lots of T&A in the video but, seriosuly, could they at least attempt to slap some kind of storyline or thematic thread together?

This is why Voltio's "Julito Marana" and "Culin Chulin Chun Fly" videos looked so innovative!!!

El Cartel promo

Tego's for the children



On Friday, Tego Calderon announced that has joined forces with Puerto Rico's Coalicion Pro-Defensa de los Ninos (the Coalition in Defense of Children), an organization that seeks to fight child endangerment, neglect, and abuse by exhorting all citizens (particularly teachers, doctors, and neighbors of possible victims) to come forward and report any incidents of potential abuse.

It's not a suprising move from the father of Ebony and Malcolm, who has often used his celebrity to speak out about social injustices (months ago, he denounced the conditions in Sierra Leone and swore he would no longer wear any bling — a promise he's kept thus far).

What IS interesting is that Tego has been working alongside the organization CHILD and senator Carnmelo Rios to create awareness for the need to reform PR's legal system so as to establish the option of shared parental custody. In PR, almost 15,000 marriages end up in divorce on an annual basis — in almost all cases where children are involved, full custody is granted to the mother. Tego had to deal with this situation first-hand with his daughter Ebony's mother. His frustration over not being able to see his daughter as much as he'd desired (and over the games his ex played by denying him access to his daughter) are documented in songs like "Oh, Dios" (off The Underdog).

In the press conference, Tego stated that he had often worried about the people his daughter met on the street and that his inability to watch over her scared him.

To find out more about the organization visit, www.childpr.org

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Coming up...

So here's the latest:

Wisin y Yandel are set to record with The Game in two weeks. Let's just hope it's not another "One Blood" remix! ha!

Calle 13 has another album dropping in April. I'm not personally a fan of these guys -- especially since Residente made that speech at the Latin Grammys saying he'd almost pissed his pants... It felt like he was TRYING to be ignorant. He said afterwards that he was excited and that he just said the first thing that popped into his head, but c'mon, anyone who actually saw the telecast, saw that ridiculous, minstrel-like dance they did before accepting the award, and heard the words come out of his mouth, know what I'm talking about. I think he tries to overcompensate for not being from the 'hood and being an art school kid with a locally famous mom...But, dude, nobody's buying the act!!

Notch is dropping a solo album (finally!!) in March through Machete records.

Yankee still has a lot of recording to do for his album. He's got Timbaland, will.i.am, and Scott Storch on tap, but word is little recording has actually been completed due to Yankee's crazy schedule. They're aiming for a March/April release, but that looks rather unlikely... My guess is the album might drop in the fall.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Noche de entierro




If you haven't seen it yet, this is the music video for "Noche de Entierro" off Luny Tunes' Los Benjamins. The video was directed by Jessy Terrero, the Dominican cat who did most of 50 Cent's and G-Unit's videos (including "Candy Shop" and Banks' "On Fire").

Immediate thoughts: the huge letters in the backdrop feel like something out of an old-ass Fabolous video (or wose, something out of the musical Chicago), and the concept isn't innovative whatsoever. The dancers aren't particularly good on this one (surprising since they tend to pick the best girls in the game for marquis artists). As far as the artists go, Yankee does his thing -- the man has undeniable charisma. There's something so endearing about Hector, too... I just wish they'd redo his wardrobe a bit... It would be nice if people could actually see his face sometimes!!

Franco Y Arcangel en concierto Don Omar

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Double D and Christian reggaeton

And the whining continues...

Alright, so many reggaeton artists DO refer to women as "gatas" (cats) and "perras" (dogs) quite a bit, which has been the source of much controversy since the genre's inception. Interestingly, reggaeton albums are mostly bought by women, which means that a substantial contingent of women consider these terms to be slangy terms of endearment, rather than derogatory assaults.

Is this interesting? Absolutely. Does it speak to larger social issues? Quite possibly. But it's not a clear-cut, black-and- white issue. Truth is, for every artists that says "gata" affectionately, there's one that says it with contempt. But if the the term "gata" is flying out of people's mouths in the 'hood, then should artists be held accountable for reflecting that in their music? And what about the argument that they're reinventing the term, imbuing it with a new and endearing sentiment? The point is: as with a lot of issues in rap music (remember the hoopla about rappers using the term "bitch"), this one is a lot deeper than it might seem at first sight.

But there's always people ready to criticize and preach. Among them is rapper Double D or David Disciple, who hosts a radio show called "Reggaeton Night" on Saturday evenings on 90.5 FM. The show discusses a lot of issues like the treatment of women within the genre, while also providing exposure for Christian reggaeton artists.

The problem? These Christian reggaetoneros seem to want to distance themselves from other artists and the overall tone seems to be a quite uppity and snobbish. In a recent interview, Double D said he hoped to have more of an "intellectual" audience and that he wants to dispel any notions that "all reggaton stars come from the projects." Is he friggin' serious?!!!! First of all, whether or not he came from the projects is inconsequential -- what does matter is the fact that he's referring to being born in poverty as if it were a crime (as if anyone actually WANTS to be born poor or wants to deal with living in the PJs). And that intellectual bit? What does that mean -- that he wants people with PHDs? Puhhh-leeze.

Even the whole term "Christian reggaeton" is a bit much, as it suggests those not in that niche are simply heathens. In reality, many folks (from Yankee to Don Omar to Alexis y Fido reference God in their lyrics and are firm believers).

And, side note: if your name is Double D and you're playing off that double entendre to get attention, then you're obviously no saint yourself...

Miguelito and the commercialization of reggaeton

Miguelito, the kiddie reggaetón star out of Puerto Rico who recently dropped the album Mas Grande Que Tu (uhmmm, is this title suposed to be tongue-and-cheek?), turned eight on Friday — yes, EIGHT. It's a little frightening to think that an 8-year-old kid is topping the Latin urban charts, especialy since his entire career reeks of gimmickry and, to a certain extent, exploitation on the part of his parents who, logic tells us, must be masterminding his career. This is even worse than the Reggaeton Ninos, who were interpreting hitls like "Gasolina" and "Mayor Que Yo" in their prepubsecent voices... I mean, do we really need to hear some 10-year-old talking about "dame mas gasolina"? But Miguelito is interpreting "original" material (in other words, material written for him! lol) and he's being billed as a child prodigy, his style copycated from Daddy Yankee and his flow an amalgalm of different reggaeton stars signature deliveries.



In a recent interview with Puerto Rico-based newspaper Primera Hora, Miguelito said he's been performing since the age of six (again, SCARY) and said he'd asked Santa Claus for a cell phone so he could communicate with his parents while on the road (if this kid still believes in Santa Claus, that should let us know just how young he is! Like, is he gonna be waiting for the Tooth Fairy while he's touring?).



The emergence of an artist like Miguelito points to how much reggaeton has expanded, both to its benefit and detriment. Yes, it is quite possible that Miguelito will sell a hefty amount of records but could his success interfere with that of legitimate artists who have been toiling away for years in hopes of finally getting their due? And will it lead to reggaeton becoming a bubble-gum, easily discarded musical form? Let's hope this is a one-shot deal and that alone.





In 2007, he will be touring throughout the US and Latin America and will be the opening act for DY in an upcoming tour.Let's pray that they don't share back-up dancers... I don't think I can handle some scantily-clad dancers writhing and grindin' behind a little kid!!