Latin artists are on the come-up, making names for themselves worldwide. But it was really only a matter of time. After Usher collaborated with Romeo Santos on “Promise” a few years back, everyone knew they were on to something. Drake followed three years later with Romeo Santos, singing in Spanish on “Odio.” Then Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Song charts and 16 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 – that’s the longest time ever and the numbers don’t lie. If it’s hot, everything else will fall into place.
Canadian Rapper Tory Lanez, whose Memories Don’t Die project dropped on Mar. 2, announced in February that he’d be dropping an all-Latin collaborative album soon.
Lanez recently spoke about his decision on Apple’s Beats 1 program, dishing reasons and details on the album. Lanez said that he wanted to steer away from Caribbean music, both on Memories Don’t Die and the upcoming project, though Lanez got a lot of clout from his 2016 “LUV” song, a rendition of Tanto Metro and Devonte’s “Everyone Falls In Love Sometimes.”
He told Ebro, “I’ma make an album that’s all Spanish, all Latin features.” It looks like Lanez is looking to include names like Ozuna, Prince Royce, Farruko, and Nicky Jam. And he’s still on the hunt for verses from Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Remezcla reports.
Lanez is looking to give Latin music the recognition that it’s long deserved, though he shouldn’t create a musical hierarchy. There is room for the use of afrobeats, reggae rhythms and Latin music genres.
He’s right about his timing though: 2018 is already looking like the year for Latinx artists. With the rise of Latin trap as a genre, English-speaking audiences can expect more. While the influence is definitely there, the next step will be Latina rappers and singers.