Timeline
Discussion Questions
Digital Resources
Discussion Questions
- How do power inequalities influence the reception to international music in the United States?
- How does the previous label of “world beats” perpetuate power imbalances between the “Global North” and the “Global South”?
- How do racialized views of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean influence popular understandings of what constitutes “Latin music”?
- How has the United States consumed music from other regions, such as North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands?
- How has the success of Latin music in the early twenty-first century set the stage for the global popularity of Latin artists such as Bad Bunny and Rosalia in the 2020s?
- What aspects of Shakira’s public image influenced her popularity in the US as opposed to other Latino musicians?
- What factors influence whether music is perceived as “Latin” (instrumentation, language, the performer, etc.)? When is this music no longer deemed “Latin”?
- What aspects of Spanish-language Latin music are appealing to a US audience that largely does not speak or understand Spanish?
- Why do recording labels and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences make a distinction between Latin music and non-Latin genres?
- Which subgenres of Latin music have become the most popular in the United States over the past century? Which genres have had the largest influence on non-Latin music?
Digital Resources
Anderson, Trevor. “Chart Rewind: In 2006, Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ Hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.” billboard.com, June 17, 2021. https://archive.vn/lxg5V.
Trevor Anderson’s article provides a retrospective view of the impact of Shakira’s first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Further, it provides information about the creation and success of the song.
Garsd, Jasmine. “Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America.” NPR, February 18, 2015, sec. Alt.Latin. https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2013/09/30/227834004/cumbia-the-musical-backbone-of-latin-america.
This transcription of an NPR podcast in both English and Spanish discusses the origins and importance of cumbia within Latin music as a whole.
Kolba, Andrew. “Exploring the ‘Latin Explosion’ of the Late ‘90s and Early 2000s on ‘It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders.’” Al Día News, October 12, 2021. https://aldianews.com/en/culture/music/discussing-latin-crossover.
Kolba’s article discusses how NPR podcaster Sam Sanders has reflected on the Latin Music Boom, detailing how the industry worked to promote Latin artists in ways that were appealing to U.S. audiences.
Rys, Dan, Leila Cobo, Jessica Roiz, and Elias Leight. “Latin Power Players 2022.” Billboard 134, no. 12 (September 17, 2022): 122–58. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=159182571&site=ehost-live.
This list compiled by Billboard recognizes some of the most influential players in Latin music in 2022, which can be used to compare the scope of Latin music and the recording industry to that of the early twenty-first century.
Samponaro, Philip. “‘Oye Mi Canto’ (‘Listen to My Song’): The History and Politics of Reggaeton.” Popular Music & Society 32, no. 4 (October 2009): 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007760802218046.
Samponaro’s article discusses the development of reggaetón as a genre originating in Panama. He goes on to provide descriptions on the genre’s characteristic rhythms, lyrics, and production.