Lecture 9 Flashcards
Music, Race and the Politics of Identity
why did salsa and reggaeton become one?
there was a decline in salsa production sales during 2004. A lot of people blame the popularity of reggaeton for this. Thankfully, Rivera-Rideau proposed combining the two music styles rather than pitting them against each other
why does calling Puerto Rico a racial democracy cause controversy?
This is problematic because it pushes aside the fact that black Puerto Ricans do not have as many privileges as white Hispanics.
how is music in Puerto Rico connected through diasporic connections of blackness?
Puerto Ricans in diaspora like Nuyoricans were seen as black. So they shared the same experience of African American communities. This sheds light on why Spanish music contains African American and Spanish-Caribbean influence
how is salsa and reggaeton similar in term of what they protest for?
Salsa music was used to push past colonialism, classism and racism. Similarly, reggaeton was used to push against racism and neoliberal policies. It was also used to protest against working-class communities and people of colour in urban settings. From this, we can see that reggaeton continues the trend of protest against public relations. Now PR identities are more centered on blackness and diasporic connections
what is Cortijo y su Combo’s?
group of black musicians who broke racial barriers in PRs like the false notion of racial democracy. They also popularized the style of bomba
what did Tego Calderon use his music to do?
He used his music to push against the shame of being black and encourage black pride
what rhythm did Tego Calderon adopt?
the clave rhythm
describe the case study of Bad Bunny.
he used the style of bomba in one of his Grammy performances and he experienced discrimination because of it. For example, the video that was posted on YouTube did not translate what he was saying into English instead wrote he was speaking non-English
how does a person listening to Bob Marley while cleaning the street cause more significance than it may seem?
listening to Bob Markey in his headphones allows him to take control by controlling the way he hears his environment
how does a person listening to Bob Marley while cleaning the street identify with the blackness of reggae?
he is a lower-class outsider because he is Indigenous
connects with the justice message of reggae
how does a person listening to Bob Marley while cleaning the street become performative?
he is not wearing earbuds
